If you’ve watched ‘Peaky Blinders‘ and are wondering if Thomas Shelby and his crew have any roots in reality, then you’re not alone. The show has left many viewers questioning whether the Shelby family’s escapades are based on true events or just a brilliant work of fiction.
First off, let’s address the main question: Did a gang as cool as Peaky Blinders really exist? Yes, they did, but don’t get too excited. While the real Peaky Blinders did roam the streets of Birmingham, their reign of terror was not as glamorous or far-reaching as the show suggests.
Shelby Fiction vs. Birmingham Fact: What’s The Real Deal?
In Birmingham, throughout the late 19th and early 20th centuries, there was a real gang known as the ‘Peaky Blinders‘. Their name supposedly comes from their stylish choice of headwear – flat caps with razor blades sewn into the peaks. These caps could be whipped off and used to blind their opponents in a fight.
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Creator of the show, Steven Knight, drew inspiration from stories his parents told him about Birmingham’s rugged history. His family lived in the same area and time period in which the series is set.
During an interview with the BBC, he said, “I’m always very keen that any act of violence has a consequence in terms of the story. Very rarely in the real world is there an act of violence that doesn’t have quite a big consequence.“
Unlike how the Shelbys are depicted, the real gang was not as strong or significant. In fact, other criminal groups had largely overtaken the real gang by the time World War I broke out. The original ‘Peaky Blinders‘ were, in fact, more active in the 1890s than in the 1920s. Knight shifted the storyline to the post-World War I era in order to focus on the effects of the conflict on British society and to give the characters more nuance.
How ‘Peaky Blinders’ Took Over The World
‘Peaky Blinders‘ has endured in popular culture despite its historical liberties. It’s given us a fresh perspective on 1920s fashion, the aesthetics of the bygone era, and sparked interest in Birmingham’s gangster mythology and history once more.
Beyond style, ‘Peaky Blinders‘ has received recognition for its rich character development and narrative. With an endless number of admirers and critical praise, Cillian Murphy‘s depiction of Thomas Shelby has become legendary. He looks back at the character’s fame fondly.
In an interview with Entertainment Weekly, Murphy reflected on doing other projects between those six seasons, yet nothing ever came quite close to Peaky Blinders: “In between I did lots of other things, but I’ve never had that experience of growing older with a character or being able to inhabit it to a point where the character starts thinking for you in the performance. That happens toward, certainly series 4, 5, and 6, it was definitely the character was in control of the vehicle, if you know what I mean. That’s amazing, I’ve never had that experience before.”
Not just us TV enthusiasts, celebrities like Brad Pitt, Idris Elba, Tom Cruise, and Snoop Dogg are also obsessed with the show. David Bowie actually once asked Knight to include his music in ‘Peaky Blinders.’ Even David Beckham took part in the phenomenon by launching a Peaky-inspired line at Kent & Curwen in 2019, the old menswear brand he co-owned, at London Fashion Week.
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After six successful seasons, a movie titled ‘The Immortal Man‘ is poised to add an “explosive” new chapter to Tommy Shelby’s story. Certainly, his legacy remains immortal in the entertainment realm.
