Ibstock-based actor Stephen Graham is to star in a new series about illegal boxing in 1880s Victorian London.

Steven Knight, creator of Peaky Blinders, is behind the new show called A Thousand Blows.

The show is due to be released on Disney+, and will star Graham as Sugar Goodson, a London boxer.

Nme.com reports that the actor will also executive produce, alongside Knight who also wrote and created the show.

Graham says of the new venture: "Aside from having the privilege of bringing the role of Sugar Goodson to life, I am also extremely proud that Matriarch is co-producing this show whilst helping to create opportunities for people in front of and behind the camera, instilling the ethos of providing training within production that otherwise would be difficult for some to pursue as a career. 'Don't count the days… Make the days count.' – Muhammad Ali."

A synopsis for A Thousand Blows says the show "follows Hezekiah and Alec, two best friends from Jamaica who find themselves thrust into the vibrant and violent melting pot of post-industrial revolution London's East End.

"Drawn into the criminal underbelly of the thriving boxing scene, Hezekiah meets Mary Carr, leader of The Forty Elephants – the notorious all-female London gang – as they battle for survival on the streets.

"As Hezekiah sharpens his new skills, he comes up against Sugar Goodson, a seasoned and dangerous boxer played by Stephen Graham, and the two are soon locked into an intense rivalry that spills out way beyond the ring."

Knight added: "I always love to delve into untold history, and this is a story that really deserves to be told."