Peaky Blinders director shares unique tribute to Helen McCrory after her death at 52

‘It has meant a huge amount to me and the crew on Peaky to have an image of Helen on set with us every day’

Peaky Blinders shared a moving tribute to its star Helen McCrory, as filming resumed on the show's sixth season following the actor’s death on Friday (16 April).

Posting to Instagram, director Anthony Byrne revealed that one of the show’s clapper boards had been decorated with a sketch of the actor in character as matriarch Polly Gray.

“Today was beautiful and strange and sad and surreal,” Byrne wrote. “We found ourselves in the most beautiful environment. The sun beating down on us and it felt ok. It was incredible but not surprising to read the many tributes and articles dedicated to Helen over the weekend.”

He continued: “This is our A camera board and Polly Gray is always in front of our cameras... This board was designed by @lo_marie_s a super talented tattoo artist in Manchester. It has meant a huge amount to me and the crew on Peaky to have an image of Helen on set with us every day.”

Series star Cillian Murphy has also shared a tribute to McCrory. “I am broken-hearted to lose such a dear friend. Helen was a beautiful, caring, funny, compassionate human being,” he said in a statement shared shortly after her death was announced.

On Friday, husband Damian Lewis shared a note to Twitter announcing that McCrory, 52, had died peacefully at home after “a heroic battle with cancer”.

Writing in The Sunday Times over the weekend, Lewis, who married McCrory in 2007, four years after they first met performing in a play together, described the actor as “a meteor in our life”.