Pulling no punches

Stephen Graham's character fights his demons as the drama is back for round two

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When Stephen Graham takes on an acting role, he lives and breathes his character to make sure his performance is as real as possible.

So when he signed up to play fighter Henry “Sugar” Goodson in A Thousand Blows, he started weightlifting and boxing for real. “People stopped me in the street and the local supermarket to say, ‘You're in great shape,’” says Stephen. 52. “I'm not as big as that now but I've kept in shape because it’s become a part of my routine and I really enjoy it. I still train regularly.”

Now series two is about to launch and viewers are anxious to find out what has happened to Sugar, Hezekiah Moscow (Malachi Kirby) and Mary Carr (Erin Doherty).