A gangster family epic set in 1919 Birmingham, England and centered on a gang who sew razor blades in the peaks of their caps, and their fierce boss Tommy Shelby, who means to move up in the world.

As a born and bred Brummy with a mild interest in our history, I'm really pleased with this series. Firstly that we're not being overlooked for London, Manchester or Liverpool, and we're being allowed our own history, which is interesting and colourful.

At first glance the downstairs of the Shelby house looks too big to be the ground floor of a terrace, and people seem to be using their front doors far too often which, since there seems to be a significant amount of 'respect' being shown and rules being followed, it irks me that this protocol's being ignored. That said, it does look better to have the character using the front door.

My other issue is accents. In fairness, for the most part people are doing an amazing job - most real Brummy accents do not sound like the caricature most people think of, and this is being respected by the actors with only the occasional slip... except for Aunt Polly. Helen McCrory is a fine actress - a mistress of the Brummy accent she isn't. Her performance is making up for it however.

The Jamaiacan preacher amused me; as pointed out by another reviewer this actor is Benjamin Zephaniah: B'ham local and poet. Jamaica did send help over for WWI, so it's not impossible that several men stayed. He is a wonderful reminder that Birmingham has always been a hub for migration - even more so after WWII.

Sam Neill's performance is amazing.

So far the series is not just telling an interesting story, it's telling elements of Brummagem's history and present in a subtle and interesting way. I hope it continues.
Duration: 3 Discs HD DVD-9 Plastic Bag Packing Ver. ( 6 Episodes Complete Series )