The final season of was always going to be emotional - but the real-life death of Helen McCrory in April 2021 added a heartbreaking new layer to the series. McCrory, who died of cancer, played the formidable Polly Gray for five unforgettable seasons, bringing grit, wisdom and steel to the matriarchal role of Tommy Shelby's aunt. Her absence left a major void, both on and off screen.

"First of all, issues of plot and story and television programs are insignificant compared to the tragedy that was the death of somebody so brilliant and so fantastic," creator Steven Knight told . "But it presented us with a situation." The team made the difficult decision to write Polly out of the story entirely. Her death is revealed in the opening moments of season 6 - a move Knight says was made to honour both the actress and her character.

"The idea that Polly's alive but she's gone to America or something wasn't right," he explained. "We wanted to pay tribute to the character and hopefully the actor at the same time, so we wanted that to be part of the show."

Knight added: "I think Helen would've wanted us to continue with the influence of Polly. She is still a very strong influence on Tommy, and therefore the whole thing.

"Her death is a catalyst for a lot of stuff that happens, all the way up to the end of episode 6."

, who leads the series as Tommy Shelby, said it was vital to reflect Polly's influence in the story.

"Helen would've been in the series if we had shot in 2020, so she's very much part of the series," he said. "Her influence is still in there, particularly for Tommy."

After Polly's on-screen death, the show jumps four years forward - but her presence continues to loom large.

"It's been very hard for Tommy to operate without Polly because she was his closest confidant and the person he trusted most," Murphy said. "It's very much in the story, that absence."

Throughout the final season, Polly's voice is heard in flashbacks, with both Tommy and Michael haunted by memories of her.

A powerful line from season 5 is repeated, and her long-standing warning - that one of them would die if they ever went to war - becomes a chilling prophecy.

Helen McCrory died in April 2021 at the age of 52 after a private battle with cancer.

Known for her extraordinary talent and commanding screen presence, McCrory kept her illness out of the public eye until her husband, actor Damian Lewis, confirmed the heartbreaking news, praising her "courage, humour and generosity".

As Polly Gray in Peaky Blinders, McCrory was the fierce matriarch of the Shelby family, delivering some of the show's most iconic moments - from orchestrating brutal revenge plots to taking control of the family business in Tommy's absence.