Peaky Blinders denounces Ron DeSantis video of Tommy Shelby footage
The video was branded "divisive and desperate" even by his fellow Republicans.
The team behind BBC drama Peaky Blinders has denounced the Ron DeSantis presidential campaign for sharing a video using unauthorised clips from the show.
A clip, originally posted by a separate Twitter account, was shared from a DeSantis campaign account at the end of Pride Month, depicting former president Donald Trump – the main rival to DeSantis – as soft on the LGBTQ+ community and contrasting Trump against DeSantis, whose policies include Florida's controversial 'Don't Say Gay' bill.
In this latter part of the video, clips of DeSantis and his media coverage are mixed with shots from famous films and TV shows, including characters such as Achilles in Troy, Patrick Bateman in American Psycho, Jordan Belfort in The Wolf of Wall Street, and Tommy Shelby in Peaky Blinders.
It's not obvious what relevance these figures have to the point that the DeSantis campaign is trying to make, nor is it clear why he and his team would want to be associated with this controversial mix of characters.
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Now, the creators behind Peaky Blinders have made their position clear, stating that the DeSantis supporters did not have "permission or official licence" to use the footage in the video.
A statement reads: "On behalf of the partners of Peaky Blinders – [show creator] Steven Knight, Cillian Murphy, Caryn Mandabach Productions, Tiger Aspect Productions, and Banijay Rights – we confirm the footage of Tommy Shelby's character used within the video posted by Ron DeDantis' campaign was obtained without permission or official license.
"We do not support nor endorse the video's narrative and strongly disapprove of the use of the content in this manner."
The video has faced criticism from both sides of American politics, with Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg, who is gay, noting "the strangeness of trying to prove your manhood by putting up a video that splices images of you in between oiled-up, shirtless bodybuilders” (via CNN).
Meanwhile, an LGBTQ+ group called the Log Cabin Republicans described the video as "divisive and desperate", adding that this line of campaigning has "alienated swing-state and younger voters".
DeSantis has stood by the video, saying his argument was "fair game" in an interview with conservative commentator Tomi Lahren (via NBC News).
The next presidential election is expected to take place in November 2024, with DeSantis and Trump being the most prominent Republican candidates at the time of writing. Current president Joe Biden plans to run again for the Democrats.
Peaky Blinders is available to stream on BBC iPlayer. Check out more of our Drama coverage or visit our TV Guide and Streaming Guide to find out what's on.
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Authors
David Craig is the Senior Drama Writer for Radio Times, covering the latest and greatest scripted drama and comedy across television and streaming. Previously, he worked at Starburst Magazine, presented The Winter King Podcast for ITVX and studied Journalism at the University of Sheffield.
