Excessive smoking in movies and TV…

Got GSPs

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Peaky Blinders: Cillian Murphy has smoked over 3,000 (herbal) cigarettes playing Tommy Shelby​

He asked the prop department to give an estimate​


View attachment 181777
Tommy Shelby is almost never without a cigarette in hand in Peaky Blinders, puffing away pensively as he devises ways to outmanoeuvre his rivals.

“People did smoke all day [back then] and it just became a Tommy thing,” Cillian explained of his character’s habit.

They Are Always Smoking in 'Peaky Blinders,' but Are They Real Cigarettes?​

BY SAMANTHA FARAGALLI YOUNGHANS
JAN. 15 2020, UPDATED 6:27 P.M. ET

If you're a fan of the hit Netflix show Peaky Blinders, then you know a lot of the characters, especially Thomas Shelby (played by Cillian Murphy) are always smoking. That said, it's hard not to wonder whether or not they're actually smoking cigarettes. So, what are they smoking in Peaky Blinders? We investigated! Scroll down to see what we found out.

What are they smoking in 'Peaky Blinders'?​

So it turns out, they're not actually smoking real tobacco cigarettes in the show, so no need to fret. In a previous interview, Helen McCrory (who plays Aunt Polly in the film) revealed that they actually use herbal cigarettes.
"They use herbal tobacco which has no nicotine and tastes horrible," the actress revealed to the Mirror. "They’re the same type they smoke in theatre


I used to go to plays for years and wonder why they had a [cannabis joint] on the go during a play and how they could remember their lines," she added. "It smells, to a layman like me, like someone is smoking cannabis. It’s just a bit funny and not like tobacco."
She followed up by saying that the props are "bloody horrible" and that they even leave black bits in the cast's nostrils. Eww!

Cillian has also addressed the fact that his character is rarely seen without a cigarette in his hand... and clarified that in real-life, he's not actually a smoker like Tommy is in the show. "I don’t smoke but people did smoke all day and night then," he revealed in a past interview with Birmingham Live. "I use herbal rose things, they’re like my five a day! I asked the prop guys to count how many we use during a series and it’s 3,000." Wow!

Last year, the cast was questioned about their smoking of cigarettes on the show once again. "Let me show you my lungs," Helen joked at a Q&A at the BFI on the South Bank in July 2019. "Cillian apparently, and I can't remember which season, the props guys reckoned about a thousand."
But she clarified by saying: "But no actors were killed in the making of Peaky Blinders. We don't inhale." Phew! That would seriously be a lot of cigarettes to inhale...

How many seasons of 'Peaky Blinders' are there?​

So far, there have been five seasons of Peaky Blinders. The Netflix show kicked off its first season back in 2013, and the show's fifth season is currently airing on the streaming service and has been since September. Each episode contains six episodes, so there have been 30 episodes of the show so far, and yes, it is binge-worthy.
Now, fans are looking ahead for a Season 6, which show's creator, Steven Knight, recently teased. "I've just finished writing series six and it's the best yet," he told BBC in a January 2020 interview. "But we always say that." We can't wait!
See it’s not just me. The star of the show thinks it’s a large number…
 
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Grant Green

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See it’s not just me. The star of the show thinks it’s a large number…
Maybe because he has to smoke (but not inhale them), not because it is not authentic to the period.

“People did smoke all day [back then] and it just became a Tommy thing,” Cillian explained of his character’s habit.
 

Midnighter

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Helen McCrory (RIP).

 

Quint526

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I love the f bombs, and especially love the brits use of the C word
Oh yeah….The Brits use the C word like we use jerk or a$$hole. It’s nonstop.
 

Sword52

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Oct 29, 2021
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I love Peaky Blinders. Yes I wondered about that much smoking. But as said earlier times were different. Thankfully smoking has been taboo in public now.

Most WW2 vets did smoke as mentioned. My dad a Navy vet did not.

Yes they smoke heavily on Peaky Blinders. Have you never watched TCM? Check out movies from the 1930s, 40s 50s. TCM Is great too.

Also I was going to say use the close caption. I have grown used to depending on it for hard to follow dialog. I love using it for the 1930s Popeye cartoons with all the clever muttering Popeye uses and Bluto too.
 
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step.eng69

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I couldn't resist posting this....I see my favorite Lucky Strike in the display

Cigarettes bought from a hospital bed in the 1950s​

Prior to the Surgeon General’s message connecting tobacco use to a variety of illnesses, the medical community did not consider smoking to be a bad. In fact, it was considered to soothe a worried person, suppress appetites, and generally be beneficial.
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As absurd and counter-productive as it may seem, hospital patients could purchase packs from their hospital beds during this time. They could even use them in their hospital rooms if they wanted to!
 

Woodpecker

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I couldn't resist posting this....I see my favorite Lucky Strike in the display

Cigarettes bought from a hospital bed in the 1950s​

Prior to the Surgeon General’s message connecting tobacco use to a variety of illnesses, the medical community did not consider smoking to be a bad. In fact, it was considered to soothe a worried person, suppress appetites, and generally be beneficial.
Advertisement



As absurd and counter-productive as it may seem, hospital patients could purchase packs from their hospital beds during this time. They could even use them in their hospital rooms if they wanted to!
Just drumming up more business
 
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Midnighter

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well poo according to the web site the BBC only works in the UK, and the BBC on my cable is not the showing it either

Netflix will air after the season ends in the UK - so sometime after April 4th.
 

TheBigUglies

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Oct 26, 2021
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Funny seeing this thread today. I found myself watching War Games again over the weekend. Picked up on some things I never noticed before. Barry Corbin, who played the General(one of the main characters), keeps stuffing Red Man in his mouth frequently.
 
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