Just when we thought Sir Oswald Mosley (Sam Claflin) was the pinnacle of villainy in Peaky Blinders, in waltzed his right-hand woman Diana Mitford who, remarkably, matches every inch of his dark energy.
Tommy Shelby and co have faced off against their fair share of scoundrels, but this pair really are another proposition entirely.
Speaking to RadioTimes.com, Amber Anderson, who plays Diana, said: “Obviously I don’t agree with her politics, and that sort of goes without saying, but I think it’s important to say. But as an actor, it’s just a really fun role to play someone so shocking and unafraid to do whatever she wants. I’d just done a few jobs in a row where I played these quite anxious parts and it felt like a gift to have an opportunity to play someone who just has so much fun in everything that she does, even if what she’s doing is obviously extremely problematic.”
In episode 3, Diana speaks of “the great cleansing” to Ada who, like us, is visibly disturbed by her vision for Britain and the rest of the world.
Anderson went on to tease what else viewers can expect from Diana in the second half of the show’s sixth and final season.
“She’s just there to disrupt and to make everyone’s lives just a little bit harder,” she said. “And there’s some really interesting scenes with Diana. I think people are going to be quite shocked. I don’t think that the show has seen a character like her before because she’s not using violence or force to get what she wants. And I think it’s that ability to sit in situations and say these extremely problematic things, but so calmly and so casually, and I think that’s what makes people very uncomfortable.
“There’s just going to be a lot more of that, and I hope some things that actually shock people because then it means we’ve done our jobs properly in terms of the show. I think she’s going to be a pretty hated woman.”
Peaky Blinders airs on BBC One on Sundays at 9pm and is available to catch up on iPlayer right now. Check out our Drama hub for more news, interviews and features or find something else to watch with our TV guide.
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