It was a very big year for the BBC’s iPlayer service, with the BBC announcing that on average 272 million programmes were streamed a month in 2017. Figures were up 11% on 2016, with 3.3 billion requests for programmes in total across the 12 months. Which is rather a lot. Furthermore, the BBC has also … >
Lots of shows start shedding ratings after a few series. That is blatantly not the cast, however, with Peaky Blinders. The fourth series of the show, that screened at the end of last year, is now revealed to have enjoyed record ratings. Debuting on BBC Two, the third season of the show averaged 3.3 million … >
A mix of good news and bad news following the dramatic conclusion to Peaky Blinders series 4. On the upside, the BBC has confirmed that there will indeed be a Peaky Blinders series 5. It’d be remiss to call this a massive surprise, given that the show’s creator, Steven Knight, had pretty much said this … >
With spoilers, here’s our review of the Peaky Blinders series 4 finale…
The terrific Peaky Blinders comes to the end of its fourth series tonight, following a run that’s really seen the show regain its footing. An explosive final episode is expected, and ahead of that, the BBC has been teasing what we can expect from it. For whilst it’s not giving away the ending, it’s released … >
In his (thoroughly excellent) book about the making of Doctor Who, ‘The Writer’s Tale’, Russell T Davies describes dialogue as ‘two monologues clashing’. ‘Everyone,’ he says, ‘is always, always thinking about themselves.’ And though that applies to every drama, it feels especially appropriate to Peaky Blinders, and especially this week. Everyone’s got an agenda, and … >
A little Tom Hardy goes a long way. So when he turns up at the end of this week’s Peaky Blinders to talk gin, piss, and boxing, he reminds you that it’s here, not in his own project Taboo, that Hardy really belongs. In the seven minutes of screen time he has he commands attention … >
It tends to be the way that episodes of Peaky Blinders that pay slightly more attention to Arthur are the ones that manage to hold your faces closer to the screen just that little bit longer. That’s partly because Arthur has always been more interesting than his brother – more unstable, more emotional, and just … >
One of Peaky Blinders‘ chief appeals (y’know, beyond the excellent cast, Stephen Knight’s compelling writing, and David Caffrey’s razor-in-your-cap sharp direction), is that it manages to engender the feeling of instability in the viewer. Across each series, each episode, there’s an unpredictable web of tension, and a sensation that at any moment anyone could die, … >
Christmas! Comes earlier every year, dunnit? Why it’s only mid-November and already we’re deluged with selection boxes, snowmen, and the crinkly sound of Noddy Holder slowly defrosting from his cryonic slumber at North Pole HQ. Thank goodness then that we can take refuge from it all in a new series of Peaky Blinders, where it’s … >