Episode 1 Peaky Blinders

Oh, and there's a woman.

Yeah. A woman.

Who I love.

And I got close.

This programme contains strong language, some violent scenes and some scenes of a sexual nature.

In the bleak midwinter...

At some point in the near future

Mr Churchill will want to speak to you in person, Mr Shelby.

He has a job for you.

We will be in touch.

WEDDING BELLS CHIME

I'm going to take him.

Oh, thank you.

# Take a little walk to the edge of town

# And go across the tracks

# Where the viaduct looms, like a bird of doom

# As it shifts and cracks

# Where secrets lie in the border fires

# In the humming wires... #

Some of us know the words.

# Past the square, past the bridge, past the mills, past the stacks

# On a gathering storm comes a tall handsome man

# In a dusty black coat with a red right hand. #

Trot on.

# In the bleak midwinter

# Frosty wind made moan

# Earth stood hard as iron... #

Trot on. Trot on.

# Water like a stone

# Snow had fallen

# Snow on snow, snow on snow

# In the bleak midwinter

# Long ago. #

MUSIC: Bridal Chorus by Richard Wagner

Here come the fucking cavalry. Late as usual.

MUSIC: Breathless by Nick Cave And The Bad Seeds

Dearly beloved.

We are gathered here today to join together in holy matrimony

Thomas Michael Shelby and Grace Helen Burgess.

# It's up in the morning It's on the downs

# Little white clouds like gambolling lambs

# And I am breathless over you

# And the red-breasted robin beats his wings

# His throat, it trembles when he sings... #

Those flowers need to go there.

Do you, Thomas Michael Shelby, take Grace Helen Burgess

to be your lawful wedded wife?

I do.

Do you, Grace Helen Burgess, solemnly swear to love,

honour and obey

till death do you part?

I do.

I now pronounce you husband and wife.

Go on, son!

# Still your hands

# And still your heart

# For still your face comes shining through

# And all the morning glows anew

# Still your mind

# Still your soul

# For still the fire of love is true

# And I am breathless without you... #

Get out of it!

-All right, Arthur, come on.

-Wait for me! Wait for me good self!

Go on, take the photograph!

Go on, boy. Get them on the go.

Tommy.

-Get the bastards in the house.

-I will. I will. John! John Boy!

John Boy. Get them in the house, all of them.

Go on, all of you! Back to the house. Come on!

THEY CHEER

# Still your hands

# And still your heart

# For still your face comes shining through

# And all the morning glows anew

# Still your soul

# Still your mind

# For still the fire of love is true

# And I am breathless without you. #

CHEERING

ORCHESTRAL MUSIC PLAYS

All right, Pol. Tell the Lee girls I've counted all the paintings.

Oh, Pol. Some people here are not on the list.

Curly, Charlie. Kitchen, five minutes.

Actually, we were told on the train there'd be cocaine.

Jeremiah, John Boy, kitchen, let's go.

I swear to God, them fucking cavalry boys are asking for it.

I was told to ask someone young. Will there be cocaine?

Sweetheart, I am young, informed and very well equipped.

You chose your man wisely.

Come on, kitchen, now.

Arthur, this lady wants to play in the snow.

No. No snow today. No snow today.

Kitchen, come on.

INDISTINCT CHATTER

I just wish Tommy was here.

-Where are they?

-I don't know, Tom.

Arthur, John, where are they?

-I don't know.

-I am telling you now, we got lost.

You really need to do a map.

Tommy.

Right, boys, you're all here.

Today, this is my fucking wedding day.

Yeah, and you said there'd be no bloody uniforms.

Nevertheless. Nevertheless, John.

Despite the bad blood,

I'll have none of it on my carpet.

Now, for Grace's sake, nothing will go wrong.

Those bastards out there are her family.

And if you fuckers do anything to embarrass her, your kin,

your cousins, your horses, your fucking kids, you do anything...

Tom?

-..to... What?

-What about snow?

Yeah, their women are sports, I'll say that.

No. No. No.

No cocaine.

No cocaine.

No sport. No telling fortunes.

No racing. No fucking sucking petrol out of their fucking cars.

And you, Charlie, stop spinning yarns about me, eh?

I'm just trying to sell you to them, Tom.

But the main thing is, you bunch of fuckers,

despite the provocation from the cavalry,

no fighting!

Oi!

No fighting.

No fucking fighting.

No fighting.

NO FUCKING FIGHTING!

Good.

-Get the fuck off me!

-GLASS SHATTERS

You're needed downstairs.

HE CLEARS HIS THROAT

Grace, you're needed downstairs. People are hungry.

