10 Cult TV Shows Your Friends Bang On About (But You've Not Seen Yet)

8. Peaky Blinders

Peaky Blinders
BBC

The title of Peaky Blinders might sound a bit naff, like something your grandma would say to the kids who keep kicking a football into her front garden. Get past that and you have a stylish, swaggering drama about criminals in 1920s Birmingham on your hands.

The off-putting title and a midweek post-watershed timeslot on BBC Two limited the audience Peaky Blinders could find, which is such a shame for one of the best British dramas of the last decade.

The show follows the titular Peaky Blinders gang, led by Tommy Shelby, a calculating, wickedly intelligent gangster brought to life by Hollywood star Cillian Murphy. That Murphy would return to the small screen after a decade away making movies says a lot about the quality of the show.

A magnetic central performance from Murphy, strong writing, cinematic visual flair and a cracking soundtrack -€” populated with the likes of The White Stripes, Nick Cave and the Arctic Monkeys €”- make Peaky Blinders absolute must-watch television.

Contributor
Contributor

Tom, simple country boy, scarily close to his 30th birthday. A juxtaposition of sporty and active alpha male with TV and gaming nerd. Newcastle United fan who lives a LONG way away from Newcastle.