History Characters / Glue

-->'''Played by''': Charlotte Spencer

* AnythingThatMoves: He has slept with Tina [[spoiler:and Janine]], fantasized about basically every other female character (including the mothers) and suggest the idea of mutual handjobs to James. (James is not impressed).

* DoesNotLikeShoes: In episode 5, he is constantly walking in a forest in bare feet.

* PassionateSportsGirl
* ShesGotLegs: A fact she doesn't hesitate to flaunt.

* NiceHat: Dons a straw hat on special occasions (see the character image).

* NiceHat: His cap, which wouldn't look out of place on ''Series/PeakyBlinders''.

-->'''Played by''': Jordan Stephens

-->'''Played by''': Billy Howle

-->'''Played by''': Callum Turner

-->'''Played by''': Callum Turner

* CoolShades: She wears LennonSpecs as part of her outfit.

** YourCheatingHeart

James (18 y.o.) is Rob's best friend and complete opposite - shy, quiet, reliable. He spends his days helping his mum at the farm and finding complications in the smallest of things. He's also the one who finds Cal's body in episode one, which leaves him traumatized for the rest of the series[[spoiler:, not least because Cal was his boyfriend]].

-->'''Played by''': Faye Marsay

* {{Kuudere}}: He appears aloof and emotionally cold, but he's very affectionate in interactions with best friend Rob [[spoiler:and boyfriend Cal]]. Not to mention he's basically a gentle soul all around.

!!'''[[spoiler:Eli Bray]]'''
-->'''Played by''': [[spoiler:Callum Turner]]

* AccidentalMurder: [[spoiler:killed Cal and Janine in fits of rage; his murder of Ian, however, was premeditated and done in cold blood]].
* AxCrazy: grows more deranged as the bodies pile up, culminating in [[spoiler:him kidnapping and trying to murder James with a cattle gun]].
* CainAndAbel: [[spoiler:though, unlike in the Bible, the murder was not premeditated]].
* ConfessToALesserCrime: when Ruth deduces he's Ian's killer, he willingly confesses [[spoiler:to this particular murder but not to the other two]].

* DisproportionateRetribution: let's see. He murdered Cal [[spoiler:for insulting their mum, murdered Janine for calling the social services on Cal and was going to kill James for his plan to leave the country with Cal]].
* DoesNotKnowHisOwnStrength: [[spoiler:the reason for Cal's and Janine's death is Eli misjudging just how strong he is]].
* EvenBadMenLoveTheirMamas: [[spoiler:what pushes him over the edge is Cal calling their mum a cunt]].
* GreenEyedMonster: he's enraged that [[spoiler:Cal wanted to leave the country with James rather than stay in England with Eli]].
* HeelRealization: [[spoiler:when confronted by Tina, Rob and Ruth, he finally admits to himself that he's responsible for the tragic way his brother's life ended - and promptly beats himself with a cattle gun]].
* HotBlooded: kills ''two'' people in uncontrolled fits of rage.
* ItGetsEasier: says that each murder was easier than the previous one.
* MotiveRant: James is treated to one. Turns out [[spoiler:Eli was harming people who he felt "damaged" Cal and were trying to take him away from him]].
* MyGodWhatHaveIDone: [[spoiler:after murdering Cal]].
* RevengeBeforeReason: Ruth allows him to leave the country [[spoiler:but of course Eli has to stay to get his revenge on James. Cue Eli getting caught]].
* RoaringRampageOfRevenge: the motive for the murders.
* RuleOfSymbolism: fortunately for James, [[spoiler:Eli can't just up and murder him in the woods - the deed has to be done at a place that holds emotional meaning for Eli, i.e. the White Horse where his mum's ashes were scattered]].
* StraightEdgeEvil: doesn't do drugs and wants his brother off them, too.
* SympatheticMurderer: it's hard not to feel sorry for him by the series' end.

* CategoryTraitor: the local Romani population considers her this, because she's in the police now.

* FamilyVersusCareer: she tries to juggle the two parts of her life, with [[ParentalNeglect varying success]].
* ParentalNeglect: she loves her daughter but doesn't pay much attention to her, which results in poor little Cassie almost dying. ''Twice''.

* SpitefulSpit: [[spoiler:to the Inspector when she realizes just how corrupt he is]].
* TeenPregnancy: by result of which she's a single mum to a toddler.
* TurnInYourBadge: [[spoiler:after finding out how deep the corruption runs on the police force]].
* TheUnfettered: her dedication to policework knows (almost) no bounds.

