If “Peaky Blinders” had managed to find its way to the small screen nearly 40 years ago, it’s hard to imagine what the show would have looked like. The period crime drama series has become immensely popular due to its visceral depiction of a close-knit gangster family, not to mention Cillian Murphy’s incredible performance as the man who holds “Peaky Blinders” together. To think we could’ve had it decades ago when studios didn’t have the technology or the means to navigate the show the way they do today makes one wonder what the gangster drama could have turned out like.
In an interview with NME, Steven Knight told the publication he was relieved Channel 4 decided not to go ahead with “Peaky Blinders.”
“I presented it to Channel 4 and [they turned it down] … There’s nothing wrong with Channel 4, but I’m glad it didn’t get made then because we didn’t actually have the [necessary] technology.”
In 2019, Knight expanded on the story, telling Drama Quarterly that if “Peaky Blinders” was made back in the day, they wouldn’t have the same cast. The film producer further stated that since CGI wasn’t available at the time, they wouldn’t be able to do some of the technical effects the show has now.
“In those days, people watched on little screens and there would be no point making it look beautiful. The CGI wouldn’t have been available, so you wouldn’t have been able to do some of the effects we do and we wouldn’t have had the actors.”
There’s a right time for everything, and it’s a good thing Knight was patient in his endeavor to bring “Peaky Blinders” to the world.