A Thousand Blows: Full list of cast in Steven Knight's drama on Hulu

A Thousand Blows is a historical drama series created by Steven Knight, who is best known for his work on Peaky Blinders. The series premiered on February 21, 2025, on Hulu in the United States and on Disney+ internationally.

A Thousand Blows centers on the Jamaican immigrant, Hezekiah Moscow, finding fame and fortune as an illegal bare-knuckle boxer in late 19th-century London. His life gets intertwined with East End's notorious boxer, Henry Sugar Goodson, and the leader of the crime syndicate Forty Elephants, Mary Carr.

The series is produced by Barrington Paul Robinson, Stephen Haren, and Jo Johnson. It was renewed for a second season in February 2025 and was filmed back-to-back with season 1.

The official synopsis of A Thousand Blows, as per Rotten Tomatoes, reads:

"Hezekiah Moscow and Alec Munroe, best friends on the run from Jamaica, find themselves thrust into the criminal underbelly of London’s thriving bare-knuckle boxing scene. As Hezekiah finds fortune and fame through the art of pugilism, he attracts the attention of the infamous Queen of the Forty Elephants, Mary Carr, who sets about exploiting his talents to further her criminal enterprise."

It continues:

"Meanwhile the menacing and self-declared emperor of the East End boxing world, Sugar Goodson, determines to destroy Hezekiah whose ambitions to fight in the West End threatens everything he has built. What ensues is a battle of the old world against the new."

Stephen Graham, Erin Doherty, and others star in A Thousand Blows

1) Malachi Kirby as Hezekiah Moscow

Malachi Kirby seen as Hezekiah Moscow in the period drama A Thousand Blows (Image via Instagram/@erindoherty)

Malachi Kirby plays Hezekiah Moscow, a Jamaican man who arrives in London in the 1880s in search of a better life. Under the guidance of his close friend, Alec Munroe, he becomes a famous bare-knuckle boxer, in the criminal underbelly of London.

Malachi is a British actor who earned widespread acclaim for his performance as the Gambian slave Kunta Kinte in the American miniseries Roots in 2016.

He also played the leading roles of Michael Garwick in the dystopian series Curfew in 2019 and Oliver Harris in the financial thriller Devils in 2020. Moreover, he had an eight-episode arc on the sopa opera, EastEnders.

In October 2016, he starred in the anthology series Black Mirror in an episode from season 3 titled Men Against Fire. He appeared in Steve McQueen's film Small Axe: Mangrove, based on the plight of West Indian immigrants living in London, in 2020.

Malachi won the BAFTA Award for his role as the racial justice advocate Darcus Howe in the series.

Among his notable film credits are Boiling Point, The Last Showing, Fallen, Wicked Little Letters, and Kajaki.

2) Stephen Graham as Henry Sugar Goodson

Stephen Graham as seen in Hulu's A Thousand Blows (Image via Instagram/@erindoherty)

Stephen Graham plays the menacing bare-knuckle boxer Henry 'Sugar' Goodson from London's East End. He finds Hezekiah a worthy opponent in the boxing ring, but sets out to destroy his career out of jealousy, in part, due to his unrequited feelings for Mary, who chooses to be with Hezekiah.

Graham rose to prominence with his role as Andrew 'Combo' Gascoigne in the coming-of-age drama This Is England in 2006.

He has given memorable performances in Gangs of New York, Boiling Point, The Irishman, Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy, Rocketman, Pirates of the Caribbean series (2011-2017), and the Venom series (2021-2024).

On television, the British actor has played the gangster Al Capone in HBO's Boardwalk Empire, Elias Mannix in Netflix's sci-fi thriller Bodies, Eric McNally in BBC One's drama series Time, DI Roy Carver in the procedural drama Code 404, and Hayden Stagg in Netflix's Peaky Blinders.

3) Erin Doherty as Mary Carr

Erin Doherty seen as Mary Carr in the Hulu series A Thousand Blows (Image via Instagram/@erindoherty)

Erin Doherty plays Mary Carr, leader of the all-female crime syndicate Forty Elephants in A Thousand Blows. She steals the expensive gifts presented by Queen Victoria to the visiting Chinese delegation with help from Mr. Lao and Hezekiah.

After falling in love with Hezekiah, the two decide to leave for America, but she is abandoned at the last minute due to her role in the murder of Hezekiah's best friend, Alec.

