Freddie Thorne is the central antagonist-turned-anti-hero in Season 1 of Peaky Blinders. He was a known communist who lived in Birmingham and was formerly a close friend of Thomas Shelby. He was briefly married to Ada Thorne before his death, and the two have one son together, Karl Thorne — named after Karl Marx.
Character History[]
Background[]
Freddie and his family lived in Small Heath. He and his family were discriminated and harassed due to being Jewish, so they were forced to change their name to Thorne. Freddie and Thomas Shelby were best friends at school. They used to go swimming in the river and get into trouble together. He was a Sergeant in the Great War and during their military service, saved Thomas's life. Freddie claims to regret his friendship with Thomas and saving his life in France.
Series 1 · 1919[]
Freddie is seen rallying the communist faction to strike at the Birmingham Small Arms Company (BSA). His potential link to the stolen BSA guns leads Inspector Campbell to investigate known communists in the Small Heath area.
Freddie is secretly seeing Ada Shelby, the sister of Thomas, Arthur, John, and Finn. They frequently meet under a bridge to avoid detection, knowing that the Shelby boys will likely hurt or kill Freddie for messing with their sister.
Freddie lives in a one room apartment in a tenement. Once the police begin raiding homes, Freddie is set to leave Birmingham to avoid arrest. He is confronted by Ada at the train station, where she informs him that she is pregnant with their child. Aunt Polly gives the couple money to leave Birmingham but Freddie insists he wants to remain in the city and isn't scared of Thomas Shelby. The couple meet under their bridge ready to secretly marry each other.
Subsequently, Ada gives birth to a son, Karl. Freddie comes out of hiding to see his newborn son. The police immediately arrive to arrest him, clearly with knowledge of his whereabouts; many assume that Thomas has sold him out to the police. Thomas denies these claims and arranges a prison break-out. On the way to Brixton Prison, a bribed police officer informs Freddie that he won’t make it that far. During the journey, Danny Whizz-Bang attacks the prison van with the last of the stolen Lewis machine guns. Freddie pretends to beat up the bribed guard to make it seem like a genuine break-out to the other officers.
Freddie and Danny subsequently arrive late to the confrontation between the Peaky Blinders and Billy Kimber's men. Freddie brandishes the Lewis machine gun during the confrontation, though he ultimately does not need to use it against the men.
Series 2 · 1922[]
At the very beginning, the Peaky Blinders are seen at Freddie Thorne's funeral. Freddie died of "pestilence," likely the Spanish Influenza pandemic of 1918–1920, before the series begins. At Freddie's funeral, Thomas reveals that he made a promise back in France to speak over Freddie's grave should he pass away before him, which he fulfills.
Personality[]
Freddie is a Communist agitator, specifically a Bolshevik unionizer. He's become well versed in economics, current world events, and Marxist theory. He owns many books, mostly revolutionary literature. As a result of his childhood in Small Heath, he's street-smart and tough. As a war veteran, he knows how to handle himself in a gun fight.
Relationships[]
Ada Shelby[]
Freddie told Thomas that he fell in love with his sister Ada when he was twelve years old and she was nine years old. He truly loved her. Freddie and Ada got married in Series 1 and they had a son named Karl.
Thomas Shelby[]
Thomas and Freddie were childhood friends. They became best friends at school. They used to go swimming in the river and get into trouble together. The two fought in World War I together, where Freddie saved Thomas' life. Freddie claims to regret his friendship with Thomas and saving his life in France. Freddie is appalled by what his friend has become. While no longer friends, they are not enemies either. Freddie tells Ada that one day he and Thomas will be on the same side again.
Appearance[]
Series 1 Appearances | |||||
Episode 1.1 | Episode 1.2 | Episode 1.3 | Episode 1.4 | Episode 1.5 | Episode 1.6 |