Great cast, great characters, great style, I really enjoyed it.
Ah, thats great, thanks.
And it gets better.
Youve assembled quite a remarkable cast of actors.
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Oh theyre just fantastic.
How did you come by Sam Neill for the role of Chief Inspector Campbell?
We got him the script and he came back and said, Ill do it, which was amazing.
I think it was just episode one we sent him, but he was on board immediately.
Youre under a fair amount of pressure with the accents.
Just a quick look on Twitter shows people saying, Birmingham?
I dont think so.
For some reason, they dont use people from Birmingham.
So it was one of the stipulations that weve got to get this right.
The trick with it which he spotted and the other actors spotted was that its fast.
Its like riding a bike, as long as you keep going, youll be alright.
And they did it.
Audiences arent used to hearing that kind of accent in a gangster setting are they?
Of course, yeah.
Its almost invisible in terms of media.
People just dont do it, which is great, because its a blank canvas.
You were going for a Western feel then?
Well, not so muchDeadwood, but definitely Western.
The great thing about America is that people take its history and mythologise it.
What Westerns did was to take a world and mythologise it.
Very bizarre, very glamorous, very unexpected, very un-English, not un-English butworking classEnglish.
Its based on your dads uncles isnt it?
Youve talked in the past about the authority of truth in storytelling.
Is that what you were looking to present by telling this particular story?
I think people dont realise that this all went on.
In England we buried that completely.
And youve achieved that.
Your directors and cinematographer [Otto Bathurst, Tom Harper and George Steel] certainly make it look good.
Shoes were polished so that they shone.
Lots of money was spent on clothes.
Everybody went a bit mad for about six years.
The idea of glamour becomes problematic though when youre depicting violence doesnt it?
Its not casual, it doesnt just go away.
If somebody gets cut, they stay cut and they will be cut for the rest of time.
These things dont just come and go.
You dont see people being casually shot inPeaky Blinders.
Continuing with the rock star tone, youve chosen some anachronistic music for the soundtrack that really works.
How did that come about?
Did you show him it without the music first and ask permission?
We showed him I think it was episode one with the music on and said Is it okay?
and he loved it, he loves the show.
Im not surprised, its up his street.
Hes brilliant, Nick Cave.
Thats the other thing about writing period stuff.
What Ive tried to do is make the characters modern, because theres no such thing as non-modern characters.
Did you ask Jack White directly for permission to use his stuff too?
He loved it as well.
I think his suggestion was Can it be called The Jack White show?.
This is eventually going to be broadcast in the US.
Did you make allowances for that in any way?
No, absolutely lot.
I think thats always a mistake.
Yeah, I can see that.
American telly is a bit more…
I think its because they can segregate their audience because of cable.
Lets talk about the politics inPeaky Blinders.
You show the threat of Communist revolution through Freddies character.
Is that something you particularly wanted to put on screen?
Its another element in the mixture.
On the subject of Tommy.
Do you know and Im not just saying this but Ive never watched them.
Ive never seenThe Wire, Ive never seenBoardwalk Empire, Ive never seen any of them.
Youve deliberately avoided them?
He probably is [laughs] but I dont know.
Is it just TV drama you avoid watching?
And film as well.
I try not to watch them.
I know, its very weird.
To watch other peoples stuff?
Yeah, and usually itsreally goodas well, especially American stuff, and you think Fuck!
But no, I dont watch it.
I havent seen an episode of any of those.
Well Tommy does fit with the current trend for antihero protagonists.
Do you know what I mean?
Theres been plenty of that lately, with the popularity of superhero films.
Yeah, which I hope is coming to an end [laughs].
I think that a while ago, audiences stopped believing in complete heroes.
The sort of lantern-jawed Captain America jot down?
I think that, for a long time, that was fine, but people stopped believing in it.
In the end, people are more concerned with whether someones doing something for the right reason.
Are they doing a bad thing for a good reason?
Tommy Shelbys a charismatic lead, thanks to Cillian and the way youve written him.
Hes clever, and we like seeing clever people be clever.
Were on his side.
But then, we also see him blind people…
Yes, I know.
Well, thats the thing.
That had sent a lot of those men mad, hadnt it?
It was, just get on with it.
And let the community sort it out.
It was such an epidemic, a really fascinating time.
And they didnt talk about it, that was the thing.
It was a point of principle that the soldiers never spoke about it.
Well it is sort of hell.
So we were trying, within the budget we have, to suggest this landscape of constant industry.
How did you go about recreating 1919 Birmingham?
Was that a lot of CGI work down by the docks and in the skylines?
The skylines have to be done in CGI.
Im sure its going to get cheaper, CGI, but its very expensive.
You mentioned the second series, thats all been confirmed then?
Yeah, I mean as far as the BBC ever do, but yeah, were pretty safe.
How far do you see the series running?
Youre a busy man, but whats your long-term aim?
My hope would be to go to the Second World War, thats long-term.
Three series would be great.
Because its also about, if youre born in that environment, can you get out, ever?
Can you actually ever escape?
In terms of social class, can he ever be accepted?
You have to look at history, its very difficult.
Ive never seen it, but I am aware of it.
Im sureDownton Abbeys really good, because I mean, look how popular it is, people love it.
They love it for its escapism I think.
Do you see any escapism inPeaky Blinders?
Mentioning women, Helen McCrory is great as your Shelby family matriarch, Aunt Polly.
Tell me about her character.
It was a very common thing for there to be a strong woman in any illegal organisation.
My dad had an Aunt Pol, so shes sort of based on a real character.
Somebody like Polly, who ran the business perfectly well probably better is an interesting character.
With an actress like Helen, its easy, shes so good.
For series two and onwards then, is your cast locked down?
And you already have those actors in mind?
But not yet on paper?
Yeah, getting there.
Anyone youve worked with before?
I dont know yet, well find out.
Id like to work with Tom Hardy again [Knight recently directed Hardy in Locke], hes fantastic.
Its having an astonishing effect on audiences.
What was the thinking behind doing it that way?
How can you get them engrossed?
This ones a particular thing when the lights go up, everybodys crying, which is really good.
I have to ask.
Could there be a part for Jason Statham inPeaky Blinders?
We wanted him in the first series.
I cant say, but it was difficult because obviously hes so committed elsewhere.
Id love him to be in the second series, hes such a great, great guy.
You dont have to tell us that on Den of Geek!
And a potential for the second series?
Yeah, if hes not busy.
Finally, tell me about the title,Peaky Blinders.
No of course, even in Birmingham people havent heard of them but they were called Peaky Blinders.
The gang had a particular uniform didnt it, with the haircuts and scarves.
Yeah, they had all sorts of things.
They were immaculately dressed.
Was that always going to be your title?
Steven Knight, thank you very much!
Peaky Blinders is available to order on DVD from the BBC Shophere, and Blu-rayhere.
Peaky Blinders starts on BBC Two on Thursday the 12thof September at 9pm.
Read our spoiler-free review of episode one,here.
