Joined in 2023 
82 
63 About this deal
Stefan Hunter, Founder of IOLLA said: “The culmination of a huge amount of hard work and collaboration, it’s been a joy to see such an iconic character wear a pair of IOLLA frames. When we were approached in the summer of 2018, we couldn’t have imagined the journey we would go on with the production and it’s really incredible to have our homegrown business be part of Peaky Blinders history. We can’t wait to tune into the new series to see how things will end for the famous Tommy Shelby!”
The ‘A. Byrne Grocer’ shop sign glimpsed outside Bingley Hall in the finale is a nod to director Anthony Byrne. On Tommy’s desk at his stately home is a golden eagle inkstand flanked by two golden lions, each selected, explains set decorator Jonnie Mead, to represent Tommy’s leadership and power. “He’s being challenged by everyone, by the family and those outside of the family who he fears want to take his crown, so consequently he wants these markers that say ‘I am in charge, I’m the boss. While these things stay on his desk, he is the guy you do not challenge.’ ‘…an act of love’ Calm through all storms, Tommy never loses his cool. To any baffling situation, his answer is a puff of smoke. His swanky cigarette-smoking style has taken many hearts, as has his addiction to alcohol: "Whiskey is good proofing water. It tells you who's real and who isn't." Michael is no different. Tommy's swanky cigarette-smoking style has taken many hearts as has his addiction to alcohol: "Whiskey is good proofing water. It tells you who's real and who isn't." Michael is no different. Oh, and don't forget there's going to be a Peaky Blinders movie to replace season seven, along with potential spin-off TV shows, so we'll be delving into Peaky projects for many years to come, it seems. On the floor of Alfie Solomon’s Margate apartment is a tiled mosaic of the word “Lethe”, the river of oblivion in Hades, the underworld in Greek mythology. It was requested by director Anthony Byrne to symbolise Alfie’s otherworldly status as a character who sort of returned from the dead (after being shot by Tommy at the end of series four).
On the chalkboard behind Finn in his Small Heath office are written the names of race horses, many of which have narrative significance. One is ‘Golden Brown’, a reference to the family’s opium deal this series. Bad Santa fell off the sleigh again. Errant enforcer Arthur (Paul Anderson) got high on the Shelbys’ supply and was found in an alleyway with a needle hanging out of his arm. Just say no, kids. While the other characters take opium and cocaine from plain bottles, Polly’s are always ornately decorated with silver carvings and stoppers. “You go up a stage for Polly,” says Mead, “it’s always that bit more decorative and beautiful”.
The sign for W. Northridge and Son Builders seen in the exterior of the Shelby Co. office is a tribute to the production designer’s father, a builder by trade. Image credit: Nicole Northridge Whilst Tommy Shelby’s exact glasses are not available to buy, following huge customer demand IOLLA designed a similar, retro style frame, meaning that fans of the show can replicate Tommy’s look for themselves in time for the final season with the classic ‘ MacDonald’ frames. The petite, statement making frames bring Peaky Blinders’ vintage style to life. Fans can also visit one of IOLLA’s showrooms to learn about the design process in more detail, and take a closer look at some early prototypes. The Commons Chamber benches were repurposed for the gallery set where Ada watched Tommy give a parliamentary speech.In series five, Tommy is working undercover for the English crown, informing on seditious activity by Sir Oswald Mosley, who plans to launch his new political party the British Union of Fascists on the 1 st of January 1930. Could Tommy’s ominous dream be dread about his double agent role as Mosley’s Deputy party leader, with that month signifying a point of no return? Tommy's plan to assassinate Oswald Mosley (Sam Claflin) goes all kinds of bad, as Aberama Gold (Aiden Gillen) is stabbed – to death, we assume – and Barney is shot before he can snipe Oswald. The most characteristic shirt that Tommy Shelby wears on the show is the club collar shirt. The collar became popular in the first few decades of the twentieth century but has recently gained popularity after the TV show, Mad Men and now, Peaky Blinders.