* AllGirlsWantBadBoys: at the start of the series she's dating [[JerkWithAHeartOfGold Rob]], who isn't exactly a paragon of virtue. Then [[spoiler:she ends up with Eli, who she's loved for a long time and who is frankly ''worse'' than Rob, what with being a murderer and all]].
* BirdsOfAFeather: if we're talking reckless behavior, then she and Rob are a match for each other.
* CareerVersusMan: [[spoiler:throws the race that could make her career in order to help her then-boyfriend Rob]].
* DisproportionateRetribution: [[spoiler:a couple of years prior to the show, Ruth slept with Tina's dad. Tina cut both of them out of her life; her dad soon died, and Ruth was ostracized by Tin'a group of friends, with none of them knowing the real reason]].
* FieryRedhead: has quite a temper to go with that hair.
* HeterosexualLifePartners: with Annie - the two even live together.

* ShesGotLegs: a fact she doesn't hesitate to flaunt.
* UndyingLoyalty: her defininig characetristic is that she'll do anything for those she loves. The two biggest examples are [[spoiler: her throwing the race that coud make her career to save Rob and Dominic from their smuggling debts; and her talking Eli down from harming James and himself]].
* WeightWoe: [[spoiler:she struggled with bulimia in the past, and still spends some days without food - all to be a better jockey]].
* WildCard: she's more unpredictable than Rob, which is saying something. One instance is when she [[spoiler:steals a car, abandons the steering wheel and later crashes it into a fence. To be fair, she was high at the time]].
* WrongGuyFirst: [[spoiler:despite dating Rob, she's in love with Eli - and ends up with him at the end, even though he's revealed as the killer]].

* JerkWithAHeartOfGold: he's cocksure and careless, and among other things [[spoiler:cheated on his girlfriend and drugged his best friend]], but he also shows a more considerate side such as when [[spoiler:he works hard to get James out of jail]] and when he tries to cheer his friends up in various (somewhat awkward) ways.
* LifeOfTheParty: as seen when he organizes a huge woodland rave.

* MyNewGiftIsLame: His mum gives him a set of keys for his birthday, which he happily assumes are for a car. Cue disappointment when it turns ou they're for a ''tractor''.

* BigEater: as she says at one point: "I love calories! They're fucking delicious!"
* CoolShades: she wears LennonSpecs as part of her outfit.

* TheFashionista: her outfits are somewhat unconventional, but she definitely puts a lot of thought into them, which is more that can be said for other characters.
* GenkiGirl: not much brings Annie down.
* TheHeart: she's easily the nicest person in her group of friends, and is referred to as such by Ruth.
* HeterosexualLifePartners: with Tina; they even live together.
* NiceHat: dons a straw hat on special occasions (see the character image).
* OnlySaneMan: despite being a wee bit kooky, she actually shows more sound judgment than other characters [[spoiler:such as when she suggests opening a gate rather than just driving through it]].
* PluckyComicRelief: along with Rob, she provides much of the show's humor.
* SatelliteCharacter: [[spoiler:she's the only member of the main cast to have no bearing on the plot]].

* DemotedToExtra: fades into the background after [[ADayInTheLimelight the episode focusing on him]].
* {{Greed}}: [[spoiler:he wants to have enough money for a land purchase, hence the smuggling]].
* LonelyRichKid: a variation - he's not friends with the rest of the characters, probably because of his higher status.
* LoveableRogue: [[spoiler:he's a smuggler - but a good guy at heart]].
* LoveInterest: to Ruth.
* NiceHat: his cap, which wouldn't look out of place on ''Series/PeakyBlinders''.
* ReasonableAuthorityFigure: he's good at his job, and he hyelps to fulfill Tina's ambitions by letting her ride in a potentially career-making race. [[spoiler:Too bad he asks her to throw it afterwards.]]
* SmugSnake: tends to treat people in a cooler-than-thou manner; especially evident during his police interrogation. [[spoiler:A rare heroic variant of the trope.]]

Janine (24 y.o.) is a local vet; she loves animals and is a real professional at her job, but by night she parties like anybody else.

* BeAsUnhelpfulAsPossible: tells her friends to share as little information with the police (and with Eli) as possible.
* BunnyEarsLawyer: she's a very good vet despite her partying ways [[spoiler:and being unqualified for the job]].
* ConvenientComa: ends up in one after her attack, unable to tell the police who the culprit was.
* DeadPersonImpersonation: [[spoiler:she actually failed vet school and took on the identity of her dead, and more successful, classmate]].
* DrFeelgood: [[spoiler:fabricates horse records in order to procure surplus ketamine, which she then sells through Cal]].
* FriendToAllLivingThings: her love for animals is the reason for her career choice.
* KilledOffForReal: [[spoiler:dies in episode 7]].
* WeHardlyKnewYe: [[spoiler:put in a coma in episode 3, later dies]].

