Peaky Blinders is under investigation over claims the series’ season 6 production breached COVID-19 safety regulations.
According to The Guardian, the series’ producers have been accused of letting production continue despite one staff member testing positive for COVID-19, putting the rest of the crew at risk.
Production on Peaky Blinders‘ sixth season, which began in January, was brought to a halt last week when the staff member tested positive. Though the test ended up being a false positive, producers allegedly let filming continue for hours after the positive result was received until another staff member found out and stopped production. One crew member reportedly said they weren’t aware that someone on set had tested positive.
The Broadcasting, Entertainment, Communications and Theatre Union (BECTU) confirmed to The Guardian it was investigating the allegations.
“The safety protocols are in place to create a safe working environment for cast and crew. Therefore the production should have informed everyone immediately and stopped filming,” national secretary Spencer MacDonald said.
“Otherwise a lapse like this could have contributed towards the spread of the virus. We are currently waiting for the production to respond.”
Responding to the claims, a spokesperson for the show said: “Filming was stood down on Peaky Blinders because of a false positive test result for a member of the crew.
“In line with protocol, this person took an NHS test and anyone who came into contact with them self-isolated – the safety of our team on Peaky Blinders is of paramount importance. The NHS test came back negative and filming resumed on Thursday.”
Peaky Blinders is currently filming its sixth and final season, having resumed production in January after being disrupted by the pandemic.
“The Peaky Blinders production team have developed comprehensive production protocols to ensure that the series will be produced in a safe and responsible manner, and in accordance with government guidelines, during this time of global pandemic,” read a statement published earlier this year.
The series’ cast and crew recently paid their respects to the late actor Helen McCrory, who died from a private battle with cancer last month.
The post ‘Peaky Blinders’ under investigation over alleged breach of COVID-19 safety rules appeared first on NME.
