Peaky Blinders bosses respond to rumours that Rowan Atkinson will play Adolf Hitler in season 6

THE team behind Peaky Blinders have broken their silence on the rumoured arrival of Rowan Atkinson as Adolf Hitler in the upcoming season 6.

This weekend reports claimed that the British comedy legend was in the mix to play Hitler as part of the fascist storyline set in motion by Oswald Mosley (Sam Claflin).

The claims were originally published by Twitter account Netflix Diaries, which wrote: "Rowan Atkinson (Mr Bean) is rumoured to be playing Adolf Hitler in Peaky Blinders."

The post, which was accompanied by two photos of the 65-year-old in 2016 drama, Maigret, sparked quite the fan furore.

One user commented: "This could be the biggest casting coup of our time - Rowan Aitkinson is mighty underrated."

A second gushed: "People can’t seem to see beyond Mr. Bean, Johnny English and Black Adder. The fact that everyone seems to think he’s just Mr bean goes to show how little people know about the ridiculous talent this man has. He would be brilliant in this role."

A third chimed in: "Mate this would be class.cFrom the most lovable man to the most evil and stranger character. What a goosebump."

Unfortunately the excitement was unwarranted, as a spokesperson for Peaky Blinders subsequently told Metro.co.uk that the rumours were false.

Peaky Blinders was one of many shows thrown into chaos by the global coronavirus pandemic, which saw TV production halted earlier this year.

Series 6 was supposed to begin filming in March - but plans were scrapped as soacial distancing guidelines made filming all but impossible.

Last week, Mosley actor Claflin warned that Tommy Shelby would be "out of his league" in a "very, very juicy" season 6.

In a similar vein, Michael actor Finn Cole teased a ‘downfall and addiction battle’ for the character in season 6.

Meanwhile his co-star and on-screen mother Helen McCrory, who plays Polly Gray, admitted that Polly had played a pivotal role in Michael's corruption and felt conflicted about who to side with in the power struggle to come.

Elsewhere, fans claimed that Tommy and Michael are secretly planning to take down Mosley together – and their feud is all for show.

Peaky Blinders seasons 1-5 are available to stream on Netflix now.