Impoverished Victorian women posing as aristocrats ran one of South London’s most fearsome gangs – now Disney+ has made a TV show about them

Victorian-era gangs—whether fraudsters, racketeers or robbers—were dominated by men. But for seventy years, a highly organised, all-woman mafia terrorised London. Targeting society’s wealthiest, The Forty Elephants were not only the ‘aristocrats of crime’ but arguably a middle finger to stuffy notions of ladylike modesty.

Founded in the slums of Elephant and Castle, and led by their ‘Queen’ Mary Carr, the gang’s violent and cunning membership numbered roughly 70 at its height. Their exploits—ransacking affluent homes, stealing from West End shops, and manipulating stray gentlemen—will be immortalised in the Disney+ TV series A Thousand Blows next year.

This is the latest drama by acclaimed writer Steven Knight , famed for hit BBC crime show Peaky Blinders .

The Forty Elephants were in existence from at least 1873 to the 1950s, although some historians believe their history stretches back to the late 18th century. Originally, they are believed to have been the female companions, wives and girlfriends of the notorious male-led Elephant & Castle Gang. But by the 1890s, the women were a distinct group, with their own burgeoning reputation. In the new series, due for release next year, the gang’s first leader Mary Carr, is played by Erin Doherty, star of the Netflix drama The Crown , the drama Chloe , and the psychological thriller Reawakening .

PICTURED: top row left to right, Alice Diamond “Queen of Thieves”; Maggie Hughes, deputy; Laura Partridge; bottom row, left to right Bertha Tappenden; Madeline Partridge, Gertrude Scully.

Elephant and Castle circa 1900

She was succeeded as leader by Alice Diamond, played by up-and-coming actor Darci Shaw. Born in a workhouse and raised in Walworth, she was a tall and formidable woman whose numerous bejewelled rings handily doubled up as knuckle-dusters.

Under her stewardship, the gang carried out industrial-scale thefts from warehouses and devised crafty shoplifting scams. The working-class women would pose as genteel ladies. Dressed in elegant finery, they would visit West End shops and hide their loot in coats, cummerbunds, muffs, skirts, bloomers, and hats. Gang members would carefully observe their target clothes and jewellery shops, striking when staff went on breaks and when inexperienced attendants were on duty.

Gang leader Alice Diamond

A young Alice Diamond

Newspapers on both sides of the Atlantic developed a fascination with the Forty Elephants, especially as their exploits spread to seaside towns and smaller cities. Police asked editors to limit reporting on the gang for fear that sensationalist articles were stoking the crime wave.

However, at least one outlet—a Sunday paper called Reynold’s News—planned a series of articles devoted to the dastardly dames. Its journalist, Dan Johnson, followed the gang closely, his notes revealing the intricacies of their operations. He described them as "aristocrats of crime" and used the terms “battlefield tactics” and “military operation” to describe the level of preparation and organisation behind the gang’s activities.

By the 1920s, Alice Diamond was being described in newspaper cuttings as the “Giant Queen of the Terrors”. One account claimed it once took six policemen to hold her down. Her deputy, Maggie Hughes, known as “Babyface” for her sweet looks and striking red hair, was famed for her love of drink. She once stabbed a policeman in the eye with a hatpin, blinding him. When she was sentenced, she shouted back to the judge: “It won’t cure me! It will only make me a worse villain!”

A Victorian newspaper cutting about The Forty Elephants

The lawless troupe successfully operated for decades, to the endless frustration of the police and West End store detectives. The gang still existed after World War II, as new family members replaced old hands.

The A Thousand Blows series will tell the story of The Forty Elephants from an intriguing new perspective—that of Victorian London’s underground boxing scene. Hezekiah Moscow, a real-life Victorian-era boxer, is played by BAFTA award-winning actor Malachi Kirby. A Jamaican migrant thrust into the chaotic melting pot of post-industrial London, he meets Mary Carr, leader of The Forty Elephants, paving the way for his descent into the capital's criminal underbelly.

As he struggles to carve out a place for himself in this brutal environment, he develops a rivalry with Sugar Goodson—a renowned one-eyed fighter from the Victorian era—played by the captivating Stephen Graham of Boiling Point , Boardwalk Empire , and This is England .

Stephen Graham will play Sugar Goodson in the series. Credit: Disney+

Malachi Kirby plays Hezekiah Moscow. Credit: Disney+

Hezekiah Moscow was a genuine boxer from the time, although only scraps of his intriguing story are known. According to amateur boxing history site Grappling with History , Moscow probably fought under the name Ching Hook—possibly a racist epithet derived from the word “g**k”. Records suggest that, as well as being a boxer, Moscow worked as a lion tamer and performer with the East London Aquarium, otherwise known as the Shoreditch Aquarium, Bishopsgate.

According to the site, while employed, he was charged by the RSPCA with “cruelly ill-treating” four bears in his care. The story made headlines across the UK, but Moscow denied cruelly whipping the animals and keeping them in poor conditions.

He claimed he did not use excessive force, nor did he strike them with a “crushing blow” with the “butt end” of his whip. A lawyer, Mr Blackwell, defending Moscow, argued that no marks were left on the bears. The case drew the headline ‘IS A BEAR A DOMESTIC ANIMAL?’ in the Tavistock Gazette when the judge ruled in Moscow’s favour.

“A Female Shoplifter,” from James D. McCabe Jr. Lights and Shadows of New York Life. Philadelphia- National Publishing Co., 1872: Public Domain)

Henry ‘Sugar’ Goodson represents an equally intriguing figure. He had only one functioning eye, although it is not known how he lost it. In 1881, Goodson was admitted to a smallpox hospital, which might explain the loss of vision. Despite his relatively short stature (5 ft 5¾ in), Goodson occasionally competed in heavyweight bouts, fighting notable opponents like Jem Smith and Jack Wannop.

On 27 March 1882, Goodson fought the veteran Jack Hicks in a highly anticipated bout under Queensberry Rules. The venue was a deconsecrated chapel near Tavistock Square, chosen to evade police detection.

The fight, which lasted just over eight minutes, ended abruptly when police raided the venue. Goodson and several others were arrested, causing a sensation in the press due to the event's secretive and bold location. The trial following the raid received widespread media coverage.

Goodson died in 1917 in Chingford, during World War I. His obituary highlighted the 1882 prize fight, underscoring how it defined his career. The Evening Dispatch and The Sportsman praised him as a "good boxer" and "rough diamond," noting his eye defect but emphasising his toughness and character.

A Thousand Blows Series 1 coming to Disney+ in the UK and Ireland, Hulu in the US, and select other countries in 2025. A second series (6x60’) has completed production, with further details to be announced. The series is produced by The Story Collective in a co-production with Matriarch Productions and Water & Power Productions.

The first series is created, written and executive produced by Peaky Blinders' creator Steven Knight. Starring and executive produced by Stephen Graham and Hannah Walters for Matriarch Productions, Damian Keogh and Kate Lewis for The Story Collective, and Tom Miller and Sam Myer for Water & Power Productions. Award-winning broadcaster and historian Professor David Olusoga also acts as executive producer on the series, with Tom Miller as series producer and Barrington Robinson and Jo Johnson as producers. The original series is executive produced for Disney+ by Lee Mason, director of scripted content.