* AmateurSleuth: starts his own investigation into what happened to Cal.
* ByronicHero: he's brooding, dark and mysterious; lives on the outskirts of society; adheres to Romani laws rather than British ones; and is shown to be in tune with nature. [[spoiler:And he's basically the villain of the series]].
* CallingTheOldManOut: he visits his dad in jail [[spoiler:to tell him that he's signed their half of Blackout over to Tina and that his dad now has nothing]].
* CharacterTic: he tends to hum songs when agitated.
* FoolishSiblingResponsibleSibling: the responsible to Cal's foolish - where the latter was doing drugs and getting into trouble, Eli was procuring a future for the two of them. [[spoiler:Later turned on its head.]]
* LonersAreFreaks: he's a brooding loner - although he does have a friend in Tina.
* ManlyTears: notably after his interrogation by the police in episode 1.
* MementoMacguffin: has a Horse Moon necklace similar to Cal's [[spoiler:to remember their mum by]].
* NobleSavage: lives on the outskirts of society by the code of the Romani.
* PromotionToParent: after his mum dies and his dad goes to prison.
* TheQuietOne: a man of few words, befitting his "brooding loner" nature.
* TroubledButCute: as Tina jokes, "dark and mysterious will only get you this far".

* BadassBoast: before jumping into the grain silo:

* BreakTheCutie: foster care really did a number of Cal - he was abused [[spoiler:physically and sexually, and later prostituted himself for money]]. And, of fourse, he winds up killed [[spoiler:by his own brother, no less]].
* BuryYourGays: his sexuality doesn't get revealed until later in the series, but it's his murder that gets the plot going.
* EstablishingCharacterMoment: see BadassBoast, above.
* FoolishSiblingResponsibleSibling: the foolish one to Eli's responsible - doing drugs and breaking the law. [[spoiler:Turned on its head since Cal was thinking of the future while Eli was stuck in the past.]]
* HookerWithAHeartOfGold: [[spoiler:he was blowing men for money, yet it doesn't take anything away from his genuinely good nature.]]
* KilledOffForReal / KillTheCutie / PlotTriggeringDeath: his brutal death jumpstarts the plot.
* RedOniBlueOni: the red (ethusiastic, extraverted, wild) to James's blue (introverted, rational, subdued0.
* {{Retirony}}: [[spoiler:before being killed, he was on the verge of leaving the country - and his criminal lifestyle - to have a fresh start with James]].
* ShirtlessScene: found dead sans shirt and T-shirt. In a lighter and straighter example, [[spoiler:he takes his shirt off when James hallucinates him]].
* SpiritAdvisor: appears to James, Eli, Tina and Ruth at various points in the narrative, although he acts as an advisor only to [[spoiler:James]].

* TroublingUnchildlikeBehavior: the character in a nutshell. He's a 14-year-old doing [[spoiler:and dealing]] drugs with his older friends, [[spoiler:planning on running away to Argentina with his older boyfriend, prostituting himself]] and continuously getting in trouble with the law (albeit for minor crimes). Some of this is due to him having a messy home life and a very harsh upbringing.

* UsedToBeASweetKid: according to Eli, he came back from foster care "different".

* TheBeard: he told his family that Ruth was his girlfriend - but it's unclear whether she's TheBeard or whether he actually wanted to date her.
* BuryYourGays: [[spoiler:when his dirty deeds finally catch up with him]].
* DepravedBisexual: [[spoiler:his sexuality is ambiguous - he's known to have abused boys, but he also shows obvious romantic interest in Ruth]].
* DirtyCop: [[spoiler:sexually abused local minors, including Caleb and Chris]].
* {{Geek}}: his house is filled with [=DVDs=] and comics.
* MuscleAngst: he wistfully states that he'd like to have Dominic's physique.

* ReasonableAuthorityFigure: he's a good boss to Ruth. [[spoiler:Too bad he's also a pedophile.]]

* ReasonableAuthorityFigure: he's actually a capable leader, and [[spoiler:isn't shown to be a DirtyCop like most other police characters]].

* HookerWithAHeartOfGold: [[spoiler:much like Cal, he was blowing men for money]].
* TroublingUnchildlikeBehavior: [[spoiler:well, he ''is'' basically a rentboy]].

* BestServedCold: [[spoiler:she waited 4-5 years before getting revenge for her sister]].
* {{Blackmail}}: [[spoiler:she's the one sending the videos to Rob]].