Peaky Blinders comes to Wrexham – Locals were stunned last month when reports surfaced of none other than Brummie gangster Tommy Shelby strutting his stuff at one of our most famous tourist attractions.
Cillian Murphy
All was revealed when they found out the UNESCO Pontcysyllte Aqueduct and Canal World Heritage Site had been chosen as one of the locations for a forthcoming film based on the legendary band of Midland gangsters called the Peaky Blinders, with Oscar winner Cillian Murphy spotted plying his craft.
Murphy reprises the role of Tommy Shelby in the film, which follows on from the hit BBC crime drama. The show has been a
huge success, with six series of the show airing between 2013 and in 2022. The Irishman, who won a Best Actor Academy Award earlier this year for his role in Oppenheimer, will appear in the film, which has the provisional title The Immortal Man, alongside Rebecca Ferguson, Stephen Graham, and Tim Roth. Barry Keoghan of Saltburn fame has also been recently added.
Murphy was spotted on board a narrowboat in full Tommy Shelby costume, including the iconic and instantly recognisable cap, as the crew began filming along the aqueduct and adjacent waterways.
“Under Wraps”
Other areas, including Trevor Basin and the aqueduct’s visitor centre and towpath, were temporarily closed to the public as a helicopter flew overhead, capturing aerial footage of the action below. Local business owner Chris Allen told the BBC, “Locals knew that filming would be taking place in the basin, but no one knew what for – the crew were keeping it well under wraps”.
Chris and his wife Rachel spotted the production company near the aqueduct while they were at work. “People soon twigged that it was Peaky Blinders – the steam-powered narrowboat and the actor’s clothing gave that away. Locals who’d gathered to watch started spotting and recognising them. Cillian Murphy stands out!
It was an exciting day,” added Mr Allen. Wife Rachel said: “We only live a couple of hundred yards up the road. We are quite excited about it.”
Shrouded in Secrecy
The whole activity remained shrouded in secrecy as she and Chris, who owns Rebel Dragon Designs, mentioned they had seen a helicopter and what looked like a film crew near the tea rooms by the basin. Rachel said: “They wouldn’t say what they were doing.” Murphy was working aboard canal boats featuring vintage signage saying “W.G.E. Wyrley & Essington” and “Thomas Coathupe & Sons Ltd – 1893“, which added to the authenticity of the scene.
Keen-eyed movie buffs have also spotted the boat in Birmingham and Dudley as filming for the upcoming movie continues
across the UK. Distributors have not announced the release date for the Peaky Blinders film as yet.
Photos courtesy of Alix Langton.
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