Cillian Murphy thought Peaky Blinders’ music selection was “a terrible idea”

It’s next to impossible to hear Nick Cave’s Red Right Hand without thinking about Peaky Blinders these days, and the use of music on the show in general was an integral part of what made it such a hit.

However, according to Cillian Murphy, he didn’t always approve of the idea of ​​using contemporary music in the Peaky Blinders soundtrack, with the drama set in the interwar period.

The Tommy Shelby star appeared as a guest on Steve Lamacq’s BBC Radio 6 Music program when he said he initially thought this was going to be a “terrible idea”.

“I have to be honest, I thought it was a terrible idea when someone first told me it was going to be contemporary music versus a historical story,” he said.

“I didn’t think it would work, but then something happened where it just clicked and we always – you know the people who did the show – always talked about whether a tune was ‘peaky’ or ‘not peaky’ . ”

Throughout the run, the Peaky Blinders music list featured titles from contemporary bands and musicians, including IDLES, Arctic Monkeys and Laura Marling, and Radiohead and PJ Harvey.

According to Murphy, those involved can immediately tell if a particular song would work.

“You just seemed to know if it was and it’s really hard to define what it is, but I think it seems like a forbidden quality of the music… that’s always been the kind of artist who was on the soundtrack have worked and the type of artist who care too. ”

The sixth season of Peaky Blinders has been delayed due to the coronavirus pandemic. Production of the series has not yet started, so fans can wait to hear about the latest developments with the Shelby clan.

Meanwhile, fans can listen to Murphy’s new 12-part BBC Radio 6 music series Cillian Murphy’s Limited Edition, a series of two-hour programs in which the actor curates his own nightly playlist created after midnight.

According to the BBC, the playlist will span genres from Afrobeat to Electronica, Jazz, Spoken Word to Poetry and include famous artists such as Patti Smith, Iggy Pop and David Bowie.

Cillian Murphy’s Limited Edition starts on Monday October 19th at midnight with 6 Music. Peaky Blinders can be streamed on Netflix. For more recommendations, check out our list of the best movies and TV shows on Netflix. For more information, please see our TV listings if you’re looking for something else to watch.