Helen McCrory can't watch disgustingly 'violent' Peaky Blinders episode

Helen McCrory couldn\'t watch the "disgustingly violent" opening episode of the new series of \'Peaky Blinders\'.

The 50-year-old actress - who plays Polly Gray, the aunt of Tommy Shelby (Cillian Murphy) in the BBC One gangster drama - warned fans about "disturbing" scenes in the fifth season, but she insisted the portrayal of such savagery "should be horrifying".

Speaking to press ahead of the new series, she\'s quoted by the Daily Mirror newspaper as saying: "No, I think the reason that... It is very violent and it\'s really horrible and you should look away.

"I\'ve only seen episode one, and there\'s a whole bit... We saw the screening in Birmingham, for fans who managed to get lottery tickets.

"I look away from the screen. I as Helen can\'t watch it. I think it\'s disgusting, gratuitous violence. It is... no, not gratuitous - disgustingly violent.

"But it is. And it should be. I think it\'s much more disturbing than somebody slashes somebody\'s face or somebody shoots somebody and it\'s all just the end of it."

Meanwhile, Helen added that the show proves there are consequences for violent actions, and she insisted anyone who glorifies it is "sick".

She said: "It should be horrifying and you should have the people who are responsible for the violence unable to self-medicate or having mental health problems, or all the things that do happen to people, if you kill other people.

"Because it is not a natural state of affairs. And anybody who looks at the violence of \'Peaky Blinders\' and thinks: \'That exactly is what I want to do\'. I mean, sick."

\'Peaky Blinders\' returns to BBC One for its fifth season from Sunday, August 25.