
Billy The Kid is an all new series bringing an infamous historic tale to the screen, with one thrilling twist after another.
Set in the 19th century, Billy The Kid tells the story of the famous American outlaw Henry McCarty (played by Tom Blyth) through eight hour-long episodes. It paints a devastating story of the early years in Billy's life, with the implication that his father (Joey Batey) took his own life after immigrating to the United States from Ireland. Their move was all in chase of the American dream.
Kathleen McCarty (Eileen O’Higgins), Billy's mother, is sturdier and depicted as the strength of the household. But as we know, there was not much more for a woman to be in the 19th century other than 'a wife', and so she marries out of desperation - much to the disappointment of the eldest of her two sons, Billy.
Watch the trailer for Billy The Kid. Post continues after video.
Throughout the season, we witness Billy turn from a boy into a young man - one with a keen sense of justice and devout loyalty to those he loves.
It was a story that creator, writer and showrunner Michael Hirst says was born out of sheer curiosity - to answer whether his own childhood hero was worth the lifelong devotion.
"I used to when I was going to school, I would pretend I was Billy riding across Texas and I'm not sure why but he launched into my mind," he explains to Mamamia.
"What I really wanted to explore, was to examine the reality of Billy's life, the truth of Billy's life, just to make sure he was worth hero-worshipping. That I hadn't spent all my life being excited by someone who wasn't worth it."
He continued: "One of the astonishing things about Billy is here's a guy who ostensibly was shot dead when he was 21 or 22 in the middle of the 19th century, who is still one of the most famous men in Western history."
Tom Blyth in Billy The Kid. Image: Stan.
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