Peaky Blinders actor Paul Anderson pleads guilty to crack cocaine possession
Peaky Blinders star Paul Anderson has pleaded guilty to possession of crack cocaine which he was found with on Boxing Day.
Peaky Blinders star Benjamin Zephaniah dies at 65
Peaky Blinders’ Arthur Shelby star has put a spanner in the works for the planned movie adaptation as he told a court he was guilty of crack cocaine possession.
Paul Anderson, 45, appeared in court last week where he admitted to possessing class A crack cocaine, class B amphetamines and two class C prescription substances.
He was fined £1,345 as a result, after he was discovered with various substances at a Hampstead pub on Boxing Day 2023.
It has been reported that the police were called after the pub manager smelled what he thought were crack cocaine fumes coming from the disabled toilet when the Peaky Blinders star had been in there.
The actor’s lawyer allegedly told the court he hadn’t been smoking crack cocaine but rather “found himself in an unfortunate position and should have had the strength to say no.”
Read more: Peaky Blinders' Benjamin Zephaniah dies as devastated family pay tribute
They reportedly continued: “You will recognise the defendant from a very intense part that he has played in a recent television programme.
“He is often recognised and does his best to please fans of the show by slipping into character.
“He was recognised that Boxing Day and tried to play up for these people - and because of the lifestyle he leads, people often give him inducements.”
When Anderson was reportedly taken down to the police station, he was found with crack cocaine, amphetamines, diazepam and pregabalin.
Since the BBC period drama came to an end in 2022, Anderson has appeared in comedian Kevin Hart’s film Lift and according to his IMDb profile, is working on another TV series called The Gray House.
DON'T MISS...
A Small Light on Disney+ episode schedule [UPDATE]
Peaky Blinders star Cillian Murphy caught urinating in street [CAST]
Obsession's Charlie Murphy details how sordid sex scenes were shot [EXPLAINER]
He was set to reprise his role as Arthur Shelby, the older brother of Cillian Murphy’s Tommy Shelby, in the Peaky Blinders movie written by show creator Steven Knight.
However, a source told The Daily Star that him pleading guilty to drug possession now creates “huge problems” for the upcoming film.
In fact, they said it could lead to Peaky Blinders movie being “cancelled” altogether.
They said: “It will be so hard to have a Peaky Blinders film without such a pivotal character, while it will be tough having him reprise the role as if nothing has happened.”
“The third option would be to cancel the entire thing”, the insider added.
Work on the film was scheduled for last year but with shows and movie productions around the world on halt due to the Hollywood actors and writers’ strikes, this couldn’t go ahead.
Knight has since confirmed he is finishing up working on the script and filming is set to begin this year.
But with Anderson recently arrested and fined, could this have a long-lasting impact on bringing Tommy Shelby’s story to a close for good?
Peaky Blinders is available to watch on BBC iPlayer.