I was putting Charles to sleep.

I'll come down, but not with you like this.

All right, fine.

Tommy.

I thought today was the reason for the way you've been acting lately.

I know there's business on your mind.

And I know there always will be.

-Yeah.

-Look. I am sorry they wore their uniforms.

Yeah, they fucking did, eh? They fucking did.

But I can tell it's more than that.

You've been like this for weeks.

I need you to tell me that it's business making you like this...

and not regret over me.

Say it out loud and I'll know if it's true.

It's business, Grace.

And bad, bad business it is, all round.

HE SIGHS

And I'm scared, Grace.

I'm scared for you.

I'm scared for the baby.

And this is how I am when I'm scared.

It is unfamiliar to you but not to me.

I can fucking be scared and carry on.

And it's not pleasant to look at and no joy to be around.

All right?

I'm sorry.

We just made vows to share everything.

Tell me what it is you're afraid of.

INDISTINCT CHATTER

Stand up. Stand up. Stand up.

Arthur's speech.

I'm scared of fucking Arthur's speech.

All right?

Me too.

Tommy, what are you doing?

Tommy, there's half the British Army waiting for us downstairs.

They're King's Irish. We waited two weeks in the mud for them.

Tommy.

SHE GIGGLES

There are things that if I take them off

I won't be able to put back on.

That's good.

Hello, Mrs Shelby.

I'm sorry for being busy in my head.

Let us complete the ceremony.

Hey, listen. Listen. Listen.

What do you call an animal with a prick halfway up its back?

A cavalry horse.

He gets it.

Fuck it. Fuck it.

Where the bloody hell are they?

You're best man, Arthur. Go and find them.

Yeah.

That's completely nonsense.

You know, we're part of a serious political movement and organisation.

They're not "secret little meetings", they're just meetings.

We talk about the world, about the people in it,

about our current political landscape and what's going on.

You know, we really need to re-evaluate

the way our government has...

-Very strange indeed.

-Polly, he's looking over.

But, erm...

He's coming. He bloody is.

Fuck. It's the wrong one.

What do you mean the wrong one? How many are there?

There's two giving me the eye. I prefer the other one.

He looked harmless.

It must be that bloody lipstick

Tommy brought you back from New York.

I couldn't help noticing you are unaccompanied.

I also am alone.

May I join you?

Tommy?

Oh. Didn't see a thing.

Not see a thing. Sorry, brother.

I need you downstairs.

That's all right, we're done. Are you good?

-Yeah. Never been better.

-Yeah.

-Are you drunk?

-No. No.

Here.

All right, just one drink, then.

Linda's a good woman, Arthur.

Good whisky.

A good man needs to hold out sometimes, eh?

I won't mention this in my speech, then, eh?

Not unless you want to get cut, Arthur.

Sorry, sister.

Right. Look. Tell the maids to break out the champagne.

I'll be down in a minute.

Champagne, yeah. OK.

-Got it right here.

-Good.

-I'm ready.

-Good.

Where are you from?

I'm a refugee.

From where?

Russia.

In the past few months Thomas has developed some

business interests with Russia.

I see he has confided in you.

Hm.

You need his permission to even speak to me.

My senior position within the Shelby company means

I don't often have to ask permission from anyone to do anything.

So perhaps you'll just tell me

why the fuck you're talking Russian business on Thomas's wedding day.

Hold on, wait a second.

-So you're saying I'm not allowed a man.

-It's about your choice of man.

I'm not allowed a man on my arm?

Fucking bastard.

Michael, speeches. Come on.

Arthur. You know why he didn't come, don't you?

Why who didn't come?

My bloody man.

Oh, you mean the wop?

I just heard there was a fire at his restaurant.

Midnight last night.

And a smashed back window and a smell of petrol.

Lizzie, we tried to talk some sense into you.

We did checks on him.

He's had five different names in the last six years

-and he's got connections with the Naples boys.

-Come on, Michael.

What do you know about love, about when lightning strikes?

So, it was lightning, hmm? Not petrol.

-I thought you were off the whisky, Arthur.

-Yeah, I am.

I'm having a couple now and again

to remind myself why I don't drink it.

You set fire to his restaurant to stop him coming.

You have no right to choose who I step out with in my own time!

Lizzie, you now have an important position in this company.

You got the order the same as us.

You can do it.

Until further notice...

no fraternising with the foreigners.

Yeah, well, you can tell Tommy from me

all the girls in the office think he's losing his fucking mind.

To the bride.

-ALL:

-The bride.

And now, according to tradition,

my best man will say a few words.

