Peaky Blinders is easily one of the best shows of the past decade.
The thrilling and explosive series is about a gangster family from Birmingham UK during the 1920s. It stars big names, such as Cillian Murphy, Tom Hardy , and Anya Taylor-Joy.
However, the show is not without fault. A lot of historical inaccuracies took place to tell a great story and there are even cases of bad editing and camera equipment making it into shots.
Here are 19 mistakes in Peaky Blinders that fans completely missed.
The jacket
When mistakes are super obvious, you have to wonder how they got past the editing team!
In one scene in Season Three, Michael is in his shirt and waistcoat. But when Polly takes his money, Michael is wearing his jacket.
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Michael’s age
Any teenager looks forward to the day they turn 21. It means they can drink, gamble, and buy alcohol! Yet, when Michael turns 18, it’s mentioned that this is when he becomes an adult and can make his own decisions.
The teenage boys
The show had to compromise on historical accuracies in order to tell a really great story.
One such example is how the real Peaky Blinders boys were teenagers. For instance, Charles Lambourne and David Taylor were 12 and 13, respectively.
The salute
There was a factual error when Tommy’s former men salute him. In real life, this never would’ve happened since only officers are saluted. And any good soldier knows this!
The reindeer
One big historical inaccuracy happened when Tommy and his son leave out a meatloaf for Santa and Rudolph. But the concept of Rudolph the red-nosed reindeer wasn’t invented until the 1930s.
The car
The cars on the show are pretty cool and in keeping with the times. Except for one. When Tommy is shown picking up his brothers to go on vacation together, the car he’s driving has an engine that wasn’t registered in real life until 1926 . The second season was set from 1921 to 1922.
The medal
On Thomas’ record, it said that he received the King’s Medal for Gallantry in the First World War. But this medal never existed; it was called the Military Medal.
The overseas call
Another historical inaccuracy happened when Tommy picked up a phone and requested an overseas connection to the United States. This was impossible, as the first official transatlantic telephone call wasn’t made until January 7, 1927 .
The gunshot
In the plowed field “execution” scene, the first man killed was killed by a gunshot wound to the head. But in the replay for the next episode, his head was fine.
The door
When Tommy drew a black star on Grace’s ledger in her office, he had kept the door open. But when he went to leave, the door was shut.
The boat
The Kennet boat Freddy and Ada took to return to Birmingham from London was not a possible means of travel.
Since it was so wide, it would’ve been impossible to pass through the narrow locks.
The tea leaves
During the tea leaves reading, the tea leaves were visible at the top of the cup. But every time the camera view changed to full screen, the cup was clean each time.
The spout
All throughout the series, spout dispensers were seen on the liquor bottles to make the bottles easier to pour. However, this useful gadget wasn’t invented until the 1960s!
The character mistake
There’s no denying that Sir Oswald Mosley was extremely rude and snobby throughout the series.
With that being true, it doesn’t make sense that he wouldn’t correct Tommy for calling him just Mosley.
The character mistake II
Another way Sir Oswald Mosley deviated from his character was when he said that Tommy won the Distinguished Service Medal.
Tommy actually won the Distinguished Conduct Medal, which is a mistake Mosley wouldn’t have made.
The boom mic
Nothing takes a viewer out of a scene quite like seeing camera equipment in a shot!
This mistake happened in Season Three episode one when Tommy was making a toast at the dining table. A boom mic can be seen briefly at the top of the frame.
The backward cigarette
When Thomas and Grace are sharing a drink to celebrate her employment with the Shelbys, Thomas pulled out a cigarette. While it put it in his mouth correctly, it’s backward when he turned to the camera. He should know how to smoke it correctly.
Arthur’s position
Arthur is “deputy vice-president” of the Shelby Company Ltd. However, this is an American position title that wouldn’t be used in 1920s Britain.
Grace’s death
Grace died at the hands of a gunshot wound to her upper left chest. Yet, a shot like this wouldn’t be lethal since it didn’t hit her axillary artery or other major blood vessels.
Plus, her trained military family members would’ve been able to help her with medical attention instead of waiting for an ambulance!
