This article contains discussions of rape.

Sam Neill's Inspector Chester Campbell was a major villain in Peaky Blinders seasons 1 and 2, and given that Neill is a big-name actor, it's surprising he left the show so soon. Peaky Blinders is a British crime drama series that follows the post-WW1 events of the titular street gang in Birmingham, England. Throughout six seasons, Tommy Shelby (Cillian Murphy) and the Peaky Blinders fight a number of antagonists, both lawful and criminal, as they seek to expand their empire.

One of those antagonists on the right side of the law is Inspector Campbell. Campbell is sent by Winston Churchill to clean up the streets of Birmingham, an assignment that puts him in direct conflict with the Peaky Blinders. Though he presents himself as a law-abiding authority figure above corruption, Campbell is nothing but a hypocrite. He's also an extreme sadist and enjoys using his power to inflict pain. Sam Neill is best known as good guy Dr. Alan Grant in the Jurassic Park films, so his villainous turn in Peaky Blinders was refreshing, even if he left too soon.

Peaky Blinders' Creator Decided It Was Time For Sam Neill's Character To Be Killed Off

Neill Reluctantly Accepted Campbell's Fate

Often when big-name actors leave popular TV shows, it's because a better project has come along, but that wasn't the case with Sam Neill's Peaky Blinders departure. In fact, the actor didn't want to leave, and while some thought it might have been because of his maligned Northern Irish accent, it as because Peaky Blinders creator Steven Knight knew Inspector Campbell's time had come. He told Express:

I just think he’s brilliant, he’s such a great bloke and so nice but I thought this has run its course. He was in New Zealand and I was like I can’t just send him the script so I’m going to phone him up. So I phoned him up and said, ‘Sam, this character has been brilliant, he’s been fantastic.’ And he said, ‘I don’t want to die’ and so like a coward I said, ‘Oh okay, I’ll have another think.’

Whether feeling intimidated by Neill or guilt at writing him off the show, Knight actually considered the actor's request. But ultimately, that would have come at the detriment of the series. Campbell had taken things too far in his feud against Tommy's gang and as a villain in general, and Knight was right that the storyline had run its course. Knight said of breaking the news to Neill,

Sort of a week went by and I said, ‘It’s really got to [happen].’ Then as soon as it was definite he was like, ‘Absolutely, fantastic.’ He’s brilliant but yeah he didn’t want to die.

Polly Killed Sam Neill's Peaky Blinders Character

It Was Her Revenge For Campbell Assaulting Her

Campbell's sadistic nature would prove to be his downfall when his abuse of Polly Gray (Helen McCrory) makes an enemy of her. In Peaky Blinders season 2, episode 5, Polly goes to Campbell to get him to release her son Michael (Finn Cole) from prison. Campbell takes advantage of his power yet again, and offers Polly a demeaning sexual proposition. She accepts, but Campbell still brutally rapes her.

Not only was this one of the show's most disturbing scenes and reprehensible acts, but it was also a bad move on Campbell's part, as Polly is out for blood after what he did to her. Though he wanted to think of Polly as "small and weak," she's anything but, and when it was time for Campbell to go, she knew it was up to her to do the job.

In the season 2 finale, she corners Campbell in a phone booth and pulls a gun on him. He begs her not to go through with it, but in a moment of poetic justice, she fatally shoots him in the groin before striding out of the booth. It was the fitting end for such an evil character, and Peaky Blinders was right to give that moment to Polly.

How Sam Neill Felt About Peaky Blinders After He Left

He Was Sad To Leave But Still Embraced The Show

When speaking to RadioTimes.com, Sam Neill echoes Steve Knight's sentiment that he didn't want to leave Peaky Blinders, saying, "I absolutely love Peaky Blinders. I think Steve’s writing is fantastic. I’m the biggest fan of Cillian and Helen and Paul [Anderson]."

Neill didn't stop embracing the show after his departure either, and even attended the Legitimate Peaky Blinders Festival in 2019 (via I Am Birmingham). During a Q&A, when it was revealed that it was, in fact, Neill's birthday, fans in the audience enthusiastically sang "Happy Birthday" to the actor, showing that he'll always be part of the Peaky Blinders fandom.