The A Thousand Blows actor appeared on This Morning to discuss series two
Stephen Graham said: “Has my missus been talking to you?”(Image: ITV)
Stephen Graham was speechless after what Alison Hammond said as he appeared on This Morning to discuss the second series of A Thousand Blows. The critically acclaimed original Disney+ series stars BAFTA award-winning Malachi Kirby and Emmy-award winners Stephen Graham and Erin Doherty. The gripping Victorian drama returned on January 9.
The series from Steven Knight is set in the world of bare knuckle boxing in 1880s London and stars Stephen Graham as Sugar Goodson, whose stranglehold on the underground boxing scene comes under threat when Hezekiah Moscow (Malachi Kirby) arrives in the UK.
It also follows the exploits of the all female Forty Elephants gang, led by Mary Carr, who is played by Erin Doherty.
Stephen sat down on The This Morning sofa on Friday (January 16) alongside Malachi as they chatted to hosts Alison Hammond and Dermot O’Leary about the series.
Graham said the character Hezekiah Moscow is based on a photograph which he wanted to bring to life. He said: “It was this beautiful image of a black man who looks so regal, majestic and full of grace.
“And instantly, I’m curious, because I’m a mixed race kid myself, so I never got to see men like this. You want to know how he’s been able to take that photograph, what’s happened to him in order for him to be there in that part of his life.”
Alison and Dermot were in stitches(Image: ITV)
He said the image inspired his wife Hannah Walters, who also is an executive producer on the show, to ask creator Steven Knight to build “something” around this idea.
The two actors also discussed their intense training regime to get into shape for their roles. Malachi explained they would often train in between takes on set.
He said: “They built a boxing gym for us to train in between takes.” But after seeing Malachi squeeze in the extra training on set, Stephen felt like he also needed to put in some more work on physique.
Stephen said: “I’ll be honest, we were doing a fight and I turned around, and you know I’m 52…” But before he could continue Alison Hammond asked: “How tall are you again?”
Stephen clocked Alison’s joke and avoided the question as he coughed before continuing: “I’m 52…” Alison and Dermot couldn’t hold in their laughter and were in stitches at his response.
Stephen’s height is often the topic of conversation in interviews with lighthearted jokes. The actor is around five foot six, which contrasts to other famous faces in the industry, including his Adolescence co-writer Jack Thorne who stands at six foot six.
Stephen Graham and Adolescence co-writer Jack Thorne (Image: Mike Coppola/Getty Images for The Gotham Film & Media Institute)
Meanwhile, Stephen avoided the conversation on This Morning by continuing his response. He said: “I’m 52 … and I see Malachi doing press ups in the corner getting ready for his close-ups and I’m like ‘I better do some [press ups].'”
Speaking about his inspiration for his physique, he said: “I wanted to look like a cross between Mike Tyson and Ricky Hatton.”
As the interview came to a close, Stephen said he hopes fans will tune in to the second series and suggested the possibility of a third series. They said their goodbyes, but Alison couldn’t help herself as she chimed in with another height joke.
She said: “Five foot six at least.”
Stephen was lost for words, before he eventually nodded and said: “Yeah, yeah yeah.” He pointed his finger at the This Morning host and said: “Has my missus been talking to you?”
Alison was in stitches again, as she said: “Me and Hannah” and crossed her fingers together to signify friendship.
Although it’s not known if Alison and Hannah really are good friends, the TV host enjoyed joking with the Scouse actor and it was a hilarious way to end the interview.
A Thousand Blows is available to watch on Disney+