A Thousand Blows

admonition ! This clause contains raider for A Thousand black eye . The Forty Elephants playact a major role inA Thousand Blows , but how do they compare to the real - life historic gang?A Thousand Blowsfollows several dissimilar power players in the East end of London at the end of the nineteenth one C . Each of them has their own goal and ambitions , but one of the more intriguing grouping is the Forty Elephants , lead by " queen " Mary Carr ( Erin Doherty ) . They ’re a grown reasonreviews forA Thousand Blowsare so good -A Thousand C ' Rotten Tomatoes scoreis splendid - and why the show is well deserving take in .

The Forty Elephants often seem enceinte than life-time inA Thousand Blows , and many viewers may be surprised that an all - female work party could have such succeeder in Victorian London . Surprising as it is , however , A Thousand Blowsis based on actual historical fact , and the Forty Elephants really did exist . Every historical fiction story take some creative liberties with the truth in the name of severalize a more compelling story , however , so it is n’t clear how much ofA Thousand Blowswas accurate . Shockingly , the show got quite a bit about the Forty Elephants right .

The Forty Elephants' Role In A Thousand Blows Explained

The Forty Elephants Are Mary Carr’s Strongest Supporters & The Backbone Of Her Heist Plans

InA Thousand Blows , the Forty Elephants are show as a rag - tag striation of distaff stealer and criminals . They orchestrate misdirection to pickpocket wealthy footer , they surprise into and rob gamey - closing stores , and they even be after and executed a looting on Queen Victoria . They’re a fairly standard - if a spot eccentric - ring at the open level , but there are pot of thing that make the Forty Elephants unique . For illustration , they ’re lead by a " pansy " in the form of Mary Carr , yet despite being structured like the monarchy , they vote on how to use their net income and divide all their ill - get gains equally .

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Though they ’re a quite egalitarian crowd , Mary Carr was the unquestioned leader of the Forty Elephants . Thus , they mostly take a affirm character in relation back to Mary inA Thousand Blows . The Forty Elephants mostly serve as Mary ’s unswerving supporters inA Thousand coke , and she in act would kill or die for each of them . There were limit to this , though , such as when Eliza ( Hannah Walters ) fell in love with Saul Woolfe ( Eddie Toll ) , and Mary had to put her straightaway . While there ’s no room to verify the internal moral force of the Forty Elephants , A Thousand Blowsdid get the facts of the work party powerful .

A Thousand Blows S1 Official Poster

The Forty Elephants Were A Real-Life Gang

The Forty Elephants Was An All-Female Gang Of Shoplifters & Thieves In London In The 19th & 20th Century

As if to prove the old byword that fact can be stranger than fabrication , the Forty Elephants featured inA Thousand Blowsare based almost alone in world . In literal life , the Forty Elephants were an all - distaff gang of thief and shoplifters who operated out of the Elephant and Castle area of London(viaBBC ) . They were closely tied to the more traditionally male gang , the Elephant Boys , though their operations were almost completely independent . The Forty Elephants would often shoplift from and outright rob mellow - end shop in West London , just asA Thousand Blowsdepicts them .

Just as the Forty Elephants were real , many of thecharacters inA Thousand Blowswere also real . Mary Carr , for instance , has several unlike halt and imprisonment record dating back to the eighties . One of the only areas of true fabricationA Thousand Blowsis guilty of is the connecter between Hezekiah Moscow ( Malachi Kirby ) and the Forty Elephants . While there is n’t grounds to advise they were forthwith cooperating , Hezekiah was in the Elephant and Castle orbit of London at the same sentence Mary Carr was acting as the queen of the Forty Elephants .

How The Forty Elephants' History Could Set Up Multiple Seasons Of A Thousand Blows

BecauseA Thousand Blowsis based - at least partially - on the real exploit of the Forty Elephants , it could have enough stuff for several more seasons . Sources take issue on the exact seniority of the gang , but even the most conservative estimate claim that the Forty Elephants were active up until the fifties ( viaBBC).That ’s more than 80 twelvemonth deserving of deplorable exploit , heists , and great drama centered around the Forty Elephants forA Thousand Blowsto draw aspiration from and conform . In fact , series creator Stephen Knight has already confirmed thatA Thousand Blowswill adapt more of the Forty Elephants ' chronicle .

" Season two is already shot , and I ’m very keen to go on assure the account because there ’s a wad more write up to say . There were still people who key out themselves as Forty Elephants in the 1950s . The truth and realness are much more interesting than anything you may invent . "

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Cast

Mary Carr (Erin Doherty) and Alice Diamond (Darci Shaw) in A Thousand Blows

Custom image by Sean Morrison

Cillian Murphy as Tommy Shelby holding a gun in Peaky Blinders

Image via BBC

Real life members of the Forty Elephants

Image via BBC

Mary Carr (Erin Doherty) in A Thousand Blows season 1, episode 3

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Headshot Of Stephen Graham In The British Independent Film Awards in London

A Thousand Blows