The award-winning actress made her film debut in the historical drama Firebrand in 2023 and went on to star in the psychological thriller Reawakening the following year in 2024.

Her breakout role was playing Princess Anne in Netflix's The Crown alongside Olivia Colman, Tobias Menzies, Josh O'Connor, Helena Bonham Carter, Emma Corrin, Gillian Anderson, etc. She also had guest roles in shows like Call the Midwife and Unprecedented.

4) Francis Lovehall as Alec Munroe

Francis Lovehall seen as Alec Munroe in the series A Thousand Blows (Image via Instagram/@erindoherty)

Francis Lovehall plays Hezekiah's best friend, Alec Munroe, in the Hulu series. He is stabbed to death by the Elephant Boys, who mistake him for Hezekiah.

The Jamaican actor starred in Steve McQueen's Small Axe: Lovers Rock in 2020 and in Kenneth Branagh's adaptation of Agatha Christie's novel Death on the Nile in 2022. He has also acted in the limited series Masters of the Air, His Dark Materials, and the Apple TV+ series Criminal Record.

5) Jason Tobin as Mr. Lao

Jason Tobin plays the character of Lao in A Thousand Blows (Image via Instagram/@erindoherty)

Jason Tobin plays the Chinese immigrant Mr. Lao, who houses Hezekiah and Alec at his inn. He joins Mary's heist by pretending to be a translator and ends up killing a member of the Chinese delegation for being responsible in his family's death back home in China.

Lao is arrested, but Mary helps him escape from prison and sends him away to Liverpool to start a new life.

Jason has worked with the director Justin Lin in films like The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift, Better Luck Tomorrow, and F9.

He won the 'Best Actor' award at the 2013 Los Angeles Asian Pacific Film Festival for his role as Eddy Tsai in Stanley Yung's film Chink. In 2023, he starred in Netflix's supernatural thriller, Fistful of Vengeance.

Prior to A Thousand Blows, he appeared as Young Jun in the martial arts series Warriors from 2019 to 2023.

Other supporting cast members of A Thousand Blows

James Nelson-Joyce as Treacle Goodson
Jemma Carlton as Belle Downer
Ziggy Heath as Peggy Bettinson
Morgan Hilaire as Esme Long
Darci Shaw as Alice Diamond
Daniel Mays as William Punch Lewis
Will Bagnall as Thomas Goodson
Jerome Wright as MC (West London)
Elliot Warren as Sharkey Devenish
Stanley Morgan as Prince Albert Victor
Elsie Evans as Rose Goodson
Ned Dennehy as Bull Jeremy
Elliot Cable as Dickie Summerville
Eddie Toll as Saul Woolfe
Albina Bulatova as Maid
Ben Deery as Mr. Ashby
James Fisher as John Budgen
Tom Andrews as Lord Queensberry
Ella Lily Hyland as Marianne Goodson
Billy Clements as Eugene
Prince Marfo as Boxing Guest
Angus Castle-Doughty as Morten Frewen
Christian Contreras as Jerry Knox
Guy Robbins as Special Officer
Ian Donnelly as Worker
Shane Noone as Inn Keeper
Adam Nagaitis as Lord Lonsdale
Maeve Dermody as Lady Grace Lonsdale
Fergus Craig as Mr. Percival
Russell Balogh as Cartwright
Olly Lloyd as Arcadius Montclair
Andy Apollo as George Linton
Robert Jarvis as Cartwright's second
Chike Chan as Lo Feng Luh
Anil Desai as Pastor Albert Mohamet
Kim Durham as Thomas Carlyle
Mace Phoenix as Page Boy
Martin Sims as Crown Jeweller
Nathan Hubble as Buster Williams
Doren John Farmer as Robert Pusey
Jonathan Bourne as Comique Performer
Tom Cavendish as Tba
Ben Tiramani as Barney Grantham
Tom Crowley Ellis as Ben Grant-Woolley
Dawn Buckland as Dance Trio #1
Katrina Dix as Dance Trio #2
Stacey Ghent as Dance Trio #3
Ruaridh Mollica as Nicolas Graften
Alfredo Tavares as James Eade Corner Man
Seth Somers as Quentin Ashmore
Oliver Sinclair as Police Officer

Stay tuned for more updates about A Thousand Blows.

Edited by Prem Deshpande