Why does Tommy Shelby lick his cigarette before smoking?

Fans of PEAKY Blinders are eagerly awaiting the sixth season of the hit TV series to land on their screens – but viewers have a few questions.

BBC One, the drama based on Birmingham, ends with a hanger on the cliff.

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Tommy Shelby, played by Cillian Murphy, was on the verge of death in the last season of series five.

His life is in balance when his plan to take down Oswald Mosley, Sam Clafin, is counterattacked.

Peaky Blinders are often seen smoking cigarettes and drinking whiskey in their local pub, The Garrison.

Tommy often has a cigarette in his mouth and viewers have a few questions.

Why does Tommy Shelby put a cigarette to his lips before smoking?

A cigarette without a filter sticks to your lips so rolling it over your mouth will moisten the cigarette and stop this from happening.

Cillian Murphy, in an Ask Me Anything Reddit thread, said: “The cigarettes get cut off by the filter and the paper sticks to my lips unless I moisten them.

“Then it just became a Tommy tic.”

Who is Cillian Murphy?

Irish actor Cillian Murphy is known for his role as Thomas Shelby on the hit series Peaky Blinders.

Murphy has appeared in films such as Batman, Inception and Dunkirk.

But he is best recognized for his role as Thomas Shelby in Peaky Blinders.

The BBC drama is set in 1920s Birmingham and chronicles the prison escapes of the Shelby family gang.

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