The BBC’s Peaky Blinders star is barely muscled in red speedos for a new role

Peaky Blinders star Finn Cole, who played the iconic Michael Gray in the BBC One series, has given fans a glimpse of his first stage role. The actor, who was a key figure in the Birmingham crime drama, caused a stir as he battled Tommy Shelby for gang supremacy.

The popular show ended its six-series run in 2022, but that hasn’t slowed down the 28-year-old’s career. On Friday (July 19), Cole made his stage debut in the title role of “Red Speedo.” The play, based on the 2013 book, tells the story of an Olympic hopeful who does everything he can to avoid scandal when performance-enhancing drugs are discovered in his teammate’s locker. In the newly released photos, Cole leaves little to the imagination as she dons the titular red swimsuits.

Posing at the Orange Tree Theater in London, Cole looks sensational with a large dragon tattoo visible on his back and extending down his left leg. His Baywatch-esque costume showcases his muscular arms and toned abs as he takes to the stage.

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Interestingly, it appears that a swimming pool was built on stage for this unique production of the Off-Broadway play, reports the Daily Star. His celebrity friends and adoring fans wasted no time in flooding the comments with congratulations and compliments for the star.

Marvel sensation Florence Pugh exclaimed: “My God, this is incredibly exciting!” One fan playfully commented: “What a great day to have (heart emoji, fire emoji)” eyes, while another said: “Damn… (three fire emojis).”

Another admirer added: “You’re on (fire emoji) and so hot! (heart emoji).” This buzz comes on the heels of Peaky Blinders creator Steven Knight’s announcement that a film version of the hit series is in the works. The much-anticipated film will be shot in the West Midlands, with filming set to begin in September.

Knight shared with Birmingham World that Cillian Murphy is set to return as the iconic Thomas Shelby. Originally intended to run for seven seasons, the show’s trajectory was altered by the pandemic, leading to a change in plans.

Cillian Murphy reflected in 2022: “I think Steve always had an endgame in mind, Covid messed that up. But now he has a lot of plans to make a movie.”

“So I don’t think that’s the end of the story. I think it’s probably just the end of the story in this form. But Steve always comes up with ideas and they are always good. So I’ll wait and see what he has to say.”