Josh O’Connor, the actor now starring in the new Knives Out film, appeared in the second season of the BBC crime series Peaky Blinders. He played a character named James, the housemate of Tommy Shelby’s sister Ada, across three episodes in 2014. The role was a small but notable early television part for the actor before his award-winning performances in The Crown and major films.
Who Was James in Peaky Blinders?
In Season 2 of Peaky Blinders, Josh O’Connor played James, a writer who rents a room from Ada Thorne, played by Sophie Rundle. The character first appears in Episode 3 of the season when Cillian Murphy’s Tommy Shelby visits his sister. Tommy initially mistakes James for Ada’s new boyfriend, leading to a revealing conversation.
Ada clarifies James’s situation to her protective brother, explaining that James is not interested in her or any women. This line, set in the 1920s when homosexuality was illegal in Britain, established James as a closeted gay man. James is described as an aspiring writer and an anarchist from Kentish Town, which becomes a key part of Tommy’s schemes later in the season.
James’s Role in Tommy Shelby’s Plans
James was more than just Ada’s housemate; Tommy Shelby saw an opportunity to use him. In Episode 6, Tommy brings James along to a tense meeting in Camden Town with the volatile Jewish gangster Alfie Solomons, played by Tom Hardy.
Tommy orders James to wait outside the building. Inside, Tommy tells Alfie that the man outside is an anarchist who will detonate a hand grenade if anything happens to him. This bluff works. The threat helps Tommy negotiate a better deal, limiting Alfie’s take of the Shelby business to only 30 percent. James last appears in the Season 2 finale, traveling back to Birmingham with Tommy, but his ultimate fate is never revealed in the series.
Josh O’Connor’s Career Since His Peaky Blinders Appearance
Josh O’Connor’s role as James was an early television credit in a career that has since risen dramatically. Following Peaky Blinders, he landed a major role as Larry Durrell in the ITV series The Durrells, which ran from 2016 to 2019.
His breakthrough came in 2017 with the film God’s Own Country, for which he won a British Independent Film Award. He gained global recognition for his portrayal of Prince Charles in Seasons 3 and 4 of Netflix’s The Crown, a performance that earned him a Primetime Emmy Award, a Golden Globe, and critical acclaim.
More recently, O’Connor starred in the 2024 film Challengers and the period drama The History of Sound. He is currently starring as Rev. Jud D. Duplenticy in Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Mystery, the third film in Rian Johnson’s popular franchise, which was released in December 2025.
Where to Watch Josh O’Connor in Peaky Blinders
For viewers who want to see Josh O’Connor’s early performance, his episodes are available to stream. All seasons of Peaky Blinders are streaming on Netflix in the United States, the United Kingdom, and many other countries worldwide.
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Josh O’Connor appears in three specific episodes of Season 2: Episode 3, Episode 4 (confirmed by the BBC’s official programme credits), and Episode 6. The show originally aired on BBC Two in the UK.
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