Go on! Here he goes! Go on, Arthur!

I'd like to, erm... I'm not one for speeches.

Sing, then!

I will later, John.

But I do, erm...

I do have some words written down here...

..on this piece of paper.

This doesn't include everything that I want to say...

(Arthur, just read what we wrote down, eh?)

I will.

I will, mm-hmm.

But first...

First a few words from the heart.

Erm...

This man here, my brother, Tommy,

helped me survive through some of the worst times.

HE COUGHS

It's a wedding, Arthur, tell a joke.

Yeah. Tell a joke.

What I am trying to say is this.

My brother,

and the love of a good woman...

..pulled me through that time.

Now Tommy also has the love of a good woman.

Her name's Grace.

Like the grace of the good Lord.

And even though the circumstances of their union was tragic...

Right, let's... Arthur, let's raise a toast, eh?

To love, to peace, to marriage.

And to marriage.

Well done, Arthur. Beautiful speech.

Really nice.

Really, really nice.

Where's he fucking going now?

I think I messed it up.

No, not a bit.

You spoke with such truth.

And God heard you.

Can I have a word with my brother, please, Linda?

What he was going to say was beautiful.

Alone, please.

All right. Come here.

Come here.

We talked about this, Arthur.

That's why we wrote it all down.

Most of Grace's side don't even know her husband killed himself.

They think it was an accident.

-I know.

-You know.

-Yeah.

-Yeah.

What do you think I am, hm?

What do you think I am, Tommy, eh?

You think I'm a fucking idiot...

-All right, boys?

-Yep.

-Don't you?

Come on. Having a good night.

-You think I would say it?

-That's it. Right.

Yeah. Keep walking. You nosy bastards.

-Hey, you stay away from me, Tommy.

-Fucking hell.

You stay away from me, I've had it.

Ah, shit.

-Yeah.

-Argh!

-Yeah.

Argh.

Argh!

Ah, shit.

Three shots I've had, that's it.

-I know.

-I drew the line.

-I know.

I know you've turned a corner.

-Arthur.

-Yeah.

-I know.

-Yeah. I'm your best man.

-I know.

I wasn't going to tell no-one.

It's all right. It's done.

Get up. Get up.

Get up.

Right...

The Russians have made contact.

We have to get used to how these bastards operate.

For them, family is a weakness and they go after them.

For me, family is my strength. And there's business to be done

and I need you.

Now, fuck speeches, fuck weddings.

You're my best man every fucking day.

OK.

Yeah?

Now go and get John, get him sobered up.

Find Johnny Dogs. It's the Russians through the smoke tonight.

-All right.

-Good.

Oh, and, Arthur...

In future, it's not always right to listen to Linda.

-Yeah?

-Yeah.

It's full of gypsies and blacks.

Grace says he exports automobiles to the colonies.

Pol, now.

So, what does he say?

He won't meet you unless you give us the name.

What name?

We were told to ask for a code name when contact was made.

Constantine.

The code is Constantine.

Tommy said no racing, no gambling.

Yeah, he's changed his mind. Right!

Don't worry, Finn, OK?

Cavalry boys ride like a sack of stones.

John, there's an awful lot of King's shillings around here today.

Now, out of loyalty to the regiment,

they'll all be putting their money on this bad boy that I filled up

with morphine and water.

Here, Tommy's all right if I do the book, is he?

He said betting's OK,

but all proceeds go to the Shelby Foundation charity.

This charity of his for real, then?

He says he wants to be seen giving back to the poor of Birmingham.

That'll be me, John. Myself, if I can't earn a shilling here tonight.

-Huh?

-They'll make him fucking Lord Mayor next.

-That's the idea, Charlie boy.

-Fucking hell.

Right. All you lot make as much noise and fuss as you can.

Especially fucking you.

Ah. So, we're a fucking distraction, John, is it?

Tommy's doing business on a night he should be just fucking.

Right, place your bets with me. Your favourites. Your favourites.

Come on, boys.

Cos I hope my wife's friend doesn't fall off the fucking horse.

Come on!

For charity?!

Shut up.

Ah, you found it.

We nearly gave up.

Did he tell you what my business with him is?

The same shit the Turks used to smoke.

I wonder, why does he trust his aunt more than his brothers?

Go and watch the race, boys.

The Turk's clean.

-I am Russian.

-Same fucking thing.

So you make contact on my wedding day.

You now have very powerful enemies,

at the Soviet Embassy and within your own government.

You are being watched -

at your house, your office,

your clubs, your bars.

You best be quick or I'll be missed. Where's the money?

The Duke's niece is bringing it from London.

