Despite the falling apart of his public and private life, he remains undeterred by guilt or remorse, shamelessly still seeking to further his own agenda while others plot to bring him down. The show will explore the difficulty of leaving behind the past for an individual and a country – can Laurence out-run his own secrets to win the ultimate prize?

For her character, McCrory might look to one or both of the two women who have held the role in real life: Margaret Thatcher and Theresa May. Alternatively, she could look to Britain’s female queen – or the new season of The Crown – for inspiration.

Peaky Blinders fans, Helen McCrory has just been cast in a new political drama