Steven Knight regrets killing off fan favourite Aberama Gold after re-watching ‘Peaky Blinders’.
The 61-year-old showrunner planned for the gangster – played by Aidan Gillen – to be stabbed by mobster Oswald Mosely (Sam Claflin) in season five, but after re-watching the scenes, he instantly regretting losing one of his four major characters.
He told Esquire during a ‘Peaky Blinders’ live watch-along: "I should have kept him alive, I could have just wounded him.
"It’s a funny position where you create these people and then you have to kill them. It’s not nice."
The BBC’s period drama is set for a sixth series, and the show’s creator hinted there is more to come once the main story comes to an end.
Steven previously said: "I know how it’s going to end, this particular incarnation of the family story, I know that it’s going to end at the beginning of the Second World War.
"But after that I think that the momentum is such that maybe we will continue with other bits of the story."
He also rubbished the idea of killing off Cillian Murphy’s alter ego, Tommy Shelby.
He joked: "Dead? Never – he’s immortal."
Although a prequel could happen one day, the writer admitted it would pose some problems.
He explained: "The problem with prequel is you’re limiting yourself as to where it can go.
"You can’t kill a character who can show up in the series."
Steven has also urged fans to "expect the unexpected" as they look forward to the sixth season.
He teased: "[It’s going to be] better than ever. It’s the best yet. It’s moving the story forward. We always jump in time so we are into the 30s. Expect the unexpected."