Peaky Blinders

Peaky Blinders, begins shooting with cast led by Cillian Murphy, Sam Neill and Helen McCrory

admin — Mon, 24 Sep 2012 07:52:04 +0000

Peaky Blinders, an epic gangster saga, has started shooting in Birmingham, Leeds and Liverpool, boasting a distinguished cast that includes Cillian Murphy (Inception, The Wind That Shakes The Barley, 28 Days Later), Sam Neill (The Tudors, The Piano, Jurassic Park), Helen McCrory (Hugo, Harry Potter, The Queen).

The cast also features Annabelle Wallis (Snow White And The Huntsman, The Tudors), Iddo Goldberg (Secret Diary Of A Call Girl) and Charlie Creed-Miles (Nil By Mouth, Wild Bill).

The story begins in 1919 in the lawless slum neighbourhoods of post war Birmingham. Returning soldiers, newly-minted revolutionaries and criminal gangs all fight for survival in an industrial landscape gripped by economic upheaval. Guns smuggled home from the trenches find their way onto the streets and become lethal currency. Communists don’t just dream of revolution – they are planning for it and the Government is expecting it. As Churchill mobilizes his Special Branch forces, illegal bookmakers make fortunes in speak-easy betting shops and traumatised infantrymen drink away their shell-shock in riotous ale houses.

There is still a gentler city at the fringes, where gypsies and canal boatmen deal horses and tell fortunes but sitting at the top of this industrial jungle are the extended Shelby family, whose many brothers and sisters, cousins and uncles, make up the fiercest gang of all, the ‘Peaky Blinders’. Named for their practise of sewing razor blades into the peaks of their caps, the Peaky Blinders make their money from off track betting, protection and robbery.

Their boss Tommy Shelby (Murphy) is the most ruthless brother of them all, but his leadership is about to be put to the test. A ruthless new Police Chief C.I. Campbell (Neill) arrives in town from Belfast to clean up the city and, perhaps more lethally, a beautiful woman Grace Burgess (Wallis) arrives in the neighbourhood with a mysterious past and a dangerous secret. McCrory plays Aunt Polly Gray, the Shelby family matriarch.

Peaky Blinders is a dazzling picture of England which will blow away preconceptions even though the characters and events are taken directly from the pages of our secret history. They will now burst into life in a vibrant evocation of a hedonistic age where the clothes will be razor sharp, the music fast and the dancing outrageous. The real Peaky Blinders were a scandal and this fiction will be the same. The Shelbys will be a family not to be taken lightly.

This is the first TV drama by series creator Steven Knight (Dirty Pretty Things and Eastern Promises) who says: “The story I want to tell is based on family legend and historical fact. It is a fiction woven into a factual landscape which is breathtakingly dramatic and cinematic, but which for very English reasons has been consigned to historical text books.”

Executive Producer and Chief Executive, Caryn Mandabach Productions, Caryn Mandabach, says: “Speaking on behalf of all the producers who are fortunate enough to be associated with this ground breaking work, we couldn’t be more honoured or more lucky to be supporting Steven’s vision. This is television at its best.”

Greg Brenman is Executive Producer for Tiger Aspect.

Controller BBC Drama Commissioning, Ben Stephenson, says: “Building on BBC Two’s reputation for world-class drama, Peaky Blinders is a phenomenally authored drama series shedding light on a piece of hidden British history. Authentic, bloody and utterly compelling, Peaky Blinders welcomes Steven Knight and Otto Bathurst to BBC Two and adds another boldly crafted drama to our roster of upcoming shows.”

Peaky Blinders is the first recipient of finance from the new Yorkshire Content Fund, which is managed by Screen Yorkshire, and will film throughout Yorkshire.

Sally Joynson, Chief Executive of Screen Yorkshire, said: “This is the first project to receive investment from the Yorkshire Content Fund and what a project it is. It is the type of production we are looking to attract to Yorkshire – big budget, epic storyline and with immense talent involved across the project. Peaky Blinders shows how our new fund is attracting productions of scale to the region.”

Annabelle Wallis Joins Drama ‘Peaky Blinders’

admin — Thu, 20 Sep 2012 19:34:08 +0000

British actress Annabelle Wallis is headed home to UK television to star oppositeCillian Murphy in the six-part BBC Two drama series Peaky Blinders.

Created by Eastern Promises scribe Steven Knight, an Oscar-nominee for Stephen Frears’ Dirty Pretty Things, the series is set in 1919 Birmingham where a ruthless family of gangsters, led by Murphy’s character Tommy, rules the lawless post-war slums.

Reported at deadline.com

Cillian Murphy, star of ‘Dark Knight’to join BBC gangster drama ‘Peaky Blinders’

admin — Thu, 02 Aug 2012 17:56:05 +0000

Cillian Murphy is to star in new BBC Two drama Peaky Blinders.

The six-part gangster drama has been written by Steven Knight (Eastern Promises).

The series follows ruthless mobster Tommy (Murphy), whose family control the “lawless post-war slum neighbourhoods” of Birmingham in 1919.

