Peaky Blinders to return in 2019

Spoiler warning: This story reveals plot details about the most recent episode

Cillian Murphy plays gangster Thomas Shelby in the period drama

BBC Two crime drama Peaky Blinders will return for a fifth series in 2019, its creators have announced.

The news was confirmed via the show's Twitter account just after the finale of its fourth series finished airing.

The latest series ended with Cillian Murphy's Thomas Shelby being crowned the Labour MP for Birmingham South.

It also saw the final appearances of rival gangsters Alfie Solomons and Luca Changretta, played by Tom Hardy and Adrien Brody respectively.

Adrien Brody (left) and Tom Hardy's characters were both killed off in the season finale

Yet their departures did not make things any easier for World War I veteran Tommy, who was seen suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder.

"There's no rest for me in this world," he was seen telling another character in Wednesday's episode. "Perhaps in the next."

"WOW!!! Weren't that one of the best hours of television you've ever seen?!" wrote cast member Jack Rowan after the finale aired.

"It brings a smile to my face every time I remember I'm part of the team."

Viewers were also impressed, with one calling the episode "the biggest emotional rollercoaster ever".