A Thousand Blows drops viewers into the ambitious underworld of East London in the 1880s, where survival depends on resilience, community and the ability to get back up after being knocked down.
The Hulu series follows a group of characters fighting to build the lives they want despite social barriers designed to hold them back, said star Malachi Kirby, who plays Jamaican immigrant Hezekiah Moscow.
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“We’re looking at a group of people who are fighting to build the dreams that they want amidst the diversity and things that we try to kind of keep them down,” Kirby explained.
The story unfolds through several intersecting worlds, including the Forty Elephants — a real-life, all-female crime gang led by Mary Carr — and London’s bare-knuckle boxing scene, where violence and opportunity collide. At the center is Hezekiah, who leaves Jamaica with dreams of greatness but finds his future in the boxing ring.
“He leaves Jamaica to come to London with dreams of becoming a lion,” Kirby said. “He ends up becoming a boxer instead.”
Hezekiah’s path leads him to the Blue Coat Boy, a pub run by Sugar Goodson where drinks are served alongside brutal bare-knuckle fights. Kirby said the fact that the characters are rooted in history made the project especially meaningful.
“These people really existed in the 1800s,” he said. “We get to take a look at their world.”
Kirby said Hezekiah’s journey immediately drew him in, particularly because it challenges narrow narratives about Black life during that period.
“The only thing I really heard about Black people in that time was slavery,” Kirby said. “To hear about a man who was free — and not just free, but had the audacity to dream — that was very exciting to play.”
Despite enduring significant trauma, including the violent loss of his parents, Hezekiah does not become hardened or bitter, Kirby said.
“He’s still gracious, he’s still polite, but he’s got integrity,” Kirby said. “He’s no pushover. He’s a fighter.”
The role required intense physical preparation, as A Thousand Blows depicts the earliest days of boxing, before gloves were introduced. Kirby said he had no boxing experience prior to the series.
“I never boxed in my life other than watching Rocky movies,” he said. “So I had a lot to learn in a short space of time. I used to be an athlete. I used to do athletic, but boxing is a very different thing.”
Training for the role meant learning period-specific fighting techniques and getting into boxing shape quickly — and giving up desserts along the way.
“I enjoyed every second of it, apart from not being able to eat cake for like a year,” Kirby said.
Filming both seasons back to back over the course of a year took a physical toll, though Kirby avoided serious injuries.
“My body started to let me know how it felt about me after a while,” he said. “But no injuries, thank God.”
One of the show’s most compelling elements is the relationship between Hezekiah and Mary Carr, played by Erin Doherty. Kirby said their on-screen dynamic developed organically.
“There was something instinctive when we first got on set,” he said. “We trusted each other and just met in the world.”
Though set more than a century ago, Kirby believes the series resonates with contemporary audiences.
“Immigration, survival, class, community,” he said. “And the value of women in society.”
Kirby, whose previous work includes Roots, Black Mirror and Small Axe, said A Thousand Blows stands out as one of his favorite projects.
“There’s something about this world that excites me,” he said. “I can’t see any limitations on who these people could become.”
As the season unfolds, Kirby hopes viewers reflect on Hezekiah’s evolution — particularly the importance of forgiveness and redemption.
“He loses his way,” Kirby said. “But there are people who give him a chance to find it again.”
Season one of A Thousand Blows premieres Friday on Hulu.