It has a complex central figure
As well as having the most alluring blue eyed ever Thomas Shelby is ruthless and violent and by no means a good person but we are still enticed by him. He is immediately established as an intimating force to be reckoned with as he enacts his ambitious plan to expand the Peaky Blinders presence, scheming and manipulating, betraying allies and enemies alike. His ambition isn’t without consequence as it often threatens his success and family and while we watch him makes his way to becoming an OBE and Parliament, we can’t help wonder when it will all come crashing down. His relentlessness does leave something to be admired.
A selection of memorable enemies
We witness the Peaky Blinders overcome Russian gangs and the American/Italian Mafia where it becomes a battle for who’s really the most sinister. This is why each episode leaves you in equal amounts of love and hate for each character.
The most memorable frenemy has to be Alfie Solomons, a powerful Camden based Jewish gang leader played by Tom Hardy who is the most menacing and hilarious character TV has to offer. Combined with the stone cold, no nonsense Thomas Shelby there isn’t a more fearful and entertaining duo out there. The more vindictive they are, the sweeter the victory for the Peaky Blinders and the higher the entertainment factor for us. It’s a win, win.
The style
I don’t only mean the three piece tweed suit the Shelby brothers are never seen without, completed with the iconic but functional beret which had a hidden razor blade inside (which gets used a lot more than you would expect) or their aggressive undercuts.
I also mean the set and perfectly curated music. When using a historical set it’s easy to make it cringe and inaccurate. But fear not; by the time you’ve finished watching Peaky Blinders you will feel like you were in 1919 Birmingham. Such high quality production is thanks to the estimated £1-£1.5 million the BBC cash out on every episode.
The music
While I briefly considered including this under style’ I realised it deserves it’s own heading. While Peaky Blinders is set post WW1 the soundtracks are mostly modern artists with musicians such as the Arctic Monkeys being featured. The show has a very specific broody mood as a result of its industrial Birmingham setting and unpredictable characters which is established right of the bat with Nick Cave gritty ‘Red Right Hand’. Other regulars are the The White Strips and PJ Harvey. My personal favourite track from the show m is ‘Come on Over’ by Radiohead which perfectly encapsulated the power of the scene it was played in.
War context
The storyline is so intriguing and hard hitting. It actually contains a lot of truth about war veterans that can still be seen today. How PTSD can affect yourself and those around you. Peaky Blinders shows a self-awareness that is really hard to find. As a story set in 1920s Birmingham, and a Netflix/BBC show, it doesn’t shy away from sex or violence — and yet it somehow manages to avoid feeling gratuitous.