Approached in 2018 by Alison McCosh, Costume Designer for Peaky Blinders, IOLLA founder and frame designer Stefan Hunter worked closely with the BBC production; producing various prototypes and attending a pre-filming fitting with Cillian Murphy to ensure the frames were the perfect fit for Tommy Shelby. This isn’t the first time Tommy’s hallucinated Grace since she was accidentally shot dead by a Changretta family bullet intended for him. In series three, Tommy had sex with Russian aristocrat Tatiana Petrovna. During the act, she performed a little Siberian magic, choking him so that he would see her as if she were Grace. No, I'm not God. Not yet," Thomas Shelby says in the first episode from season five of 'Peaky Blinders' after his son is visibly disturbed by the death of a horse. The Shelby leader may not be God, but he is Godfather indeed! As the show marches ahead, Cillian Murphy paints vivid shades of gray on celluloid and dips it into Al Pacino's portrayal of Michael Corleone from the iconic 1970 film franchise. In the script, Aberama Gold was supposed to crash through the roof of the Chinatown house in the series opener, but the location was a National Heritage property and they couldn’t make serious alterations. Instead, a lathe and plaster wall was built for Aberama to burst through – actor Aiden Gillen nailed it on the first take. Arthur’s reluctance to embrace change and modernity is reflected in his home. Despite having a new house for series five, fans will spot the same crucifixes, photos and pictures that he’s had on show for years. “He’s not about moving forward,” says Mead. “He still wants to hold onto the Shelbys as they were.”Before that, he held roles as Editor, Deputy Editor, and Associate Editor focusing on news, social, and video.Laurence hosted the BBC Sounds podcast Obsessed with Peaky Blinders in 2019, as well as his own podcast production, Time of My Life, where he interviews fascinating elders about their life lessons, including Only Fools and Horses' Sir David Jason, Star Trek’s George Takei and Bridgerton’s Adjoa Andoh.
The dramatic, abstract lighting in the Commons Chamber set at the Houses of Parliament was in part a nod to Joe Wright’s Darkest Hour film about Churchill in WWII, and partly a canny budget save to avoid building more of the set than would be seen. Suits come in many different materials but Tommy Shelby tends to wear lighter fabrics compared to his brother and other characters on the show that compliments his charismatic and charming personality. Tweed andcorduroy tends to be the material that Thomas Shelby favours however you might rarely catch him in the middle of a shootout wearing a wool waistcoat looking dapper as always. Peaky Blinders season six has ended, proving Tommy Shelby (Cillian Murphy) is still the master of turning a profit with no end of side hustles on the go, from booze and betting to... far more illegal things. The show itself has exploded in popularity in recent years, which means it has more (non-bootleg) merchandise that you can shake a razorblade-encrusted flat cap at. No matter who your favourite character is, whether that's Arthur Shelby (Paul Anderson), Alfie Solomons (Tom Hardy) or Polly Shelby (the late Helen McCrory), there's likely a bit of merchandise to help celebrate your fandom. Nelson might be a fictional character but writer Steven Knight had clearly taken inspiration from Joseph P Kennedy Sr. The father of JFK, Ted and Bobby also imported Scotch whisky to the US post-prohibition, was an influential FDR ally, an antisemite and travelled here so regularly that he later became US ambassador to the UK.
After Grace’s death, Tommy took the sapphire to gypsy Madame Boswell, who told him that the sapphire was indeed cursed – exactly what he needed to hear to salve his own conscience (Boswell was rewarded for this knowledge with the expensive jewel, so may well have been prepared to tell Tommy it was made of cheese if that’s what he wanted to hear). When Grace appeared with the stone this series though, she said “It wasn’t the blue stone, Tommy, it was you,” as the sapphire turned to blood streaming from the gunshot wound in her chest. Happy or sad? The positioning of the Shelby men’s portraits in the company boardroom is significant as a visual demonstration of Tommy’s power over, and in series five, distance from, Arthur and Michael. Cillian [Murphy] likes a busy desk because he likes to work with props and he always likes to be doing something,” says Mead. “He’ll always be smoking, obviously, but he’ll also always be reading something or touching something or putting something away and under all of it you will find books.” ‘Nowhere to escape from his own mind’ Both, Tommy and Michael are bosses in their own right. They do have a killer streak but they'd rather keep their hands clean and pass the job to someone else. If the list of coincidences were not enough, here's another strange tragedy in both their lives. They lose their loved ones in a revenge plot meant for them. In 'The Godfather,' a bomb blast meant for Michael kills Apollonia while Grace is shot by a bullet meant for Tommy.
Great Deal 
New Comment