A Thousand Blows is a gritty period drama from Steven Knight, the creator of Peaky Blinders, that plunges into the brutal, teeming world of 1880s East End London. Blending real history with pulpy invention, it braids together the intertwined worlds of illegal bare-knuckle boxing and organized crime in a city on the cusp of the modern age.

Malachi Kirby stars as Hezekiah Moscow, a Jamaican immigrant who arrives in London with dreams of a different life and is drawn into the underground fighting scene ruled by the fearsome bare-knuckle kingpin Henry Sugar Goodson, played by Stephen Graham. Their rivalry unfolds alongside the exploits of Mary Carr (Erin Doherty), the cunning leader of the Forty Elephants, a genuine all-female crime syndicate that ran rings around the Victorian establishment.

Premiering on Hulu in 2025, the series earned strong reviews for its muscular storytelling, its vivid sense of place, and its powerhouse cast. Rooted in real figures and events, it captures a transitional moment in both sport and society, and its success carried it to a second season. It is streaming on Hulu.