Peaky Blinders season 3: Cillian Murphy heard David Bowie was a fan, so sent him Tommy Shelby's flat cap

'We were friends and I sent him the cap from the first series as a Christmas present'

David Bowie in 1978 (Rex)

One of Peaky Blinders biggest fans was David Bowie: show creator Steven Knight previously revealed the music icon was such a huge fan he once cosplayed as a Shelby and sent the photo to Cillian Murphy.

Bowie wasn’t wearing just any old flat cap though; that was the one Murphy wore in the show: “We were friends and I sent him the cap from the first series as a Christmas present,” the actor told the Birmingham Mail.

“He was a very sweet man and a genuine fan of Peaky Blinders, and I was a huge, huge David Bowie fan. He was very private and probably wouldn’t like all this fuss. It’s sad, isn’t it?”

In the same interview, Steven Knight added: “We all grew up with David Bowie and he’s a hero. It’s a major thing that someone like that was a fan of the show. He said he wanted his music to be part of it, but at the time I didn’t know it was his dying wish.”

Knight had previously revealed how Bowie sent him a copy of Blackstar a week early so the songs could be considered for season three of the show.

Peaky Blinders returns tonight on BBC Two.