People forget how weird things were back in 2013. When the Peaky Blinders season one trailer first dropped, nobody knew a flat cap and a razor blade would become a global fashion statement. Most of us just saw Cillian Murphy on a horse and thought, "Oh, another gritty BBC period drama."
We were wrong. Dead wrong.
The trailer didn't just sell a show; it sold an vibe. It was 60 seconds of soot, sparks, and Nick Cave’s "Red Right Hand" growling in the background. It looked like a Western, but set in the sludge of post-WWI Birmingham. Looking back at it now, in 2026, it’s wild to see how much of the DNA of the entire series was packed into those first few flashes of footage.
The Mystery of the "Gons"
There’s a specific shot in that original trailer that sets the whole plot in motion: Tommy Shelby looking into a crate. Most people watching it for the first time didn't realize they were looking at the "inciting incident" that would fuel six seasons of chaos.
Those were the Lewis machine guns.
The trailer teased a heist gone wrong, but it framed it as a mystery. Tommy’s men were supposed to steal motorbikes for Libya. They messed up. They took government-grade weaponry instead. That single mistake brought Inspector Campbell (played by a terrifyingly stiff Sam Neill) down from Belfast on a "noisy, hurtling steam train."
Honestly, the trailer made Campbell look like the hero. It positioned him as the law-and-order guy coming to clean up a lawless city. You’ve gotta love the irony. By the end of the season, we all knew who the real villain was, and it wasn't the guy with the razor in his hat.
Why Cillian Murphy Almost Wasn't Tommy
Believe it or not, when that first teaser hit, there was a lot of chatter about whether Cillian Murphy could actually lead a gangster epic. Before the Peaky Blinders season one trailer, he was mostly known for 28 Days Later or being the Scarecrow in Batman. He was "ethereal." He was "too pretty."
The trailer fixed that perception in about three seconds.
There’s a moment where he looks into the camera—those piercing blue eyes looking totally hollowed out by the war—and you just knew. This wasn't a standard thug. This was a man with "shellshock," as they called it back then, trying to outrun his own mind. The trailer highlighted that "impassive" nature that became Tommy's trademark. He doesn't scream. He doesn't panic. He just smokes and plans.
The Women of Small Heath
While Tommy got the spotlight, the trailer gave us our first glimpse of Aunt Polly. Helen McCrory (RIP to a legend) owned every frame she was in.
The footage showed her "minding the shop" while the boys were away at war. It hinted at a power dynamic that most shows in 2013 weren't doing. Polly wasn't just a background character; she was the "unofficial driving seat." The trailer showed her holding a gun, challenging Tommy, and basically being the only person he actually feared.
Then there was Grace. The "angel of Galway." The trailer leaned heavily into the "John Lewis commercial" aesthetic for her—all soft lighting and ash particles catching the glow of braziers. It made her look like a love interest, hiding the fact that she was actually a deep-cover operative for Campbell.
Production Secrets Hidden in Plain Sight
If you watch that old 2013 trailer again, you’ll notice the locations look massive. But the truth is, most of "Birmingham" wasn't even Birmingham.
- Watery Lane: The Shelby family’s home base was actually Powis Street in Liverpool.
- The Dockyards: Uncle Charlie’s yard? That’s the Black Country Living Museum in Dudley.
- The Garrison: The pub was a set, but it looked so lived-in and grime-streaked that people actually tried to find the real one in Small Heath.
The trailer used a lot of "pop video" editing. Steven Knight (the creator) and director Otto Bathurst wanted it to feel modern. They ditched the slow, boring pace of traditional British period pieces. Instead, they gave us slow-motion walking, fire-breathing furnaces, and a soundtrack that shouldn't have worked but did.
What the Trailer Didn't Tell You
Trailer editors are masters of misdirection. The Peaky Blinders season one trailer made it look like Tommy was going to war with the IRA. While that's a part of it, the real season was much more about "Big Fucks Small."
It was about Tommy trying to go "legit" by fixing horse races. The trailer barely mentioned Billy Kimber, the actual kingpin Tommy had to topple. It focused on the "razor blades in the caps" because, let’s be real, that’s a great hook.
It also skipped over the family drama. The tension between Tommy and his older brother Arthur (Paul Anderson) was barely touched upon. In the trailer, Arthur looks like a loyal soldier. In the show, he's a broken man struggling with his own demons and the fact that his younger brother is the one calling the shots.
How to Watch the Original Footage Today
If you want to go back and see where the obsession started, you can still find the original BBC Two teasers on YouTube. Look for the ones from late August and early September 2013.
Actionable Steps for Fans
- Check the Soundtrack: If you liked the music in the trailer, look up the "Peaky Blinders Official Soundtrack" on Spotify. It features Nick Cave, The White Stripes, and PJ Harvey. It’s the best way to get into that "Tommy Shelby" headspace.
- Visit the Locations: If you’re in the UK, the Black Country Living Museum holds "Peaky Blinders Nights" where you can walk through the actual sets seen in the first trailer.
- Re-watch Episode 1: Pay attention to the first five minutes. The way Tommy enters on the horse is almost frame-for-frame what was in the teaser. It’s a masterclass in character introduction.
Looking ahead, with Peaky Blinders: The Immortal Man hitting theaters in March 2026, going back to that first season one trailer is a trip. It reminds you how far the Shelbys have come—from stealing a crate of guns in Small Heath to facing down the end of the world in WWII.
The swagger started there. The flat caps started there. And honestly, the "Red Right Hand" hasn't stopped ringing in our ears since.
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Next Step: You might want to re-watch the season one finale to see how many of those trailer promises actually paid off before the movie comes out.