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Factual error: The royal parade is supposed to be of the Yorkshire Hussars, but the filmmakers instead borrowed the King's Troop, Royal Horse Artillery, complete with guns. Although the uniform was similar, the Yorkshire Hussars was a cavalry regiment until the Second World War, when it became an armoured regiment. It was never an artillery regiment.

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Episode #2.5 - S2-E5

Factual error: The Metropolitan Police officers who arrest Arthur in Camden Town are wearing the spiked helmets of the Birmingham City Police, not the boss-topped helmets of the Metropolitan Police, which we do see at other times.

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Episode #2.2 - S2-E2

Factual error: Tommy tells Churchill that he served at Verdun and several of Churchill's assistants say that they did too. There were no British troops at Verdun. It was a battle between the French and the Germans.

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Season 3 generally

Factual error: The Russian grand duke is called Leon Petrovna. Petrovna (daughter of Petr) is a patronymic used by a woman. A man would use Petrovich (son of Petr).

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Episode #2.6 - S2-E6

Factual error: Tommy's warrant is signed by the 'Minister of the Empire'. There was no such post. The Colonial Secretary dealt with the British Empire.

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The Noose - S4-E1

Factual error: Lord Stamfordham has a paper before him headed 'London Constabulary Police'. There was no such thing.

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Show generally

Factual error: Bill wears four medal ribbons, in order: Diamond Jubilee Medal (awarded to all people with five years' service in a British uniformed service in 2012), Golden Jubilee Medal (the same in 2002), Queen's Police Medal (a very prestigious award, a handful of which are awarded every year to long-serving police officers for exceptional service) and Police Long Service and Good Conduct Medal (awarded for 20 years' unblemished service in the British police). Not only are these in the wrong order (it should be QPM, Golden Jubilee, Diamond Jubilee, LS&GCM), but he's not entitled to any of them! He's an American who hasn't previously served in the British police. A chief constable's uniform doesn't just come with medal ribbons for the look of it; only those that have been earned may be worn.

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Show generally

Factual error: The Deputy Chief Constable wears the rank insignia of the lower rank of Assistant Chief Constable. She also wears her medal ribbons in the wrong order: Diamond Jubilee Medal, Golden Jubilee Medal and Police Long Service and Good Conduct Medal. The Golden Jubilee Medal should actually be worn first.

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Show generally

Factual error: British prisons do not have glass partitions between prisoners, and visitors and visiting facilities are not in closed cubicles. Visits are carried out in open rooms with other prisoners and their visitors, prisoners sit at individual tables with their visitors and touching is usually allowed within reason.

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Season 2 generally

Factual error: Superintendent Hastings does not wear the ribbon of the Diamond Jubilee Medal (awarded to all officers with five years' service in 2012), although he does wear the Golden Jubilee Medal (awarded to all officers with five years' service in 2002) and the Police Long Service and Good Conduct Medal (awarded for twenty years' service). Other characters do wear the Diamond Jubilee Medal, so this is obviously after it has been issued. In subsequent series he is wearing the ribbon.

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Season 1 generally

Factual error: Chief Superintendent Hilton wears the ribbons of the General Service Medal (awarded for military service in a combat zone, most commonly in Northern Ireland) and the Police Long Service and Good Conduct Medal (awarded for twenty years' service), but not the Golden Jubilee Medal (awarded to all officers with five years' service in 2002), which he would also have. When he reappears in Series 4, he is wearing the Golden Jubilee Medal, Diamond Jubilee Medal (awarded in 2012) and Police Long Service and Good Conduct Medal, which would all be correct, but no longer has the General Service Medal.

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Show generally

Factual error: Officers of Assistant Chief Constable rank and above are consistently referred to as Executive Officers. The British police actually call these ranks Chief Officers.

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Season 2 generally

Factual error: Deputy Chief Constable Dryden wears two rows of silver oakleaves on the peak of his cap. Deputy Chief Constables only wear a single row of oakleaves.

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Season 3 generally

Factual error: The members of the firearms team are described as Authorised Firearms Officers (AFOs). They are actually the more highly-qualified Specialist Firearms Officers (SFOs).

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Season 3 generally

Factual error: The term 'WPC' (Woman Police Constable) is used for female constables in official documentation. This term has not been used for many years. All constables are now just 'PC' (Police Constable).

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Episode #3.1 - S3-E1

Factual error: In the first scene, Chief Superintendent Reynolds is wearing a pip over a crown on his epaulettes instead of the correct chief superintendent's rank badge of a crown over a pip. This has been corrected in subsequent scenes.

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Episode #3.1 - S3-E1

Factual error: When he is interviewed in formal uniform, Sergeant Waldron is wearing stripes on his epaulettes as well as on the sleeves of his tunic. In formal dress, sergeants only wear their stripes on their sleeves.

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Factual error: When we see Elton John's father Stanley in RAF uniform at the beginning of the film he is wearing other ranks' uniform. Stanley was commissioned in 1944, three years before Elton was born, and served as a commissioned officer until his retirement as a squadron leader in 1963. He should be wearing officer's uniform.

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Factual error: There are a number of errors in the Irish rank insignia. The general wears at various times three bars (worn by a captain in 1961, when the film is set) and a modern major-general's rank badge (introduced in 1971). The junior officers wear British-style pips (not introduced by the Irish Army until 1971). The company sergeant wears the rank badge of the lower rank of company quartermaster sergeant.

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Factual error: The Indian commander, 'General' Raja, was actually a brigadier (India uses the British system, in which a brigadier is not a general and is not addressed as such). The rank badge he wears (two stars over crossed sword and baton) has never been used in India for any rank. The real Raja was also not a Sikh, so did not wear a turban or beard as he does in the film.

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