You’ve seen the edits on TikTok. The slow-motion walks through industrial Birmingham, the heavy coats, the razor-blade caps, and Cillian Murphy’s hauntingly blue eyes. It’s been years since the show first aired on the BBC, yet the obsession hasn't cooled down. If anything, it’s heating up again because Steven Knight finally confirmed that the Shelby story isn't over. A feature film is officially in the works at Netflix. If you’re late to the party, you’re probably wondering how to watch Peaky Blinders before the cinematic finale drops and spoils everything for you.
It’s a bit of a maze depending on where you live. Rights shift. Licenses expire.
The main stage for the Shelby clan
Netflix is the undisputed king here. For almost everyone outside of the UK, Netflix is the exclusive home of all six seasons. They didn't just buy the rights; they basically turned the show into a global phenomenon. You get the full 36 episodes. Each one is about an hour long, though some of the finales stretch a bit further.
If you are in the United States, Canada, or Australia, you just log in and search. It’s there. But there’s a catch.
The music.
Music is everything in this show. The "Red Right Hand" theme song by Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds sets the tone perfectly. However, because of complex licensing deals, some viewers have noted that certain tracks in the earlier seasons were occasionally swapped or edited depending on the region and the year of broadcast. Usually, the Netflix version keeps the "vibe" intact, but purists sometimes argue that the original BBC broadcast experience is the only way to go.
The British home of the Brummie boys
Honestly, if you can access it, BBC iPlayer is the gold standard for how to watch Peaky Blinders. Why? Because it’s the show’s literal birthplace. Every episode is available for free to UK license fee payers.
The quality is crisp. The subtitles are actually accurate to the thick Brummie and Irish accents—which, let’s be real, you’re going to need for some of Tom Hardy’s Alfie Solomons monologues. Hardy mumbles with a brilliance that requires either superhuman hearing or a "Closed Captioning" button.
What about physical media?
Don't sleep on Blu-rays.
Streaming services are fickle. One day a show is there, the next it’s "undergoing a rights transition" and disappears for six months. For a show as visually stunning as this—shot by directors of photography like George Steel and Simon Dennis—the bit-rate on a physical disc is just better. You see the grime on the streets of Small Heath and the smoke from Tommy’s endless cigarettes in much higher detail than a compressed 4K stream can offer.
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Is it available on Amazon or Apple?
Yes, but it’ll cost you.
If you don't want a Netflix subscription, you can buy individual seasons or episodes on Amazon Prime Video, Apple TV, or the Google Play Store. It’s usually about $2 to $3 an episode. This is a terrible deal if you plan on bingeing the whole thing, but it’s a solid backup if you only need to catch up on Season 6 before the movie comes out.
Why the timing matters right now
We are in a weird limbo.
The show "ended" with Season 6 in 2022. But Steven Knight, the creator, has been very vocal about the fact that the story was always meant to end with the first air raid siren of World War II. We haven't reached that yet. Production on the Peaky Blinders movie started recently, with Cillian Murphy returning as Thomas Shelby. Barry Keoghan and Rebecca Ferguson have also joined the cast.
If you start now, you have plenty of time to digest the complex political weaving of the later seasons. The show moves from simple street gang wars to high-level dealings with Winston Churchill and Oswald Mosley. It gets dense.
Common misconceptions about the watch order
Some people think they can skip the first season because it’s "slow." Don't do that. You’ll miss the foundation of Tommy’s PTSD from the trenches of WWI. The show isn't just about crime; it's about the psychological damage of the war.
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- Season 1: The struggle for the stolen government guns.
- Season 2: Moving into London and the clash with Darby Sabini.
- Season 3: Russian aristocrats and international conspiracies.
- Season 4: The vendetta with the New York Mafia (Luca Changretta).
- Season 5: The financial crash and the rise of fascism.
- Season 6: The personal toll and the looming shadow of the next war.
Practical steps for your binge-watch
Start with Season 1, Episode 1. Give it two episodes. The first ten minutes are stylish, but the plot takes a second to kick in. Use a good pair of headphones or a solid soundbar because the soundtrack features PJ Harvey, Radiohead, and The White Stripes. It’s a rock-and-roll period piece.
Check your local listings for BBC First if you are in Europe or parts of Asia, as they often run marathons. If you're on Netflix, make sure your plan supports "Ultra HD" because the cinematography in the final two seasons is genuinely some of the best in television history.
Once you finish the 36th episode, keep an eye on official Netflix social channels. The movie is the next logical step, and it will likely be a global release. You don't want to be the one person trying to figure out how to watch Peaky Blinders when the entire internet is talking about the fate of Arthur and Tommy Shelby in 1939.
Get your coat. Get your cap. Start at the beginning.