Peaky Blinders viewers have called for the show to win another Bafta – but for a horse rather than an actor.

The crime drama returned to BBC One on Sunday for a fifth series, opening with a gripping episode in which Tommy Shelby (Cillian Murphy) shot a horse.

Fans were heartbroken at the moving scene, and impressed at the way the animal played dead.

“How did they get the horse to act like that?? Seriously!” one person asked on Twitter.

“I must admit the horse playing dead was poetry in motion to look at. Acting at its very best. What an amazingly well trained animal,” said another.

One fan posted: “The way that horse arched up after the bullet to the head…. give that horse a BAFTA!!!!”

“Has a horse ever won a BAFTA before? Just wondering…” said another viewer.

One tweeted: “And the best performance goes to… The horse that got shot. What a dramatic performance.”

Peaky Blinders, which focuses on the Shelby family’s criminal organisation in the aftermath of the First World War, won best drama at last year’s TV Baftas.

The fifth series continues on BBC One.