PEAKY BLINDERS II

THIS SCRIPT IS STRICTLY CONFIDENTIAL

Please do not discuss the contents of this script with anyone

outside the Production.

©Caryn Mandabach Productions & Tiger Aspect Productions 2014

PBII - Ep 1 - Steven Knight - SHOOTING SCRIPT - 20/02/14 p.1

1 OPEN ON BLACK - FLASHBACK 1 1

Then...

A 1919 penny spinning in darkness in slow motion, glinting inlight. It spins slowly enough for us to glimpse the King’shead spinning through shot three times...

2 INT. BETTING SHOP, ARTHUR’S OFFICE (1919)- NIGHT, FLASHBACK 1

We see the spinning coin in the air above Tommy’s head, takenfrom the final sequence of series one, episode six.

The coin continues to spin. A whistle is blown on a trainplatform. Suddenly...

2

3 INT. TRAIN STATION (1919) - NIGHT, FLASHBACK 1

We cut into the existing scene from series one. Again wewitness Campbell taking Grace by surprise as she is about toboard a train. Campbell pulls a gun. The train hisses

steam...

3

4 INT. BETTING SHOP, ARTHUR’S OFFICE (1919)- NIGHT, FLASHBACK 1

Silence. The coin spins for just two seconds...

4

5 INT. TRAIN STATION (1919) - NIGHT, FLASHBACK 1

Campbell points the gun at Grace. Grace reacts, and, withjust a flicker of her eyes, we infer she is not going to goquietly.

Campbell doesn’t know if she is armed and almost challengesher to go for her gun. Grace doesn’t move. She knows that ifCampbell wants to do this straight away she has no chance.

But he hesitates.

5

6 INT. BETTING SHOP, ARTHUR’S OFFICE (1919)- NIGHT, FLASHBACK 1

Silence, the coin spins for two seconds more.

6

7 INT. TRAIN STATION (1919) - NIGHT, FLASHBACK 1

Then, loudly, we hear another platform whistle and hear thehissing of the train as it prepares to depart.

Campbell’s resolve appears to weaken. For a moment there is astruggle inside his head. Grace sees it. She speaks softly,

almost as a compliment...

GRACE:

Vengeance is not your lord.

7

(CONT'D)

PBII - Ep 1 - Steven Knight - SHOOTING SCRIPT - 20/02/14 p.2

7 CONT'D:
7

Campbell still has the gun pointed. Then a darker impulse

takes over. He appears to have made a decision. Finally...

CAMPBELL:

Grace...

Campbell c*cks the trigger and Grace prepares...

CAMPBELL (CONT’D)

You have left me with absolutely

no...

Grace darts her hand into her bag, and pulls the trigger of

her gun. Her bag explodes and the contents fly in slow

motion.

Campbell is hit and falls back, his gun spilling from his

hand. The gun shot kick starts our theme music.

Campbell falls to the ground in slow motion like a giant that

has been felled. He hits the wet ground with a splash and a

crunch of his head against the gravel.

We should not know if Campbell is alive or dead but most will

assume he is dead.

8 INT. BETTING SHOP, ARTHUR’S OFFICE (1919)- NIGHT, FLASHBACK 1 8

The moment Campbell hits the ground the spinning coin lands

on the back of Tommy’s hand. Tommy peers down and sees the

King’s head. He peers at the coin, accepts its verdict and

looks up at the ceiling, preparing for the rest of his life.

8A EXT. STREETS - MORNING 1 8A

TITLE SEQUENCE.

In fractured images, we see two women, dressed in billowing

black dresses, pushing large black prams through the streets

of Small Heath. They follow the same route that Tommy took in

series one title sequences.

9 EXT. GARRISON PUB, GARRISON LANE - MORNING 1 9

We pull wide and see the women with the prams arriving in

Garrison Lane. We see the exterior of the Garrison pub.

The structure is the same as when we last saw it, but the

paint work is finer, the sign more ornate and there is

reference to a ‘chop house upstairs’.

We see a caption...

‘Small Heath, Birmingham’.

Fade out and fade in...

(CONT'D)

PBII - Ep 1 - Steven Knight - SHOOTING SCRIPT - 20/02/14 p.3

9 CONT'D:
9

‘Two years later’.

We come a little closer to the women, down to ground level.

The women in black bonnets are chatting as they walk. They

arrive at the outside of the pub and stop outside the front

door on the corner. We can’t see faces because of the bonnets

and their black dresses billow.

They both reach into their prams at the same time as if

comforting their babies. Then they put the brakes on the

prams and turn and walk, leaving the prams where they are.

The women speed up and begin to run away, holding onto their

bonnets and their skirts.

We wait a few moments.

Then the two prams explode at the same time. The front of the

pub is blown to pieces. The windows are blown in and a back

draught billows out. We see the explosion in slow motion and

see that, along with the debris, there is also brightly

colored confetti falling to the ground gently through the

black smoke and shattered glass.

10 EXT. GRAVEYARD - DAY 1 10

From on high we see a congregation dressed mostly in black,

standing beside a freshly dug grave. Two red banners are

being held aloft as a Priest incants the ‘ashes to ashes’

graveside prayer.

The red banners read ‘Communist party of Birmingham,

Bordesley’ and ‘Communist party Kentish Town’. Around the

banners we find various members of the Communist party. At

the grave’s edge, we also find Ada, with a boy of two and a

half. This is KARL.

Ada’s look across the grave takes us to the other side.

There we find the extended Shelby family.

The first face we recognize is AUNT POLLY, dressed

immaculately with a black veil lifted and tight black

clothes. (Around her neck she wears a Madonna made from black

jet which will become relevant but we may not notice just

yet).

We move along the side of the grave and take in the faces

(still not knowing who is dead).

We find JOHN SHELBY with his wife ESME. Esme is holding a

sleeping baby, one year old

Then we find JIMMY JESUS with his mixed race son (ISIAH, aged

seventeen). Then we pass CURLY and CHARLIE STRONG. Then

ARTHUR SHELBY.

(CONT'D)

PBII - Ep 1 - Steven Knight - SHOOTING SCRIPT - 20/02/14 p.4

10 CONT'D:
10

Next to him is FINN SHELBY. Finn has grown and is now

thirteen and looks older than his years, with his hair

slicked back with Brilliantine. He has become quite handsome

in a tough way.

Finn leans forward to peer into the grave as the coffin is

lowered. A hand pulls him back into place.

The hand belongs to TOMMY SHELBY. He is at the end of the

line, dressed sharply in all black with a black tie.

The coffin reaches the bottom of the grave and the priest

nods to Tommy. Who steps up. The communists behind the red

banners give him hard stares. Tommy (of course) couldn’t give

a damn.

TOMMY:

I promised my friend Freddy Thorne

that I would say a few words over

his grave if he should pass before

me.

Arthur proclaims loudly...

ARTHUR:

Amen.

(Already we might feel Arthur has become quite odd since we

last met him. Tommy ignores.)

TOMMY:

I made the promise when we were in

France. Fighting for the King.

The communists give Tommy hard stares which he absorbs.

TOMMY (CONT’D)

But war didn’t take Freddy.

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