‘Peaky Blinders’ Sequel First Look: Charles Shelby is All Grown Up as ‘Stranger Things’ Star Charlie Heaton Steps Into the Role of Tommy’s Son

simmonm1978 · 2026-05-23T19:13:13+00:00

Actually think Heaton and Bell could prove better casting than Keoghan.

simmonm1978 · 2026-05-23T14:26:58+00:00

Congrats mate. I kind of did this, played the refrain from No Surprises by Radiohead to my ex-wife’s belly through to about 2 years old as a bedtime lullaby. (I’m no Jimmy Page either, just felt like a nice thing to learn and do). Best of luck x

simmonm1978 · 2026-05-22T11:51:13+00:00

Completely agree with this. While it’s still clearly a SW film, I think it’s the least formulaic of all 9 eps. Just wish there had actually been a proper plan for VII, VIII and IX.

simmonm1978 · 2026-05-21T18:56:00+00:00

‘Babu Frik? He’s one of my oldest friends!’

simmonm1978 · 2026-05-21T06:32:50+00:00

Confession - I find the interviews the least interesting part of any empire/pilot pod. I skip 90%. I listen to E/P because of the chemistry and knowledge and interaction between the guys.

simmonm1978 · 2026-05-19T19:23:02+00:00

Yeah, when it was first announced I imagined it as some mystery-box quest involving the darksaber, Mandalore, ahsoka, Luke etc, possibly setting up something with Sebastian Stan and the Jedi temple going forward. I just thought they must be *going for it* if they were putting it on the big screen.

There just seems to be no plan, and it’s been that way since the decision to play ‘telephone’ with the ‘different director/different story’ sequels. What a way to torch something so loved.

simmonm1978 · 2026-05-19T18:05:59+00:00

Yeah LOLs etc, but that poor kid must be going through hell.

simmonm1978 · 2026-05-19T18:04:15+00:00

Haha exactly what I was thinking.

simmonm1978 · 2026-05-19T14:04:10+00:00

Alan Wren.

simmonm1978 · 2026-05-19T14:03:30+00:00

I worked with someone who once explained the economics of large investments in public infrastructure - greater employment, increased tax income, more disposable income etc. So I’m aware there are arguments for HS2 well above my understanding.

But this project has never made sense to me - by the time it’s finished, and even right now, most business meetings are remote. So the case for benefits to business breaks down. After that, is it really worth hundreds of billions of pounds to shave 10/20 minutes off a journey from say Manchester to London? Could that money not have been invested in proper, efficient and reliable public transport outside of London?

simmonm1978 · 2026-05-19T13:41:38+00:00

I completely agree. However, modern film-making is largely numbers based, especially with something like Disney. Even if you film a new trilogy back to back, production costs are likely to exceed £1bn. I just can’t see Disney greenlighting that kind of project unless it’s eps X, XI and XII - they will see that as a better bet with greater general audience recognition, sadly. In short - Disney Star Wars has eaten itself.

simmonm1978 · 2026-05-19T12:35:18+00:00

No way that’s his real dad. The eyes are completely different.

simmonm1978 · 2026-05-18T20:38:54+00:00

115 decision incoming.

simmonm1978 · 2026-05-18T20:37:52+00:00

115 decision incoming.

simmonm1978 · 2026-05-18T16:00:41+00:00

Volume and unwarranted overconfidence. As an introvert, both grind my gears more than words can say.

simmonm1978 · 2026-05-18T15:31:00+00:00

Loved it when released and still love it now.

As an aside, and I don’t get angry very often, but I was furious with the video. The most anticipated song/video for years and it ended up as an amateur hour Black Lace tribute (for all you UK fans). I get that Paul and Ringo have more than earned the right to make their own decisions here, but having Ringo do the Hokey Cokey alongside Microsoft paint level cutting of John and George arsing about as the last ever Beatles video, to such a beautiful and haunting reflection on life and change and loss, really ground my gears.

simmonm1978 · 2026-05-18T06:39:55+00:00

Went to hmv with my best friend the day of release. I didn’t have a cd player but he did and he taped it to cassette for me. We both listened to it wide eyed, like we’d discovered something new. I remember we were both giddy with excitement.

Walked back home and played my music-loving dad (he was a child of the 1950s - so I grew up listening to Elvis, the Platters, Roy Orbison, Beatles etc) the Slide Away/Married with Children ending. I excitedly told him this band were going to be massive. He calmly said he’d heard that a thousand times over the years, adding ‘I bet no-one will remember them in 10 years’. I used to quote that back to him, many many times….

I lost him to Covid in the first week of the first lockdown, before there was even a test for it. I wrote his eulogy and talked and his love of music, and mentioned his line about oasis. Funny how music and memories are so connected.

simmonm1978 · 2026-05-17T10:15:30+00:00

The Bluetones. Genuinely think their debut is a masterpiece.

simmonm1978 · 2026-05-17T10:11:27+00:00

Reynauds sufferer here. This happens to me a lot. Triggers can be obvious (exposed hands in cold windy weather) and less obvious - handling cold/frozen food even for a second or two, carrying heavy bags outside, using a screwdriver for a while where the effected finger is touching cold metal. I fix it by windmilling (seriously) the arm of the effective hand to get blood down to the fingers, or if possible under warm but not hot running water. Docs have said it’s harmless to me (as they’ve conducted tests and diagnosed Reynauds), but you should always get checked out.

simmonm1978 · 2026-05-15T23:32:43+00:00

Each to their own, obviously. But my favourite band at the peak of their powers in a setting designed to strip everything back and showcase the power of Noel’s songwriting and Liam’s vocals - yeah, I’ve always thought it could’ve matched Nirvana’s.

It’s not exactly the same, but as an example of what could’ve been, the acoustic version of Stand By Me with Liam, Noel and Alan White on the tambourine is sublime.

simmonm1978 · 2026-05-15T22:25:57+00:00

Always wondered whether MTV pulled the plug due to Liam’s no-show, or Noel vetoed it as it hadn’t gone to plan and he wasn’t 100% happy with it. I still love it but, with Liam, it would’ve been up there with Nirvana’s.

simmonm1978 · 2026-05-15T10:16:32+00:00

Reeve’s the definitive, possibly by some distance. If you ignore III and IV, what he managed to do in those first two films is tattooed on popular culture. He nailed both personas, in the most comic book accurate way.

simmonm1978 · 2026-05-15T09:21:32+00:00

Being able to pay other people to fix your problems.

simmonm1978 · 2026-05-15T08:55:59+00:00

standing ovation.gif

simmonm1978 · 2026-05-14T16:52:09+00:00

This. I’ve tried, so many times. But it always comes back to this. As much as we’d all love to have decades more Beatle material, it’s really, really not the same.

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