# Love/Hate Shaped Peaky Blinders, Says ScreenRant

- Topic: cinema
- Source: [Screen Rant](https://screenrant.com/love-hate-barry-keoghan-irish-gangster-thriller-before-peaky-blinders/)
- Published: 2026-11-10
- Original: https://screenrant.com/love-hate-barry-keoghan-irish-gangster-thriller-before-peaky-blinders/
- Language: en
- Image: https://static0.srcdn.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2026/11/cillian-murphy-in-peaky-blinders-season-4.jpg

## At a glance

- Love/Hate premiered on RTE in 2010, running five seasons until 2014 and spotlighting Dublin’s criminal underworld.
- Barry Keoghan’s season‑four role as Wayne launched his career, later leading to a starring part in Peaky Blinders: The Immortal Man.
- Directors David Caffrey and cinematographer Cathal Watters transitioned from Love/Hate to Peaky Blinders, infusing the period drama with a gritty visual aesthetic.
- Aiden Gillen joined Peaky Blinders as Aberama Gold, a hit‑man whose complex history echoes the psychological depth first explored in Love/Hate.

## Sources

- [Screen Rant](https://screenrant.com/love-hate-barry-keoghan-irish-gangster-thriller-before-peaky-blinders/)

## The story

Love/Hate, the Irish crime drama that ran on RTE from 2010 to 2014, is credited with laying the groundwork for Netflix’s Peaky Blinders. The series follows Dublin’s underworld, centering on mob boss John Boy and his crew, and features early performances by actors such as Barry Keoghan and Aiden Gillen. Keoghan’s portrayal of a small‑time gangster in season four helped launch his career and later led to his role as Tommy Shelby’s son in the Peaky Blinders spin‑off. The influence extends beyond casting; director David Caffrey and cinematographer Cathal Watters moved from Love/Hate to Peaky Blinders, bringing a gritty visual style to the period drama. Both shows explore cycles of violence and psychological trauma, though Love/Hate is grounded in contemporary Dublin while Peaky Blinders is a stylized, period‑set gangster saga. The crossover also brought Aiden Gillen to Peaky Blinders as Aberama Gold, a hit‑man with a complex backstory. Critics note that Love/Hate’s raw storytelling informed the darker tone of Peaky Blinders’ early seasons. The relationship illustrates how a local Irish series can shape a global streaming hit.

> Summary by Daily Read Bytes. [Read the original source](https://screenrant.com/love-hate-barry-keoghan-irish-gangster-thriller-before-peaky-blinders/)