Dancing and danger fans, listen up: following its stage premiere at the Birmingham Hippodrome, UK (and subsequent UK tour), Rambert's ground-breaking new ballet, Peaky Blinders: The Redemption of Thomas Shelby will be available to watch at home over the festive period, online and on TV.
You can watch Rambert's Peaky Blinders ballet for FREE in the UK on the BBC iPlayer streaming service. But don't worry if you're on holiday while it's on, because you can watch Rambert's Peaky Blinders: The Redemption of Thomas Shelby on iPlayer from anywhere with a VPN.
Time: 9.25 pm UK / 4.25 pm ET / 1.25 pm PT / 8.25 am AEDT (Tue)
UK: BBC iPlayer (free with TV licence)
US: Rambert Plus
So, Birmingham's notorious Peaky Blinders doing ballet, you say? Yes, and it's been in the pipeline a while: a stage version of the TV series was actually conceived around five years ago, spearheaded by Rambert Dance Company's chief executive, Helen Shute. After getting the show's creator Steven Knight on board, Rambert’s artistic director, Benoit Swan Pouffer, set to work on the choreography – and oh, how Thomas Shelby tears up that stage!
Viewers might remember that, although the connection between dance and Shelby drama might not seem immediately obvious, it actually came to pass in series five. Tommy decides on a whim to stage the ballet Swan Lake as part of a lavish party at his house, which was performed by Rambert dancers.
“Between the music, the dance and what Peaky is became apparent to me then,” said Knight, who of course wrote it all.
Expect guns, expect 1920s glittering bars with beautiful women, expect acrobatic fights in flat caps and, above all, expect menacing swagger.
Use our guide to watch Rambert's Peaky Blinders: The Redemption of Thomas Shelby from anywhere in the world and for free — we've got all the streaming information you'll need below.
How to watch Rambert's Peaky Blinders: The Redemption of Thomas Shelby in the UK
How to watch Peaky Blinders: The Redemption of Thomas Shelby by Rambert in the US
Viewers in the US and the UK can watch behind-the-scenes clips, interviews and rehearsals ahead of the on-screen premiere of Rambert's Peaky Blinders: The Redemption of Thomas Shelby on Rambert Plus – which is free to join.
To live-stream the event, however, you will need to pay a subscription fee of £8.99 (which is around $11.44) per month, but there is a two-week free trial – and it comes with dance classes and plenty of extras, if that's your thing...
How to watch Peaky Blinders: The Redemption of Thomas Shelby by Rambert from anywhere with a VPN
You can watch Peaky Blinders: The Redemption of Thomas Shelby by Rambert on the streaming service above by using a VPN — no matter where you are in the world.
Normally the streaming service would know where you're trying to tune in from and block you if you are not in the right country, but a Virtual Private Network (VPN) is an app that hides your location. That means you can access your usual sports and entertainment services even while you're traveling abroad.
Our favorite VPN is ExpressVPN, which is the No. 1-rated VPN in the world right now according to our sister site, TechRadar where you'll find a deeper reader on the best VPN services available right now.
How to use a VPN to watch any stream
- Download the app at ExpressVPN
- Choose the location of the streaming service you want to watch (UK, US, etc)
- Navigate to the streaming service and start watching!
What is the Peaky Blinders: The Redemption of Thomas Shelby by Rambert release date?
The 1 hour 75 minute performance will air for the first time on BBC4 on New Year’s Day at 9.25pm. It will also be screened in selected UK cinemas in 2024 and will be available to stream on the network's BBC iPlayer website and apps.
All you need to know about Peaky Blinders: The Redemption of Thomas Shelby by Rambert
What is Rambert?
Rambert Dance Company (founded in 1926, at the Lyric Hammersmith Theatre in London, by Marie Rambert) is one of the world's leading contemporary dance companies.
Rambert’s Chief Executive is Helen Shute and Benoit Swan Pouffer is Artistic Director. Rambert is a National Portfolio Organisation of Arts Council England.
The company website reads: "As one of the world’s most diverse companies of dancers, we transform everyday spaces by making dance that is awe-inspiring, adventurous, dynamic, and relevant, and taking it to our neighbourhood, the nation and the world."
What is the cast of Peaky Blinders: The Redemption of Thomas Shelby?
The combined stage and TV team here runs to around 60 people and includes the full company of Rambert dancers: Naya Lovell, Seren Williams, Adel Balint, Aishwarya Raut, Alex Soulliere, Angelique Blasco, Antonello Sangirardi, Archie White, Joseph Kudra, Cali Hollister, Conor Kerrigan, Dylan Tedaldi, Jonathan Wade, Max Day, Musa Motha and Simone Damberg Wurtz.
Roman GianArthur is the composer and music supervisor (the performance uses iconic Peaky Blinders tracks from Nick Cave and The Bad Seeds, Radiohead, Anna Calvi, The Last Shadow Puppets, Frank Carter & The Rattlesnakes and Black Rebel Motorcycle Club), with musicians Yaron Engler, James Douglas, Henry Thomas and The Last Morrell performing onstage.
The late Benjamin Zephaniah lends his voice to tell the story.
Natasha Chivers was the stage show’s lighting designer, Richard Gellar the costume designer and Moi Tran designed the set, which includes a trench around the main stage.
Is Peaky Blinders: The Redemption of Thomas Shelby by Rambert touring in 2024?
It certainly is! From September 13 until November 2, Rambert Dance Company will be touring Peaky Blinders: The Redemption of Thomas Shelby in the UK, commencing at the Aylesbury Waterside Theatre.
The tour then heads to Liverpool, Bristol, Edinburgh and Oxford, before finishing up at the Empire Theatre in Sunderland.
You can book tickets here.
Is this the full Rambert show?
Yes, and more!
Rambert’s hit stage show Peaky Blinders: The Redemption of Thomas Shelby was filmed for TV by North South Productions and the programme also goes behind the scenes to include footage on how the live performance was captured for TV, staying true to both the principles of dance and the TV show's unmatched edginess.
The 1 hour 75 minute performance was written and adapted for the stage by the TV show's British creator, Steven Knight. Our story begins in the Flanders trenches (you may remember those from Thomas Shelby's recurrent nightmares), before following our hero and cohorts in post-war industrial Birmingham.
Yes, Grace is going to show up and yes, hearts will be broken; revenge will be served – mostly cold.
