Friday 28 October 2016

My Son could be a Tommy Shelby Look Alike

Everybody says my son looks like Cillian Murphy who plays Tommy Shelby in the hit BBC series Peaky Blinders. He does have the same high cheekbones, similar eyes and mouth and when wearing a cap you can really see the likeness.  I think he could easily pass as a Tommy Shelby look alike if he was dressed in the full gear and clean shaven.

Below are some pictures of my son Shannon:





Shannon Clayton - Tommy Shelby Lookalike


Shannon Clayton - Tommy Shelby Lookalike

Tommy Shelby - Cillian Murphy - Peaky Blinders

Tommy Shelby - Cillian Murphy - Peaky Blinders

For those that haven't see the series you are missing a treat. It is crime drama based on the Peaky Blinders gang who operated in  Birmingham, England in the late 1800s. The TV series though is set in 1919 just after the First World War.  The drama is based around the gangs leader Tommy Shelby who is played by Irish actor Cillian Murphy.  He is a real lovable rogue and natural leader.  Ruthless and ambitious he is the most feared Peaky Blinder. He is very much a family man and determined to make their lives better.  The character was a former soldier who fought in the Battle of Verdun and the Battle of Somme and whom received a number of medals of honour after the war. The war left him with ongoing nightmares and the determination to make a better life for himself and his family.

The first series was shown on  BBC Two on 13 September 2013 and ran for six episodes. The second series started on 2 October 2014. We had to wait a little longer for the third series as it was premiered on 5 May this year.

It was written by Steven Knight who came up with the idea years ago.  It is based on stories told to him by his parent who grew up in Small Heath in Birmingham. Lots of people believe the name 'Peaky Blinders' derived from the gang sticking razor blades into their flat caps to use as weapons.  This can be seen in the TV series but in reality that probably wasn't the case.  In reality the real peaky blinders were causing mayhem around the 1890's when razor blades were a luxury and expensive item according to historians.

The filming of the drama was carried out in Manchester, Leeds, some at the Black Country Living Museum but mainly in Liverpool. The street where the Shelby family lived was actually the street where the Beatles Ringo Star grew up in.  You can see the street and other location on this Peaky Blinders Location tour here.

I wont go into the series details and give spoilers but the show was an overnight success so well worth a watch.  I normally hate anything gangster related, but I loved this show, not just because everyone kept saying my son looks like Tommy.  However that was the reason I got interested in it.  You can watch series 1-3 on NetFlix or you can buy the series on DVD or Blue-Ray from the BBC website here. Earlier in the year it was revealed that the BBC have commissioned two more seasons and Cillian Murphy told the Birmingham mail that he thinks they start shooting the next series in March 2017.  This means we should get to see series 4 around October of the same year.  Cant wait.

Any lookalike agents wanting to get in touch with my son Shannon, or event organisers please get in touch with me on 07813 257386.

Since writing this post he has done some work. Read this post here.. 19th March 2018

I am also in the process of setting up a website.: www.tommyshelby.com

1 comment:

Sam Walko said...

Is your son single? ^_^ Handsome boy! IG: sammwalko