Sam Neill’s Departure From Peaky Blinders Explained
Originally published Jul 13, 2026
By Dave Nemetz · TVLine
AI-generated summary based on TVLine · Aggregated by Filmarian · Human-reviewed and approved on Jul 13, 2026
Key points
- Sam Neill played Inspector Chester Campbell for two seasons.
- The character was killed off at the end of Season 2.
- Creator Steven Knight said it was a creative decision.
- Neill initially resisted the character’s death but later accepted.
Actor Sam Neill, who portrayed Inspector Chester Campbell on Netflix’s “Peaky Blinders,” left the series after its second season when his character was killed off. Series creator Steven Knight said the decision was a creative one, noting that while he admired Neill, he felt the storyline had run its course.
Knight recalled informing Neill of the plan, to which Neill initially resisted because he did not want his character to die. Ultimately, Neill accepted the outcome and the role concluded with Campbell’s death in the season‑two finale.
Read the original story: TVLine — by Dave Nemetz