A Father-Son Bond Forged in Storytelling: Inside Tom Hardy and Chips Hardy’s Powerful Collaboration on Taboo

For Tom Hardy, one of Hollywood’s most enigmatic talents, creativity doesn’t just stem from instinct or training—it runs in the family. Nowhere is this more evident than in Taboo, the dark and gripping historical drama born from a partnership with his father, Edward “Chips” Hardy. Their collaboration is more than a screenwriting footnote—it’s a deeply personal endeavor that brought generations together and redefined the contours of Hardy’s career.

Premiering on BBC One in 2017 and on FX days later, Taboo marked a striking departure from typical period dramas. Set in 1814, the series follows James Keziah Delaney—portrayed by Hardy himself—as he returns from Africa to reclaim his father’s shipping empire, only to find himself battling corruption, conspiracy, and ghosts of the past. But behind this grim antihero lies another compelling story: the one of how a father and son co-created the world he lives in.

The concept for Taboo was born from an intimate family conversation nearly a decade before the show aired. Tom Hardy, already known for his roles in Inception, Bronson, and The Dark Knight Rises, approached his father with a rough idea: a haunted, morally complex hero navigating the darkness of early 19th-century London. Chips, an accomplished writer of novels, theatre, and screenplays, shaped that idea into a full treatment. It was Chips who first envisioned the bones of the story—originally set in the 1860s—before co-creator Steven Knight fine-tuned the timeline to 1814 for historical depth.

Chips became more than a co-writer; he was a creative anchor. As a consulting producer and narrative architect, he helped construct a world where history, myth, and raw emotion collided. Meanwhile, Tom took on multiple roles—executive producer, co-creator, and leading man—allowing him to shape the project from script to screen.

Their joint company, Hardy, Son & Baker, was the engine behind the series’ creative direction, and it symbolized more than just a brand. It was a declaration of trust and mutual respect—a son embracing his father not only as family but as an artistic equal. In interviews, both men have acknowledged that their collaboration brought them closer, proving that creativity can strengthen bonds rather than strain them.

Beyond the familial narrative, Taboo also represents Tom Hardy’s appetite for challenging material. Known for portraying tortured, volatile characters, Hardy found in James Delaney a role that married intensity with authorship—something he could mold from the ground up. Chips, with his decades of experience in character-driven fiction, provided the emotional ballast needed to make Delaney feel not just mysterious but mythic.

Critics lauded the show’s atmospheric storytelling and Hardy’s performance, and while only one season has aired, Taboo remains a cult favorite. It was renewed for a second season as early as 2017, and as of 2025, fans still await its continuation, fueled by whispers of ongoing development.

Chips Hardy’s literary background—including his novel Each Day A Small Victory—helped inform Taboo’s brooding, poetic tone. His subtle influence offered structure to Tom’s visceral instincts, resulting in a series that was as emotionally layered as it was visually arresting.

In the end, Taboo isn’t just a show about vengeance and power—it’s a testament to legacy, to the stories passed down and rebuilt between fathers and sons. For Tom Hardy, whose own characters often wrestle with inner demons and fractured pasts, it’s fitting that one of his most profound creations began not in a studio boardroom, but across a kitchen table, with his father.