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Fans have hailed a historical drama as the "best series ever made", and it is available on one of the streaming platforms. A Thousand Blows is a British historical drama series created by Peaky Blinders writer Steven Knight. It is about the Forty Elephants, which was an all-female crime syndicate, clashing with the underground world of illegal bare-knuckle boxing in 1880s London.

A Thousand Blows features Adolescence stars Erin Doherty and Stephen Graham alongside Malachi Kirby, Francis Lovehall, James Nelson-Joyce, Jason Tobin, and many others.

The series synopsis reads: "Inspired by the true life stories of a group of characters battling for survival in the brutal East End of London in the 1880s. 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. Meanwhile, the menacing and self-declared emperor of the East End boxing world, Sugar Goodson, is determined to destroy Hezekiah, whose ambitions to fight in the West End threaten everything he has built. What ensues is a battle of the old world against the new."

The series has been listed by Red magazine as one of the top period dramas of the moment. A Thousand Blows has an impressive 88% rating from the Rotten Tomatoes critics. Their consensus states: "Punching up an intriguing era of British history with creator Steven Knight's flair for genre grit, A Thousand Blows is riveting entertainment that leaves a bruise."

One audience reviewer hailed the series, stating: "Absolutely worth watching! A thousand blows deserves a thousand compliments; it really had me addictively hooked from start to finish."

Another reviewer said: "I would give this 10 stars if I could. It ties Shogun as the best historical series in many years. The acting, writing, directing, and cinematography are all outstanding."

Lucy Mangan of the Guardian praised the series for depth in storytelling and themes, and therefore awarded the first series five stars out of five.

The series will return for a second instalment, confirmed by Knight in an interview with the Daily Express. He said: "We do have the second series in the can, and we all want to keep this story going, and I think we will and just take it towards the 21st century."

A Thousand Blows is available to stream on Disney+ right now.