PEAKY BLINDERS II Page #6

We spend some time studying the half lit interior because it

tells a story.

(CONT'D)

PBII - Ep 1 - Steven Knight - SHOOTING SCRIPT - 20/02/14 p.23

26 CONT'D:
26

The office is heavy with dark oak furniture. The desk is huge

and the Victorian chairs are impressive. The door is frosted

glass and in reverse we read ‘Shelby Company Limited,

Licensed on-track betting’.

There are two typewriters and a telegraph machine. There are

two telephones. On the desk there is a large globe and on the

wall a map of the world.

On both map and globe a quarter of the land surface is

colored pink, indicating it is part of the British Empire.

(On this day and this month in 1922 the British Empire was as

big as it had ever been and as big as it would ever be).

A copy of yesterday’s Times newspaper is placed neatly on the

desk. In a bookcase we see a complete set of every edition of

‘Harmsworth’s Popular Science’, a volume of encyclopedias

which will be remarked on much later.

On the walls there are photographs and we spend some time on

them.

Mostly they are of winning enclosures, with smiling owners

and jockeys. We find a photo with a caption...’Aintree,

second place, 1920’. There is a photograph of the winning

owner and we glimpse Tommy smiling by his side.

On the desk there are more photographs of Tommy with various

minor dignitaries at small race meetings. One of the

photographs shows Tommy in a group of four men with a hand-

written caption... ‘With Lord Croft at Ascot.’

Directly behind the desk, on the wall in pride of place, is a

large certificate from the Gaming and Racing commission, the

Shelby Limited legal license to operate on track betting.

Then, at the frosted glass we see Tommy unlocking the door.

He enters and locks the door behind him.

He goes to the desk and takes off his coat and cap. He runs

his hand through his hair. He is framed by the photos and

certificates of his legal life.

He is deep in thought. The thought process that began in the

alley is continuing.

The telephone is apparently a temptation and he glances at

it. He also glances at a photograph we didn’t see before. It

is a photo of a family of three boys and a girl with their

mother. We might see the family resemblance and get that this

is Tommy, Arthur, John and Ada as children (before Finn was

born) and the smiling dark-haired woman is Tommy’s mother.

Tommy looks at the faces in the photo for a moment. Then he

makes his decision and grabs the phone.

PBII - Ep 1 - Steven Knight - SHOOTING SCRIPT - 20/02/14 p.24

27 EXT. WATERY LANE (OR SIMILAR) - NIGHT 1 27

Tommy is parked in his Fiat, waiting. The passenger door

opens and Inspector Moss gets in. Moss is out of uniform and

wears a hat pulled down over his eyes. The moment he gets in.

TOMMY:

I want the streets round the cooperative

stables clear of coppers

from midnight till four tonight.

Tommy hands him three pounds which he takes. Moss hates this

but it has become routine.

MOSS:

Can I ask why?

Tommy doesn’t reply and stares ahead. He is deep in thought

and Moss is a detail. Moss puts the money away.

MOSS (CONT’D)

Well, whatever you’re going to do,

don’t start any fires. The firemen

go on strike at midnight.

Tommy stares ahead.

TOMMY:

That’s all. You can go.

Moss is about to get out but stops.

MOSS:

Oh, by the way. I’ve got some

information you might be interested

in.

Tommy sighs gently and reaches for his pocket.

MOSS (CONT’D)

No charge.

A pause.

MOSS (CONT’D)

There’s an old friend of ours

coming back to the city.

Tommy turns...

MOSS (CONT’D)

Just passing through he says.

Moss opens the door. He seems pleased by Tommy’s wary

reaction...

(CONT'D)

PBII - Ep 1 - Steven Knight - SHOOTING SCRIPT - 20/02/14 p.25

27 CONT'D:
27

MOSS (CONT’D)

He’s very grand these days. Head of

some secret department.

Moss pauses for effect.

MOSS (CONT’D)

Irish desk.

We might imagine Moss knows more than he is letting on about

Tommy’s meeting. Moss smiles...

MOSS (CONT’D)

So I doubt he’ll be bothering the

likes of us.

Moss gets out. Tommy reacts, wondering if this piece of news

is related to all the others.

28 INT. BOXING GYM - NIGHT 1 28

The space is just an empty room with a ring set up and

punchbags hanging on chains. A fat Boxing coach (KING MAINE)

is reading the racing pages of a newspaper and making notes.

We hear the fizzing, whipping sound of a skipping rope.

In a shaft of light we find Arthur, stripped to his

underpants. He is skipping with a fixed look in his eyes. He

has a cut on his cheek which is recent. He skips with an

unchanging rhythm.

Stripped, we see that he is more powerful than he was in

1919, his muscles toned by endless exercise. We come close to

his face and see scars and recent cuts. We find a recent

tattoo on his arm which reads ‘Blinder Blade Number 1’.

Finn enters the gym and approaches Arthur.

FINN:

Arthur? Tommy’s called a family

meeting.

Arthur continues to skip, staring straight ahead.

FINN (CONT’D)

Arthur!

Finn rolls his eyes. He’s apparently accustomed to Arthur

disappearing into himself like this. King Maine puts his

paper aside and joins Finn...

KING:

He just beat the sh*t out of an

apprentice. I took half the kid

away in buckets.

Arthur keeps skipping, staring ahead. King comes close to

Finn and speaks confidentially...

(CONT'D)

PBII - Ep 1 - Steven Knight - SHOOTING SCRIPT - 20/02/14 p.26

28 CONT'D:
28

KING (CONT’D)

No disrespect, but can you ask

Tommy to keep him home some days.

He’s scaring everybody away.

Finn ignores King and calls out again...

FINN:

Arthur!!

Arthur does a huge double skip and the rope fizzes in the

air. He then finally comes to rest. He’s hardly breathing

hard. He drops the rope with disdain and walks.

29 INT. SHELBY HOME, PARLOUR - NIGHT 1 29

The Shelby family meetings are still held in the same space

but the room has been spruced up. There is a piano now,

though we doubt it is often played. On the wall there are

reproduction paintings of racehorses.

We also find six boxes of spirits stacked near to the

fireplace.

The inner circle of the Shelby family are gathered. Arthur,

John and Aunt Polly are near to the fireplace. Arthur is

chain smoking. Esme is sitting next to Finn who is now

allowed to sit in on meetings.

The only person missing is Tommy. John checks his watch...

JOHN:

Where the bloody hell is Tommy?

AUNT POLLY:

He’s on his way.

Arthur gets to his feet and sets off across the room.

Everyone looks at him. He is obviously a cause for concern

these days (though John and Finn hide smiles). He walks

heavily, his strength hardly contained by the walls around.

He heads for the boxes of spirits...

ARTHUR:

While we’re waiting...

He turns and walks back with a box of whisky and sets it down

heavily on a table.

ARTHUR (CONT’D)

...This is all the stock that’s

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