The stars who left Peaky Blinders and why – schedule clash to dig at Cillian Murphy

It was perhaps one of the most loved TV shows to date as gripped the nation, forcing them to the edge of their seats.

Throughout the six series, viewers saw Tommy Shelby, who was the head of the family along with his aunt Polly Gray, make themselves firmly known among the gangs in Birmingham.

And over the years, Tommy started to immerse himself in post WWI politics which led to devastating consequences.

Fans became used to seeing certain characters but unfortunately, a few of the well-known faces either decided to leave as they felt overshadowed or it was simply due to a clash of schedules.

Here we take a look the TV actors who decided to quit the iconic TV show and their reason behind theirn decision to quit, from Joe Cole to Iddo Goldberg.

Joe Cole

Peaky Blinders star has revealed that he decided to quit the iconic TV show because it’s “Cillian Murphy’s show”, which meant, according to him, that he “never got out of the gates.”

The show follows the lives of the Shelby family, who are a gang that are fast becoming known for ruling the city of Birmingham, in post first world war Britain.

Cillian played Tommy Shelby while Joe Cole, 35, played his younger brother John. In a recent interview Joe told Metro: “With Peaky Blinders I never really got out of the gates in that role. It’s Cillian’s show really. This show is more ensemble, it follows characters on a deep level.”

He added: “I’ve spent the last few years turning down gang related shows because when a show does well you get offered quite a lot of them. I actually chose to leave Peaky Blinders because I wanted to explore new avenues, and new characters and new stories.”

Iddo Goldberg

Freddie Thorne, played by Iddo Goldberg, was a huge part of the legendary TV show which run over six series. Freddie was embroiled in a secret relationship with Ada Shelby, Tommy Shelby’s sister.

Fans of the TV show were left confused as to why the character was no longer seen on their screen but it seems it was simply down to the actor’s prerogative to move on. Speaking to Collier back in 2013, Iddo said: “The world that they created, along with Steven Knight, who wrote it, was just so big and so grand.”

He added: “Usually, people cut corners and make things look bigger, but everything was just so grand and big and epic, on this production. It was great! It was just really, really brilliant.”

He continued: “We weren’t doing it on a backlot. We were in the U.K., shooting in all these great locations up in Leeds. All the stuff just looked so authentic. It was really, really amazing. And then, you see the costumes. I’m sure you’ve heard this before from actors, but I’ve not had many experiences like it. Peaky Blinders is going to really be something. It was a real treat.”

Jordan Bolger

Jordan Bolger, who played Isaiah Jesus, was a firm fixture on the show until series four but by the following series he was replaced by Daryl McCormack.

After his casting was first announced he took to X to share the news with his fans. He wrote: “Thank you to everyone showing love and support already! This season’s looking to be a crazy rollercoaster. I can’t wait!”

However by July 2018, it emerged that he was leaving the show. And once again, he took to social media to announce the news.

He penned: “Disappointingly it seems production aren’t able to work round my other commitments so as it stands I won’t be returning. Peaky/Isaiah has been a big part of my life, a great experience and I’ve met some amazing people but this one is out of my control.”

And fans were left devastated. One person wrote: “I’m saddened to hear this because Isaiah was great and had so much potential, but I understand why it’s coming to an end.”

They added: “You really have so much talent so I hope your current and future works will be just as great, if not more! I wish you the best of luck Jordan.”