Tommy’s gang are known as the ‘Peaky Blinders’ due to their practice of sewing razor blades into the peaks of their caps

Deadline reports.

BBC Two announces brand new six-part drama series Peaky Blinders

admin — Fri, 27 Jul 2012 17:31:23 +0000

Commissioned by Janice Hadlow, Controller BBC Two, and Ben Stephenson, Controller BBC Drama Commissioning, Peaky Blinders is created by acclaimed writer Steven Knight and produced by Caryn Mandabach Productions and Tiger Aspect Productions.

In his first television drama, creator Steven Knight (Dirty Pretty Things and Eastern Promises) says: ”The story I want to tell is based on family legend and historical fact. It is a fiction woven into a factual landscape which is breathtakingly dramatic and cinematic, but which for very English reasons has been consigned to historical text books.”

Peaky Blinders is an epic gangster family saga that begins in 1919 in the lawless slum neighborhoods of post-war Birmingham. Returning soldiers, newly-minted revolutionaries and criminal gangs all fight for survival in an industrial landscape gripped by economic upheaval. Guns smuggled home from the trenches find their way onto the streets and become lethal currency. Communists don’t just dream of revolution – they are planning for it and the government is expecting it. As Churchill mobilizes his Special Branch forces, illegal bookmakers make fortunes in speak-easy betting shops and traumatised infantrymen drink away their shell shock in riotous ale houses.

There is still a gentler city at the fringes, where gypsies and canal boatmen deal horses and tell fortunes, but sitting at the top of this industrial jungle are theextended Delaney family, whose many brothers, sisters, cousins and uncles make up the fiercest gang of all, the ‘Peaky Blinders’. Named for their practise of sewing razor blades into the peaks of their caps, the Peaky Blinders make their money from off track betting, protection and robbery.

Their boss Tommy is the most ruthless brother of them all, but his leadership is about to be put to the test. A ruthless new police chief arrives in town from Belfast to clean up the city and, perhaps more lethally, a beautiful woman arrives in the neighborhood with a mysterious past and a dangerous secret.

Peaky Blinders is a dazzling picture of England which blows away preconceptions even though the characters and events are taken directly from the pages of history. They now burst into life in a vibrant evocation of a hedonistic age, where the clothes are razor-sharp, the music fast and the dancing outrageous. The real Peaky Blinders were a scandal and this fiction will be the same. The Delaney’s will be a family not to be taken lightly.

Controller BBC Drama Commissioning, Ben Stephenson, says: ”Building on BBC Two’s reputation for world-class drama, Peaky Blinders is a phenomenally authored drama series shedding light on a piece of hidden British history. Authentic, bloody and utterly compelling, Peaky Blinders welcomes Steven Knight and Otto Bathurst to BBC Two and adds another boldly crafted drama to our roster of upcoming shows.”

Head of Drama, Tiger Aspect Productions Greg Brenman and Chief Executive, Caryn Mandabach of Caryn Mandabach Productions says: ”Speaking on behalf of Greg Brenman at Tiger, and all of the other producers who are fortunate enough to be associated with this groundbreaking work, we couldn’t be more lucky or more honored to be supporting Steven’s vision. This is television at its best.”

The executive producers are: Steven Knight, Caryn Mandabach, Greg Brenman, Jamie Glazebrook, Frith Tiplady and Matthew Read for the BBC.

It is created by Steven Knight, directed by Otto Bathurst (Five Days, Criminal Justice, Margot) and produced by Katie Swinden (Luther, Spooks).

It is written by Steven Knight, David Leland (Wish You were Here, Band of Brothers, Mona Lisa), Stephen Russell (Hattie, Shameless) and Toby Finlay (Ripper Street, The Picture of Dorian Gray).

BBC Two commissions 1920s Birmingham gang life period drama

admin — Thu, 26 Jul 2012 17:14:37 +0000

Broadcast reports

BBC2 controller Janice Hadlow has ordered the first self-contained TV drama series from Who Wants to Be a Millionaire? co-creator Steve Knight – a 6 x 60-minute period drama exploring gang life in 1920s Birmingham…

Peaky Blinders is based on the historically accurate story of gangsters and revolutionaries who terrorised the Midlands city. It is named after the razor blades sewn into the peaks of gang members’ caps, which could be used to slash their adversaries’ faces.

According to sundaymercury.net

The Peaky Blinders – The Adderley Street-based gang emerged in the Bordesley and Small Heath areas, a particularly deprived part of the city in 19th century Birmingham.

Unlike their rivals, The Peaky Blinders had a carefully stylised image; bell bottom trousers, a silk ‘daff’ or scarf twisted round their necks and tied at the end, and a flat cap tilted on their head.

This classic look was displayed in police mugshots of gang members from the day, including David Taylor, who was jailed at the age of 13 for carrying a gun.

Other Peakies included baby-faced Harry Fowles, Ernest Haynes and Stephen McNickle, who were all jailed for petty theft after being arrested by the under-pressure police.