It's a logical extreme from a man so obsessively industrious — not to mention it's not unheard of for individuals consumed by their work to ignore healthy eating habits. This is probably why both Murphy and Knight decided to keep going with the gag, so all we ever see Tommy consume are cigarettes and alcohol.
If you've ever noticed that Shelby never eats on the show, that's because it was an accidental choice that later turned into an intentional decision. Once fans noticed this quirk, Murphy and Knight decided to turn it into a “Tommy thing,” which added to the character's obsessive industriousness.
He is informed by Doctor Holford (Aneurin Barnard) that he has tuberculoma and has at best, a year and a half to live. He is certain now that his death is imminent.
Mint tastes good, makes your breath smell good, and sometimes it's just nice to have something to chew on. That would be my guess for why Tommy does it. As a gypsy he likely spent a lot of time in the wilderness, and probably grew up running around. In hot weather chewing on mint leaves can be rather refreshing.
“So, throughout the 36 hours of television, Tommy Shelby never consumes anything, except I think, once he consumes a sprig of mint when he's with his son.” The Tommy Shelby star added: “So, these things develop when you have the luxury of being with a character for so long, these little things arise.”
The whiskey that is drunk in Peaky Blinders is the Gallglennie Whiskey. However, this whiskey does not really exist but it was invented by the makers of the series. By the way, the actors do not drink real whiskey during the filming. Instead of whiskey they use tea.
From the beginning, Tommy has struggled with what we now understand as post-traumatic stress disorder, stemming from his time in World War I. In Season 6, he suffers from seizures, with his body reflecting the inner turmoil wrought from fighting at home and abroad.
Cillian Murphy, who plays Tommy, was asked about this very topic during an interview with BBC Radio One. The actor explained: "That comes from the fact that the cigarettes, we cut the filter off or do we leave the filter on I cannot recall, but anyway if you don't rub them across your lips initially, they will stick.
That whisper is the semi-public admission that Tommy is shaking his blood-stained hands with Duke, and expecting him to carry on his dark deeds.
Series 2 · 1922
Sabini introduces himself to Thomas Shelby by having his men beat him to within an inch of his life, then Sabini opens Tommy's mouth and rips out one of his teeth and cuts his cheek.
Thomas Shelby – ENTJ. Our first stop is Tommy Shelby, the leader of the Peaky Blinders. Tommy is an ENTJ. While he may appear socially introverted, he is definitely living in the external world and is a person of action and execution.
The tuberculoma is a rapidly expanding mass on Tommy's brain stem, caused by the same bacterial infection that killed Ruby. It spreads through families, says the doctor, and can be transmitted by a simple kiss.
He had tuberculoma in his brain stem, a growth caused by the same bacteria as the lung disease, doubtless picked up from daughter Ruby (Orla McDonagh). It wasn't infectious but it was inoperable. The symptoms (seizures, dissociation, hallucinations, sharp cheekbones – I may have added the last one) chimed with Tommy's.
Cillian Murphy smoked thousands of cigarettes every season.
Smoking is a big part of most scenes, and all of the cigarettes were real. "I asked the prop guys to count how many we use during a series and it's 3,000," Murphy told BirminghamLive.
Tommy, for all intents and purposes, betrayed his family at the end of series three. Unbeknownst to his family it was more of a tactical move for Tommy that needed to happen as part of his master plan.
DRINK LIKE
As any true fan knows, Tommy Shelby prefers Irish whiskey over all. And if you ordered a pour of Irish at the Garrison when the Shelbys ruled Birmingham, you'd be drinking a Bushmills.
Diana, who was apparently still not certain of Tommy's apparent commitment to the fascist cause, told him: 'It's much harder to lie with your body than with your words,' hinting that he would need to physically prove himself to her in a more intimate fashion.
Arthur is the only Shelby with that information, and he is distraught. With the Peaky Blinders feature film on the way, maybe they can meet again. From one brother to the other, Finn Shelby (Harry Kirton) is banished from the family for his role in bringing a traitor in Billy Grade (Emmett J. Scanlan) into the fold.
Lizzie officially reached the end of her tether after discovering Tommy had slept with Diana Mitford and decided to leave him. Still distraught over the death of her daughter Ruby, she's surprised when Tommy's son Charlie asks to join her instead of staying with him.
Thomas Shelby, in Peaky Blinders, smokes Sweet Aftons. They are also the favoured brand of Gerhard Selb, the eponymous private investigator in the trilogy by Bernhard Schlink.
Cillian Murphy (Tommy Shelby) doesn't smoke cigarettes in real life. Instead, when filming he would smoke herbal cigarettes. In an interview with The Independent Murphy estimated he had smoked over 3000 herbal cigarettes. Joe Cole (John Shelby) does smoke cigarettes but as far as I can tell only for acting roles.
What drug is Tommy Shelby doing? While cocaine use is common among the characters, Tommy smokes brown opium at night in series one and two to minimize the stress and symptoms of his PTSD.
My answer is based on what I know about his behaviour in Peaky Blinders. He is always thinking a few steps ahead and he tends to plan everything very detailed. I would say his IQ is somewhere between 120 and 130.
Alfie revealed that he was suffering from skin cancer, which he attributed to the poisonous gas used in the Great War; Alfie had intended for Tommy to discover his betrayal, track him down, and kill him so Alfie could die on his own terms, rather than the Mafia.
Peaky Blinders revolves around World War One veterans who suffer from PTSD. The show portrays the symptoms of PTSD in ways that are both obvious and not so obvious. Real-life veterans rarely got the help they needed, partially because of social stigmas.