I was told money on contact.

10,000 in US dollars.

My employer only trusts members of his family with cash.

She will be at Snow Hill Station at ten o'clock.

A woman alone in Birmingham with 10,000 in cash.

She also has a revolver.

-Oh, I see.

-I thought you trusted women.

I don't trust Birmingham. I'll have her picked up.

-By who?

-By the police, pal.

This is our city.

Fucking beautiful horse, Tom.

Beautiful.

-He's a natural, that boy.

-Yeah. Good posture.

-Rides like Dad.

-Right, listen to me.

Tell Johnny Dogs and his boys to light a fire in the woods.

A big one, to take meat.

Send Finn to watch the gates. Moss is bringing someone.

You don't?

I just needed to bring you somewhere nobody could see.

But your friend gave this to me. He said you all did it.

Not me. But it's all right.

Go on.

I see you don't either.

Don't be silly. Everyone does.

-So go on, then. Cut the snow.

-We call it Tokyo.

We call it whatever the customer calls it.

In London we were told you were all gangsters.

So that's why you got on the train to dirty old Birmingham.

For a dirty old night.

-You don't look like the others.

-That's the idea.

I put it all together but I don't partake.

See, I've got a bright future, you see?

Mapped out.

But you want me to be like them, don't you?

There's a cavalry officer stationed in Ceylon.

When his tour of duty ends in March, we will be engaged.

So I have a bright future too.

Mapped out.

But you want to try things first.

SHE SNORTS

HE CHUCKLES

SHE LAUGHS

No. Keep it.

As if I were a whore.

If that's the game you want to play...

Polly.

Hello, Grace.

You look absolutely beautiful.

Welcome to the family.

Oh, I see. Tommy's orders.

No upsets tonight.

Your hair, everything. Beautiful.

Do you know where he is?

Yes.

Yes, I do.

You know, Tommy really wants to keep certain things a secret from me.

But it's very hard when you're man and wife.

We were late coming down because we were having sex.

Afterwards he told me everything.

Royalist Russians buying weapons to fight the Bolsheviks in Georgia.

A lost cause, Tommy says.

Churchill is the go-between but it's against government policy

so everything must be kept a secret.

You know it's begun.

They started the business tonight.

No.

I didn't.

But you just told me, so thank you.

Let's not forget, I used to do this for a living.

Oh, I haven't forgotten, sweetheart.

It's only Thomas that's forgotten what you are.

Ladies and gentlemen.

The bride and the groom will now dance alone.

CHEERING AND APPLAUSE

SWING MUSIC

Polly just told me there's business being done.

I didn't ask them to come.

Tommy, please don't let anything happen tonight.

Just get this business done and get away from things like this.

I'll run the foundation,

you run the tracks and sell cars.

Promise me. Hm?

A wedding vow.

I promise.

No guns in the house and Charles will never see one.

I love you, Thomas Shelby.

You keep us safe.

I love you.

And I promise I will make us safe.

Ladies and gentlemen, you may now join.

Gatehouse. Come on.

Tommy, Arthur, Collins,

may I introduce you to the Grand Duchess Tatiana Petrovna...

..from Tbilisi, Georgia?

Grand Duchess, may I introduce you to the Shelby brothers?

Small Heath, Birmingham.

And, erm, good luck with this one, Tom.

Give me the money.

I was told to give it to Mr Kaledin.

Whoever it is up there, he gave the wrong name.

We asked him the name and he gave the wrong one.

-What name did he give?

-No.

I don't trust any of you.

Now you give me the money.

I know Mr Kaledin by sight from Tbilisi. Is his hair dark?

The instructions I was given was anyone using the wrong

code name was an infiltrator for the Soviet Embassy.

Just let me go to the house.

I do not want this shit anywhere near my fucking house.

All I know is no variations.

That's from Churchill himself.

Whoever is up at the house, he gave the wrong fucking name.

And you do this to me on my fucking wedding day.

The money is in the car, Mr Shelby.

Fetch it out and count it.

Good. Finn.

Yeah. We're good.

You can go. Moss.

Can you do it?

Can you kill?

Moss, you take the Duchess back to Birmingham.

Righto, Tom.

Go on, love.

That's right.

You've got to tell me the reason,

otherwise I'll never be able to trust you.

The truth is...

..that I slept with the wife of one of the colonels who sat for me.

But that was 12 years ago...

..and the aristocracy don't believe in forgiveness.

Neither do the Shelbys.

So we kill him?

He's a Red.

We're being paid by the Whites. It's part of the contract.

Contract!

We should never have got into this, Tom.

There was no choice.

