**Spoiler warning for Peaky Blinders season 6 episode 6**
What next for Duke Shelby?
Peaky Blinders actor Conrad Khan has revealed that he “hopes’ his character will return for the upcoming Peaky Blinders film and future instalments of the franchise.
Speaking to RadioTimes.com, actor Conrad Khan discussed the final season of the BBC One drama, joining the esteemed Peaky Blinders cast and his character, Erasmus “Duke” Shelby.
Duke played a key role in the final episodes, having been introduced in the fourth instalment as Tommy Shelby’s illegitimate son.
In the finale, Duke proved himself as a member of the gang and the Shelby family, helping his father to root out the traitor Billy Grade (Emmett J. Scanlan) and exiling his uncle Finn Shelby (Harry Kirton) from the family.
In a key finale scene, Tommy Shelby (Cillian Murphy) whispered in Duke’s ear before he departed, but viewers did not know what he said to his son.
With so much conversation developing about the series creator Steven Knight continuing the franchise with a film or spin-off series, has Duke – now sporting the Peaky undercut hairstyle – got a place in the future of the show?
Conrad Khan revealed to RadioTimes.com: “I hope so. I hope so. [Steven Knight] hasn’t spoken to me about it. I don’t think he even knows in his mind what he wants to take it next. But yeah, who knows?”
Noting the “infinite possibilities” of where to take the franchise and the “desire for more content”, Khan doubts that this season is the end of the Peaky Blinders universe.
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So, if Duke does return, is there anything that the actor would be keen to explore with the character in future?
“I think he has kind of a fierce independence,” revealed Khan. “He does have…a kind of a wild, feral, violent side to him. And I think as an actor that that’s quite fun to play sometimes. So maybe a bit of that, a bit of action. I enjoy doing the action.”
Fans will have to wait and see if Duke really becomes his father’s heir.
Peaky Blinders seasons 1 to 6 are available now on BBC iPlayer.
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