Gangs of London is the most violent show on British TV with 113 deaths in first series

Sky Atlantic’s new crime drama Gangs of London has been rated the most violent show on British TV.

The gory series about warring gangs in the capital, starring Colm Meaney and Joe Cole, has shocked fans with its dramatic scenes and graphic depictions of violence. 

The gritty drama has seen 113 deaths in the first season already as well as harrowing scenes of torture.

Game of Thrones previously held the title for the most violent show, but it pales in comparison with just 48 deaths in its first series, according to The Mirror.   

The new show on Sky drew in 2.23 million viewers for its first episode, the channel’s second biggest original drama launch, behind the 2019 hit Chernobyl.

In the first one-and-a-half-hour show, characters are punched 26 times, kicked seven times, four are shot and three are tortured.

During the bloody episode, viewers were subjected to a machete attack, a victim being chopped up in a bath and a man heavily bleeding.

Across the nine-episode series, 96 people are shot in total, most fatally, and there are also 30 stabbings and seven people strangled.

Among the 13 gruesome incidents of torture are a man being entombed in concrete and a mother having her nails and teeth removed with pliers.

Eye are gouged, tongues are cut off and a decapitated head is seen in the series not for the faint-hearted.

The drama begins with the death of London gang kingpin, Finn Wallace (Colm Meaney) who worked with the Dumani family, Ed (Lucian Msamati) and son Alex (Paapa Essiedu), to run crime in the city.

Finn is seen pleading for his life as he hangs upside down off the top of a tall building, before being burned alive, leaving his son Sean Wallace (Joe Cole) to step up and become the leader of the most notorious criminal gangs in London. 

It also stars Lucian Msamati and Paapa Essiedu, who oversee the global property empire that washes the Wallaces’ dirty money; Michelle Fairley as his Lady Macbeth of a mother, and Brian Vernel as his dope-addicted younger sibling.  

Many viewers said they were forced to switch off due to the violence, including Countryfile’s Julia Bradbury.  

She said: ‘I’m not squeamish but I find watching such extreme violence really disturbing at the moment… life is stressful enough.’

The team behind the drama said there is ‘intent’ to make a second series.

Actor Sope Dirisu who plays aspiring gangster Elliot Finch told The Sun Online: ‘It really depends on viewing figures. We’ve already been out a couple of weeks so far and we haven’t released internationally yet. 

‘I think there’s definitely the intent for it [a second series].’

Director and writer Gareth Evans added that Sky were ‘figuring out’ whether a second series would go ahead but said there was ‘potential and space’ for it.

He said: ‘I think everyone’s waiting to see what the reaction is to this first season. Naturally, there are certain story threads that are hanging in the air a little bit by the end of the first one.’