In the 18 months between the finale of the second season of Peaky Blinders and the arrival of the third, which starts on BBC First (Channel 119, DStv) on Wednesday, the British period gangster series grew from being something of a cult sleeper into an international smash, with viewers on both sides of the Atlantic falling for the chiselled charm of its melodramatic storylines - and the features of its male lead, Cillian Murphy. For those new to the series, which one critic has aptly described as "overflowing with swagger and coming across as the adrenaline-fuelled love child of Downton Abbey and Miller's Crossing", a little background perhaps: it's set in early 20th- century Birmingham, and Murphy plays Tommy Shelby, a psychologically scarred war hero who wants to turn the family's gangster activities - he and his brothers run guns and bookmaking operations, among other things - into a legitimate business concern.The Shelby brothers and their sidekicks all sport rakish peaked caps with razor blades sewn into the seams. During the obligatory fight sequences, the headgear become weapons and are whipped around in artfully slow-motioned, almost balletic sequences, and much slashing of foes' faces follow. And thus the intriguing title of the series.When it was first screened in the US, the New York Times suggested it was reminiscent of the HBO hit, Boardwalk Empire, in terms of costume and design, but, being British, it was "less solemn" than Martin Scorsese's Atlantic City drama series. "It has a more theatrical, artificial affect," the newspaper added, "somewhere between music hall and music video, punctuated by Nick Cave's dark rumblings on the soundtrack."The third season kicks off in 1924, and it's clear that the Shelbys have come up in the world. Tommy's thriving gambling business has allowed him to move from the slummy Birmingham neighbourhood he grew up in to a posh country manor. He is now a father and soon to be married to the child's mother - the former undercover agent Grace Burgess, played by Annabelle Wallis.Their wedding is the focus of the first episode, and the reception is, well, quite unlike normal wedding receptions. Grace and her people, you understand, are Ulster Protestants, while the Shelbys are Irish Catholics. Throw in a fair amount of substance abuse, some fisticuffs, a bit of murder, and it all goes down like a house on fire.More thematically, the third season deals with the too-rapid growth of Tommy's business operations and Peaky Blinders, far from being a mere gangster show, subtly questions notions of social class and empire - and criminal activities of a more geopolitical nature. History buffs will love it.Further good news is that the BBC have commissioned two more seasons.BOX POPSRIZZOLI AND ISLESAngie Harmon and Sasha Alexander as detective Jane Rizzoli and medical examiner Dr Maura Isles return for the seventh season of this cop drama series based on the novels of Tess Gerritsen. (Starts tonight on MNet, DStv channel 101)DIVORCEConnubial rot and a kick in the nuptials with this caustic comedy drama with Sarah Jessica Parker and Thomas Haden Church as a couple whose messy ending drags on and on and on in a delightfully dark manner. (MNet Edge, DStv channel 102)KILLJOYSSecond season of a Canadian sci-fi action series about a trio of hard-living bounty hunters with dark secrets on the trail of the bad guys out there in deep space. With Hannah John-Kamen, Aaron Ashmore and Luke Macfarlane. Starts Monday on MNet (DStv channel 101) - Andrew Donaldson..