The producers of the series Peaky Blinders are accused of endangering the members of the film crew of the series, by not reporting a person who tested positive for Covid-19. They are the subject of an investigation by a film, television and entertainment union.
Bad news for Peaky Blinders fans who are already (very) impatiently awaiting the release of season 6. Following the denunciation of members of the team accusing the production of the series of having continued shooting then that they were aware that a person had tested positive for coronavirus , filming has been temporarily suspended.
Already delayed last March by containment measures, the filming of the final season of the series could not resume until January 2021. The broadcast in France is scheduled for the beginning of the year 2022, but it n It cannot be ruled out that the accumulated contingencies will slightly delay our reunion with Thomas Shelby and his family in Birmingham in the heart of Europe in the 1930s.
Indeed, the filming was temporarily suspended over the past week following the discovery of a positive test for Covid-19. According to technicians on set, the shooting would have continued several hours after the discovery of the positive test. The filming would have continued in this way until another member of the team discovered the test and decided to suspend it. If it resumed on April 29, technicians accuse the production of having knowingly took the risk of endangering the teams , while not respecting the anti-Covid health protocol.
But the production has another version, as reported by the Guardian. A spokesperson said the suspension took place following the "false positive" of a team member. "Peaky Blinders filming has been halted because a false positive test a team member. In accordance with the protocol, this person submitted to an NHS test (the public health system of the United Kingdom, editor’s note) and all the people who were in contact with him isolated themselves (…) The NHS test came back negative and filming resumed on Thursday."
If after carrying out a second test, the first did indeed turn out to be a false positive, an investigation by the Broadcasting Entertainment Communications and Theater Union (BECTU), a trade union, was opened on Sunday May 2 following these accusations. .
"Safety protocols are in place to create a safe working environment for cast and crew. In fact, the production should have notify everyone immediately and stop filming . Otherwise, such an error could have led to the spread of the virus ", acknowledged spokesperson Spencer MacDonald.
According to The Guardian, the investigation could have consequences for the insurance of the program co-produced by Caryn Mandabach Productions and Tiger Aspect. In the meantime, more fear than harm, filming was able to resume. But perhaps not without consequence. Some members would have expressed their desire to no longer work with the film crew of the cult series.