6. Aberama Gold
Going into the season five finale, even the most pessimistic of viewers assumed that Aberama Gold would survive to see the next season.

Aiden Gillen’s enigmatic gypsy mercenary, notorious for his ruthless efficiency and savage modus operandi, had surely been through enough already. Having lost his treasured son Bonnie earlier in the season, it seemed written in the stars for Aberama to avenge the ghastly death of his son at the hands of Jimmy McCavern.

The finale sees the Blinders plot to assassinate deplorable fascist sociopath Oswald Mosely and all appears to be in place. Tommy has a marksman’s rifle trained on the head of the abhorrent politician as he takes the stage at a fascist rally in Birmingham; while McCavern watches from the wings, Aberama creeps stealthily towards him, knife in hand and primed to exact vengeance.

If you think this has a happy ending, you haven’t been paying attention.

In an breathtaking twist, the gang’s sniper is executed by an unseen gunman but the horror does not let up there. Aberama, fixated on McCavern, is ambushed in the wings and ruthlessly stabbed to death by another unseen assailant in a bombshell twist that left fans utterly stupefied.

The devastating injustice of Aberama joining his son in the ground rather than avenging him is unbelievably hard to stomach, providing an unforgettable scene where the old saying rings true; when embarking on a journey of revenge, one should dig two graves.