Equestrians could be forgiven for overlooking BBC Two’s drama Peaky Blinders (the new series for which starts on Sunday 27 February on BBC One), as the synopsis sells this series short: “An epic gangster drama set in the lawless streets of 1920s Birmingham.”
Swipe left, thanks.
But wait — if you can cope with the violence between the warring gangs, much of the plot centres around racing. If only you’d known earlier…
Here are 12 very good reasons that all horse lovers should watch Peaky Blinders:
1. Top dog horse-loving gangster Tommy Shelby bareback riding through the streets of Birmingham. Hooked already.
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2. There’s some lovely police horses – these ones were taking part in an early morning raid in an earlier series
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3. Mr Shelby decided to overrule his aunt and buy a racehorse. Good decision
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4. Tattersalls, Epsom, Cheltenham — it’s like racing bingo.
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5. May Charlton was not going to let being a woman stand in the way of holding a trainers’ licence #girlpower.
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6. You’ll be diving for your Pony Club Manual of Horsemanship *spoiler: we can’t find anything about goldfish in water troughs in there either*.
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7. Grooms are celebrated. The lovely Curly had a horse-like sense to know when danger is around the corner and loved the horses more than any of the humans.
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8. It doubles as a history lesson in illegal betting — off-track betting shops were only legalised in 1960.
9. Mr Shelby diverted a family day out into a horse viewing. We can relate.
10. Tweed. Tweed everywhere.
11. Horses are a cause for bonding, especially when you find yourself in an awkward situation in an illegal gambling den.
12. Wooden horse as a Christmas present? Sigh. “I got Charlie a real horse, Lizzie. Not a toy.” Well said, Mr Shelby.
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Lucy is an experienced news journalist, reporter and presenter. Since joining the Horse & Hound team in 2015, Lucy has reported from major global sporting events including the Tokyo Paralympic Games and multiple European Championships, as well as Badminton, Burghley and London, to name a few. She has covered current affairs and sports news across the full spectrum of equestrian disciplines and racing, as well as human and equine welfare, industry news and court cases.
