The Henderson Challenge - S3-E2
Revealing mistake: Throughout the scenes filmed in Covent Garden and Chinatown, you can see members of the public staring at Danny and Stacey when they realise filming is happening. (00:27:41)
The Henderson Challenge - S3-E2
Continuity mistake: Albert puts the final £1 coin on top of a stack of banknotes. However, in following shots, the coin has disappeared from the stack. (00:51:25)
The Henderson Challenge - S3-E2
Factual error: Mickey and Danny walk to their local shop to buy ice. We see that the shop is Robis, which is at 106 Brick Lane, in E1. They even show the street name sign just so we can be certain. Mickey and Danny deliver the ice to their flat, which is in the street directly opposite the shop - the camera shows them going into the building. However, a few shots later, the whole crew meet on the roof of the building to discuss The Henderson Challenge. We see that this building overlooks the north side of the river, close to Tower Bridge. We get a clear view of the Greater London Authority building which is on the opposite, south bank. They are suddenly several kilometers from Brick Lane, which is where their flat was just shown as being.
The Henderson Challenge - S3-E2
Continuity mistake: Albert tricks Eddie into having a large "X" drawn on his forehead in permanent marker when they're sitting in the bar. Shortly afterwards, when they're in the flat waiting for the crew to arrive, it's completely vanished with no trace of ink left. There's no way Eddie could have scrubbed it all off and left no trace—permanent marker takes a couple of days to fade completely from skin, even with regular washing.
Suggested correction: There are solvents that would remove the mark in seconds. A bar owner would keep them in stock in order to deal with graffiti.
Factual error: In the flashback scene to Whittaker senior's trial at the Old Bailey (which takes place in the late 19th or early 20th century), the judge in the trial is wearing a long, full-bottomed wig. This is completely incorrect - since the late 18th century, full-bottomed wigs have only been worn by judges on ceremonial occasions, not in court. At trials, judges wear short wigs instead. (00:05:17)
The Hustlers News of the Day - S3-E5
Factual error: They plant Albert's hair on a brush used by the Queen Mother in order to have a DNA sample taken from it match that taken from a hair plucked out of his head by Francis Owen, their mark. The Queen Mother's (non-existent) son would not have the same DNA as her. It could be used to establish a biological relationship but it would not be identical - it could not be. First, Albert's DNA is identifiable as that of a male. The lab testing the sample supposed to be the Queen Mother's would see that immediately. Second, a son's DNA is not identical to either of his parents or his siblings (if any) - it is at least 50% different. Any lab worth their fee would realise in a second that the two samples were from the same person. Another problem - Owen plucks the hair from Albert's head and Stacie handles the hair from Albert she plants on the hairbrush with bare fingers, in both cases hopelessly contaminating the samples with their DNA. The tests really are that sensitive.
The Hustlers News of the Day - S3-E5
Factual error: The laboratory technician uses a bog standard light microscope to match the two DNA samples, one from Albert and one allegedly from the Queen Mother. That's absurd. DNA samples are compared using a procedure known as SDS-PAGE, otherwise known as gel electrophoresis. This produces the familiar chart we know as DNA "fingerprints" - bands of light and dark showing the composition of a DNA sample which has been broken up by enzymes. You cannot examine DNA with a light microscope - you couldn't even do it with a scanning electron microscope.
Continuity mistake: Stacie is calling an ambulance, holding the phone in her right hand. In the following shot, the phone is in her left hand. (00:03:45)
Continuity mistake: When Danny shoots Mickey, you can see Stacey's handbag is on the back of a chair. However, in subsequent shots it is now on the bar, even though Stacey doesn't go anywhere near the chair to get it.
As One Flew Out of the Cuckoo's Nest, One Flew In - S4-E1
Character mistake: Near the end of the episode Danny refers to the money they have stolen, saying "Stacie is sitting next to half a million big ones." Anyone familiar with grifter slang knows a "big one" is a thousand dollars (or pounds, etc.) - certainly Danny Blue would know that. He just said that they have half a billion dollars in their hands. Not a mistake Danny Blue would make.
