David Bowie was a big fan of Cillian Murphy's Pinky Blinders and granted the creator of the show permission to use his music just days before he died.
The writer and director of the gangster period drama, Steven Knight, was sent a copy of Bowie's final album Blackstar prior to its release, just before he died of cancer in January.
Knight told Radio Times magazine that a senior executive from Bowie's record label had arrived at his house with the album on December 30.
"And then on the following Tuesday we heard that he'd passed away," said Knight. "It seems that his people were keen to establish that we could use it before he died."
Bowie had previously contacted Cillian Murphy. "He sent a photo of himself with razor blades in his cap to Cillian about a year ago," Knight said. "I got in touch with his people who came back straight away and said he was a big, big fan."
Pinky Blinders returns to BBC Two on Thursday May 5.
