Irish star Peter McDonald cast in Peaky Blinders creator's latest series

Irish actor Peter McDonald is set to play the role of Eamonn Quinn in the cast of This Town, a new television series created by Steven Knight, known for his work on Peaky Blinders. Premiering on BBC One this weekend, This Town is about "a world of family ties, teenage kicks, and the exhilarating music of a generation."

"Both a high-octane thriller and a family saga, This Town opens in 1981 at a moment of huge social tensions and unrest," the BBC synopsis continues.

"Against this backdrop, it tells the story of a group of young people fighting to choose their own paths in life, and each in need of the second chance that music offers."

Alongside McDonald, the cast includes Levi Brown, Jordan Bolger, Ben Rose, and Eve Austin.

📸 First pictures of This Town, the major new drama from Steven Knight, are here!

The series tells the story of an extended family and four young people who are drawn into an explosive and iconic music scene.

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— BBC Press Office (@bbcpress) October 5, 2023

In an interview with the BBC, McDonald said about taking on the character,

"I grew up through the Troubles, I'm from Dublin. You never take that on lightly; there is a lot of pain, hurt, and traumatisation over the years.

"It's a very difficult situation and the solutions were never going to be easy and still aren't fully resolved so you do feel apprehensive before you take on something that deals with that subject.

"I'm playing one character who is involved in that. He's not representative of the whole struggle or the whole political dynamic, but he is one character who was involved in it. I take it on in that spirit.

"What I saw was a man who is actually, strangely very vulnerable, but I don't want to in any way offer a sympathetic portrayal of any character I play. I just find out what the truth is with the other creatives on the show.

"I'm really telling a story about a father and a husband who has been through the mill of the Troubles and now the way he treats and how he loves those close to him is distorted and misrepresented from where it would be perhaps coming from in other circumstances."

This Town premiers this Easter Sunday, March 31, at 9:00 PM on BBC One, followed by episodes airing on Monday, April 1, at the same time.