Getting Even - S4-E3
Factual error: Ash gives Albert a slip of paper with Lily's home address, including a postcode of WC2E. That postcode is in Central London, but the house Albert then goes to is somewhere far more suburban, a long way from WC2. (00:50:21 - 00:55:22)
Getting Even - S4-E3
Plot hole: At the end of the episode, having conned Veronica Powell out of £600,000 - the purchase price of the house and contents they sold her - Danny taunts her by telling her that they did nothing wrong, implying that she has no legal recourse to recovering her money. He's wrong. One of the gang, Billy Bond, bids against her in the auction for the house, boosting her bid from £220,000 to her final offer of £600,000. Bond has no money and no access to any, and no assets that could be realised to cover the bids he made, something that would be easy for a lawyer to prove. It's called shill bidding and it is very illegal indeed. Since Bond and Ash Morgan (who gave Powell false information during the auction, spurring her on to bid against Bond) are both standing next to Danny when he makes his announcement I find it hard to believe that a shrewd, hard-hearted businesswoman like her would not realise that she had been conned and would not get her lawyers and the police on the case on the spot.
Getting Even - S4-E3
Character mistake: Albert tells Ash that during his service in the UK with the U.S. Air Force he was required to join a squad flying back to the United States in a "B29 Fortress." The B29 Superfortress was not used in the European theatre during World War 2 - it was used exclusively in the war against Japan in the Pacific. The B17 Flying Fortress was a different aircraft. Anybody in the US Air Force at the time would know the difference, and it is not a mistake a veteran would make.
Continuity mistake: Shiro cuts Stacey's right cheek with his sword, drawing blood. However, in subsequent shots, Stacey's cheek is completely unmarked, and there is no sign of any cut or blood. (00:32:46 - 00:33:58)
Continuity mistake: In the dream sequence, Danny karate-kicks Shiro in the chest, knocking him backwards. You'd expect Shiro to land on his back if he's kicked in the chest and is falling backwards. However, in the next shot, he somehow lands on his stomach instead.
Factual error: The guys supposedly stole $5million. The largest US bill is $100. This means there would be 50,000 bills. $5million weighs 110lb. They would not have got that into a guitar case, far less Albert being able to carry it that easily.
Return of the Prodigal - S5-E1
Plot hole: Mickey Bricks returns to England by stealing the uniform of a Commander Cardwell, an officer in the Royal Navy, and taking his place on board an aircraft carrier that is sailing from Australia to the UK, leaving that day, a voyage that would take three to four weeks. During that time, Cardwell does not report his uniform stolen, nor does he report to the aircraft carrier to take up his duties, and since there was a car waiting to take him to the ship he is obviously supposed to be there. Theft of a military uniform is taken extremely seriously and once reported it would take no time at all to establish that "Cardwell" appears to be on board his ship! On top of that, during his entire time at sea nobody on board calls upon Mickey to perform any sort of military duties (of which he would have absolutely no knowledge), he doesn't run into anyone who knows Cardwell, and nobody asks to see his orders, military identification or travel warrant.
Return of the Prodigal - S5-E1
Factual error: Morgan attaches explosive blood bags to Emma and Sean in order to fool Neil Ryder into thinking he has killed them. He attaches them to their skin, covering them with a single layer of clothing. When they go off, they are going to hurt. Emma and Sean would be badly bruised, and after they have finished playing possum, they would be in agony, but they show no effects at all. He cannot be using a reduced charge in the bags, or they wouldn't have enough strength to punch a hole in their clothes.
Return of the Prodigal - S5-E1
Factual error: There is absolutely no way prison visitors would be allowed into the cell of the prisoner they are visiting - they would not even be allowed into any part of the prison except for the visiting room. This is nothing to do with the guards going easy on Albert - they would be sacked on the spot for such a blatant and highly visible breach of prison rules.
Return of the Prodigal - S5-E1
Plot hole: Emma Kennedy gets into the morgue and coroner's office when she is wheeled in on a gurney sealed in a body bag. Mickey distracts the morgue attendant so she can get out of the bag and go to the coroner's filing room. All well and good, but what happens when the attendant goes back into the morgue after Mickey leaves and sees the empty body bag on the gurney? There is no indication that Emma gets back into the body bag and there is no reason for her to do so.
