In Season 2, we see Hezekiah recovering from the consequences of the deadly boxing match at the end of Season 1. Still reeling from the loss of his brother Alec (Francis Lovehall), he feels further from home than ever before.
These emotions weigh on him, but they are also the starting point for a new arc of redemption that ties into Knight’s belief in the timelessness of fundamental human motivations. “It doesn’t matter how far back you look,” he says. “The people were the same. The same motivations, the same feelings, jealousies and passions.”
Partly because Knight focuses on these themes, Season 2 contains far less boxing than the first chapter.
This makes it seem more relevant to those less interested in fistfights, as the series references real historical events such as the 1888 matchgirls’ strike at the Bryant & May factory. “They used white phosphorus, which was toxic and caused terrible illness among the workers,” Kirby noted. There are also echoes of Jack the Ripper, giving the show a layer of authentic period time.
Doherty summed up the atmosphere at the time: “Life back then was fragile and easily lost… When you think about how many people would die on the streets, the stakes are incredibly high. He added: “If you try to find the humanity in all of this, it’s not too difficult because it was so frightening and dark.”
For Darci Shaw, who plays the supporting character Alice, it was immersing herself in this dark story that helped her fully understand what it was all about. “I’ve read a lot about that time and the situation of homeless women at that time, and I think it just helps to understand what it’s about and why these women (the Forty Elephants) are so confident and will do whatever it takes because they have no choice,” she said.
Other supporting characters like Edward “Treacle” Goodson are also given more depth. James Nelson-Joyce, who plays Goodson, credits Knight’s storylines with adding complexity to the character in Season 2. “Steven’s writing is incredible,” he said.
“You never act anything. There are always layers, always something underneath what is being said.”
Despite an extremely heartbreaking storyline, Treacle and his brother Sugar Goodson (Stephen Graham) don’t play as big a role in the second season, leaving room for the return of Hezekiah and Mary to take center stage.
The problems are no less serious. Even if there is less boxing than in the first season of A thousand strokesThe fights remain brutal, but it is the characters’ struggles outside the ring that give the second season its dramatic power.
The six episodes of A thousand strokes Season 2 premiered on January 9, 2026 on Disney+ (international) and Hulu (US).
