Necrothesp

10th Apr 2020

World on Fire (2019)

Show generally

Factual error: Tom joins the Royal Navy after the outbreak of war. He then mysteriously ends up on HMS Exeter during the Battle of the River Plate. In fact, Exeter was already in the South Atlantic at the outbreak of war and the battle occurred only three months later. There is no way that Tom could have completed training and ended up in the South Atlantic so quickly.

Necrothesp

Factual error: Victoria is referred to throughout the film as a 'state'. Since Australia did not exist as a unified country until 1901, there were no states at the time. Each was a separate 'colony' and would have been referred to as such.

Necrothesp

Factual error: All four members of the Kelly gang wore helmets and armour in the final shootout, with long oilskin coats over the top.

Necrothesp

Factual error: As well as the sergeant's stripes on his cuff, Sergeant O'Neil wears three pips on his epaulettes, which would indicate a much more senior rank and would not be worn together with the stripes.

Necrothesp

Factual error: The film depicts a clash between the 'Irish' Kelly gang and the 'English' police. Constable Fitzpatrick is depicted as an upper-class Englishman (and describes himself as British). In reality, Fitzpatrick and most of the other policemen who came into contact with the gang were as Irish as the Kellys.

Necrothesp

Show generally

Factual error: George Wigg MP wears an RAF tie. Wigg served in the Royal Tank Corps and the Army Educational Corps, but he was never in the RAF. Few men would wear a regimental tie to which they weren't entitled, least of all someone in the public eye, where it would be immediately picked up and ridiculed. Especially given this is set only 17 years after the war (and only just after compulsory National Service ended) at a time when most men were entitled to wear some sort of regimental tie and recognised fellow veterans by the design of their tie.

Necrothesp

9th Oct 2019

A Confession (2019)

Show generally

Factual error: When Detective Superintendent Fulcher takes the oath in the first trial he ends with "So help me God." This phrase is not used in British courts.

Necrothesp

9th Oct 2019

A Confession (2019)

9th Oct 2019

A Confession (2019)

Show generally

Factual error: Detective Chief Superintendent Kier Pritchard wears silver tabs on his uniform collar. These are only worn by Assistant Chief Constables and above. Detectives almost never wear uniform in any case.

Necrothesp

9th Oct 2019

A Confession (2019)

9th Oct 2019

A Confession (2019)

Show generally

Factual error: Almost none of the senior police officers wear the correct medal ribbons. Brian Moore and Pat Geenty wear the Order of the British Empire, which neither had. Geenty wears the General Service Medal, for military service in Northern Ireland, although he was never in the armed forces. Moore does not wear the Queen's Police Medal, which he was awarded in 2009. Both wear the Diamond Jubilee Medal in 2011, although it was not awarded until 2012. Andy Parker wears an unidentified ribbon (possibly intended to be the Queen's Police Medal, which he was awarded in 2010, but looking nothing like it) and the Golden Jubilee Medal, but does not wear the Diamond Jubilee Medal or the Police Long Service and Good Conduct Medal to which he was also entitled. Mike Veale and Ray Hayward wear no medal ribbons at all, although both would be entitled to the Golden Jubilee Medal and Police Long Service and Good Conduct Medal (and Veale also to the Diamond Jubilee Medal after 2012).

Necrothesp

8th Oct 2019

Peaky Blinders (2013)

Season 5 generally

Factual error: The fact Colonel Younger is black and this may be an issue socially is implied several times (meaning the series acknowledges his ethnicity), but it never seems to be seen as surprising that a black man is a colonel in the British Army in the first place. While there were a small handful of mixed-race junior officers in the army in the First World War, there were no post-war black regular officers (it was actually against regulations at the time) and no black officer would hold such a senior rank until long after the Second World War.

Necrothesp

8th Oct 2019

Peaky Blinders (2013)

Season 5 generally

Factual error: Mosley is portrayed as forming the British Union of Fascists in 1929 or 1930. In fact, he formed the New Party in 1931. The party failed to win any seats in the 1931 general election (with Mosley himself losing his seat) and Mosley then formed the British Union of Fascists in 1932.

Necrothesp

8th Oct 2019

Peaky Blinders (2013)

Black Tuesday - S5-E1

Factual error: In the House of Commons, Tommy refers to an unseen Tory MP as "My Right Honourable Friend" and as "the member for Epping." The former address is only used for Privy Councillors of the speaker's own party (Tommy is a Labour MP); MPs of other parties would be "the Right Honourable Gentleman." Winston Churchill was MP for Epping at the time and Tommy's secretary later says Churchill is in America, so he can't possibly be addressing the member for Epping.

Necrothesp

7th Oct 2019

Peaky Blinders (2013)

Season 4 generally

Factual error: Jessie Eden is described as a shop steward. A shop steward is the senior part-time trade union official in a particular workshop or department, who also has an ordinary job in that shop. Jessie appears to be a full-time official and covers a number of factories. She would actually be referred to as a trade union organiser.

Necrothesp

7th Oct 2019

Peaky Blinders (2013)

Episode #3.6 - S3-E6

Factual error: Tommy says that the Chief Constable of Birmingham has issued a warrant for the arrest of Arthur, John, Polly and Michael. Only a magistrate or judge can issue an arrest warrant. The senior officers of the Metropolitan Police were sworn in as magistrates, but not those of other forces.

Necrothesp

7th Oct 2019

Peaky Blinders (2013)

Episode #3.4 - S3-E4

Factual error: John says that he has found plans in the British Library. It was only renamed the British Library in 1973. Before that it was called the British Museum Library (or commonly just the British Museum) and nobody called it the British Library.

Necrothesp

7th Oct 2019

Peaky Blinders (2013)

Episode #2.2 - S2-E2

Factual error: Tommy's service record quoted by Churchill says that he served throughout the war with the Warwickshire Yeomanry. But we already know that he was a tunneller on the Western Front. The Warwickshire Yeomanry was a cavalry regiment (which actually served in Egypt, Gallipoli and Palestine and finally as a machine-gun battalion on the Western Front at the very end of the war). All tunnellers served with the Royal Engineers.

Necrothesp

7th Oct 2019

Peaky Blinders (2013)

Show generally

Factual error: In series 1, Sergeant Moss says he and most of his men served in the First World War, but none of them wear any medal ribbons. In series 2, Moss has suddenly acquired three medal ribbons, but they seem to be made-up and are not relevant to the First World War. From series 3, Moss is wearing the correct three service ribbons for the First World War.

Necrothesp

Join the mailing list

Separate from membership, this is to get updates about mistakes in recent releases. Addresses are not passed on to any third party, and are used solely for direct communication from this site. You can unsubscribe at any time.

Check out the mistake & trivia books, on Kindle and in paperback.