A factory break-in, that's what you said.

Yeah, that's what it is.

There's some shit that goes with it.

And who shovels it? Hm?

Who fucking shovels it? Eh?

-I fucking know.

-Arthur.

-I fucking know.

-Arthur...

There's ten times where that's coming from, ten times,

for lifting vehicles off a fucking shop floor.

Vehicles, Tommy. Fucking vehicles.

Nothing about tanks.

Arthur, you listen to me.

You listen to me, all right?

There are powerful people in this country

who want to help these mad bastards,

including the King, Churchill and half the fucking Tory party.

And if we refuse, Arthur, if we fucking refuse,

they will see to it that we hang for all of our many sins.

Now, we've never earned money like this. Never.

We'll use it to buy the wharf at Boston docks.

That's why I've asked for dollars.

And when it's done it's business as usual.

Come on, brother. It's my wedding night.

-Where's John?

-Looking for Esme.

-Right.

Ruben Oliver. Portrait artist.

I really enjoyed the depiction of you in the dining room.

Nice to meet you, Mr Oliver.

-Danny, ragtime.

-ROCK MUSIC

So, where were we?

-Crimea.

-I mean before I bored you with war.

-SHE GIGGLES

-Politics.

-Yes.

You are the only one in your family who is a communist.

Some of them are, they just don't know it.

And you are very close family, yes?

Mm, always within punching distance.

What does that mean?

It means yeah, we're a close family.

HE SIGHS

Arthur?

I do apologise for the interruption.

There is a woman here to see you, Mr Kaledin.

She just arrived.

-So Tatiana made it from London safely?

-Yes.

-Where is she?

-Out by the stables.

Can I use the lavatory?

You can piss outside...

..by the stables.

HEAVY BLOWS

SHOUTS DROWN SPEECH

HE GROANS

Very sensible idea, Mr Shelby.

Clear the air away from the ladies.

We are rather like generals here, aren't we?

Watching our men do battle.

We are a bit too close to the fighting to be generals, surely.

SCREAMING

DISCORDANT MUSIC

SHOUTS OF ENCOURAGEMENT

You know, Mr Shelby, some of us only agreed to come today

to bless this union because of your exemplary war record.

But as Grace's uncle, and a kind of father to her for many years...

..I am still deeply uneasy about the many stories of corruption

and violence.

CRUNCHING

SHOUTS

Drink the fucking wine and smile.

That's what I'm doing.

Oh, you got me good there.

HE GROWLS

Oh, you fucking bastard.

THEY SHOUT

DISCORDANT MUSIC

-Don't shoot.

-No!

-For the love of God. Don't shoot.

-No!

-No!

-For the love of God!

-No! No! No! No! No!

-No!

-For the love of God! GUNSHOT

-What was that?

-Probably just a car backfiring.

DISTORTED SHOUTS

It wasn't the day I was expecting.

Nor me.

But it's over now.

Tomorrow it'll be just us.

Come here.

RAISED VOICES IN DISTANCE

The water froze in my car.

They said I could stay.

I know this is preposterous.

Plenty of other rooms to stay in.

-Goodnight, Mr Oliver.

-You have my card.

Any time you're in London we could have tea.

I went looking for you.

I thought you'd be in here.

I knew it.

I wanted to end with a bit of peace.

Look what I found.

It's beautiful. Thanks.

Arthur, you mustn't worry about what happened with the speech.

What was in your heart was beautiful.

God hears all the speeches that don't get said.

And isn't it nice to still be yourself at this time of night?

Close your eyes, Arthur, and spend a minute thinking about that.

# Come on

# Come on... #

There.

# You think you drive me crazy well

# Come on

# Come on CHILD WAILS

# You and whose army? HE MUTTERS

# You and your cronies

-# Come on... #

-Shh.

# Come on

# Holy Roman Empire

# Come on if you think

# Come on if you think

# You can take us all on

# You can take us all on

# You and whose army?

# You and your cronies

# You forget so easily

# We ride tonight

# We ride tonight

# Ghost horses

# Ghost horses

# We ride tonight

# Ghost horses

# Ghost horses

# We ride tonight MUSIC DROWNS SPEECH

# We ride tonight

# Ghost horses

# Ghost horses

# Ghost horses. #

More money than all those fucking toffs put together, eh?

And you're willing to gamble it all on one robbery.

I'm a gambling man, Pol.

# Take a little walk to the edge of town

# And go across the tracks

# Where the viaduct looms, like a bird of doom

# As it shifts and cracks

# On a gathering storm comes a tall handsome man

# In a dusty black coat with a red right hand. #