(Credits: Sky UK)
It’s already broken viewing records for Sky and now Gangs of London has another accolade under its belt, overtaking Game of Thrones as the most violent show on British television.
The Joe Cole thriller immediately had viewers wincing with its no-hold bars graphic violence from the opening moment of a man being torched and plummeting to his death to the 112 unfortunate victims who get slaughtered from then on.
It’s a ride.
The bloodbaths of Westeros were without a doubt a game-changer, but Gangs of London has taken extreme violence to a whole other level with 113 deaths and 96 shootings.
There are also 30 stabbings and seven strangulations with 13 unfortunate souls being tortured. The teeth and the spoon – that’s all we’re saying…
Game of Thrones was mild in comparison with just 46 deaths in its first season, but then George RR Martin went on the warpath and the body count swiftly amassed into the thousands.
Speaking to Metro.co.uk about the violence in Gangs of London, director Gareth Evans – who created the drama alongside long-term collaborator Matt Flannery – insisted the WTF brutality wasn’t just for shock value.
‘You can’t just throw in a move for the sake of a move – there always has to be intent and purpose behind them,’ he told us. ‘That was part of the remit ever time we design these scenes.
‘Going back to my work in Asia, the idea of building the audience up to the crescendo, the rhythm and the energy of a fight scene to – no pun intended – the punch line.
‘Moments where you’re making the audience see something that’s either wince-inducing or ballsy or shocking they gasp, when we made those scenes for films it was the idea of having 300 people gasping in time and then you get these collective communal experience of reacting to something. Now we’re looking at three to four people on the same couch.’
‘We give people enough to see but don’t dwell on the true detail,’ he continued. ‘I can give you something that will shock you or make you wince but the camera’s moving away so while you’re busy reacting we’re off to see what’s next.
‘We’re never going to be like, “Here’s the high concept injury detail”, that’s not of interest to me.
‘It’s the outrageousness of the thrill of it.’
Gangs of London is available to stream on NOW TV and airs Thursdays on Sky Atlantic.
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