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Peaky Blinders

TV SERIES · 2013–2022 · UK

Peaky Blinders

Created by
Steven Knight
Network
BBC One, BBC Two
Seasons
6
Episodes
36
Studio
Tiger Aspect, Caryn Mandabach Productions, Screen Yorkshire

42 archived facts 8 topics 2 sources Last reviewed Nov 2026

A gangster family epic set in 1919 Birmingham, England and centered on a gang who sew razor blades in the peaks of their caps, and their fierce boss Tommy Shelby, who means to move up in the world.

  • Peaky Blinders — production image

42 Interesting Facts About Peaky Blinders

Interesting Facts (9)

  1. #001

    Despite what the show depicts, the Peaky Blinders were strongest in the 1890s. By the 1920s, the predominant gang in Birmingham was The Birmingham Gang, which had its roots in the pre-war Brummagem Boys gang.

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  2. #002

    Unlike the imposing Shelbys portrayed on the series, the members of the real gang were remarkably short by today's standards. Records show leaders like Harry Fowler standing at only 5 feet 2 inches (1.58 m) tall.

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  3. #003

    Snoop Dogg is also a big fan of the series. While in London, the rapper had his agent set up a meeting with Steven Knight. What transpired was a three-hour chat about the show. Knight said: "He's talking about how the show reminds him of how he got into gang culture. It's incredible."

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  4. #004

    The real Peaky Blinders were unlikely to carry razor blades in their hats during in the 1890s when the gang was really present; they were considered a luxury item and too expensive for the gang to own. The idea of the razor blades hidden in caps has its roots in John Douglas' novel 'A Walk Down Summer Lane'.

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  5. #005

    Birmingham is known as the city of a thousand and one trades and bandages. It is also home to the factory which made the whistles used on the battlefields of the First World War, where many of the characters fought. The Thomas Hudson factory, which as of release is still going strong, also made the whistles used on the Titanic.

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  6. #006

    This is the fourth time Cillian Murphy and Tom Hardy have worked together. They also both played Batman villains in Christopher Nolan's Batman trilogy. Murphy played the Scarecrow and Hardy played Bane.

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  7. #007

    Is heavily inspired by stories creator Steven Knight was told by his parents about their childhood in Birmingham. The show blends these family anecdotes, centered on a real-life gang in the early 20th century, with historical events to create a fictionalized drama about the violent, sharp-dressed Shelby clan.

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  8. #008

    The Peaky Blinders haircut is known as the 'Peaky cut' and was inspired by a style from the past. This look is called the 'undercut' and was extremely popular in the early 20th century, particularly among street gangs and criminals. Cillian Murphy does not like the cut. Speaking to Shortlist in 2017, the actor said, 'People love the undercut; they go to the barber and ask for the 'Peaky cut.' It's crazy that people like it. It hasn't appealed to me for four years. I normally wear my hair long.'

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  9. #009
    Contains a major spoiler — show

    Despite Tommy Shelby defeating Billy Kimber in season 1, in real events Kimber's gang, the Birmingham Boys, puts the Peaky Blinders out of business.

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Production Story (7)

  1. #010

    Early in the casting process, series showrunner Steven Knight had a meeting with both Jason Statham and Cillian Murphy in Los Angeles to discuss the lead role of Thomas Shelby. Initially, Knight had opted for Statham due to his intimidating physical presence, but later changed his mind and went for Murphy after he received a text from him: "Remember, I'm an actor". Murphy demonstrated a greater capacity to embody the character's complex psychological depth rather than just his physical menace. That ultimately convinced him to reconsider that Murphy could transform into the character, rather than just playing himself.

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  2. #011

    Steven Knight wrote the series with the aesthetics of an American Western, wanting to mythologize the working class of Birmingham in the same way that cowboys are mythologized in the USA.

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  3. #012

    In 2026 was released Peaky Blinders: The Immortal Man (2026), a sequel film to the series.

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  4. #013

    The three Arctic Monkeys songs featured in the second series ("R U Mine?", "Arabella" and "Do I Wanna Know?") are from the same album, AM. The fifth album from the band. The three Radiohead songs featured in the third series ("You And Whose Army", "I Might Be Wrong", and "Life In A Glasshouse") are from the same album, Amnesiac. The fifth album from the band.

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  5. #014

    David Bowie was a huge fan of the show and gave permission for his song "Lazarus" from his final album, to be featured in Series 3. The show's creator Steven Knight revealed: "I got in touch with his people, who came back straight away and said he was a big, big fan." Bowie later sent a representative from his label to provide an early hearing of his final album Blackstar a week before its existence was made public. "And then on the following Tuesday we heard that he'd passed away. It seems that his people were keen to establish that we could use it before he died". Cillian Murphy actually gifted his original cap with the razor blades from the first season to Bowie before his death.

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  6. #015

    Steven Knight wrote every single episode of all six seasons himself without a writers' room, crafting a continuous 36-episode narrative arc that spans from the immediate aftermath of WWI in 1919 to the eve of WWII in 1939.

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  7. #016
    Contains a major spoiler — show

    Joe Cole (John Shelby) left the production to pursue new creative opportunities and lead roles. So his character end up being written off. Although he chose to leave, Cole stated that he was grateful for the experience and the opportunities the show provided.

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Behind the Scenes (11)

  1. #017

    Cillian Murphy spent significant time with series creator Steven Knight to master the Birmingham ("Brummie") accent for his role. Murphy and Knight went to the actual Garrison Pub in Small Heath, Birmingham, to meet with Knight's local friends.

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  2. #018

    While not all actors in Peaky Blinders stayed in character all the time off-set, key cast members, particularly Cillian Murphy (Thomas Shelby) and Paul Anderson (Arthur Shelby), were known for their intense immersion in their roles during production. Alexander Siddig (Ruben Oliver) told NME about being on set. "You walk into a room and there's a bunch of them sitting around a table all singing Peaky Blinders songs and you're like, 'Excuse me, wrong door'."

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  3. #019

    Liam Neeson helped Sam Neill with his Northern Irish accent. Neill, playing Inspector Chester Campbell, consulted Neeson and James Nesbitt to help him regain his native Northern Irish accent for the role, as he grew up in New Zealand.

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  4. #020

    The Arrow House, Tommy Shelby's country mansion, is not in Warwickshire as the series suggests. But it is actually located at Arley Hall & Gardens in Northwich, Cheshire in England, UK.

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  5. #021

    While the show has often received criticism for the seemingly inaccurate accents, much of the cast and crew have confirmed that they are historically accurate. The 1920s dialect for Birmingham, England, was said to be slightly different. Helen McCrory has even stated the accents are authentic 1920s Birmingham dialects. Despite this, many UK viewers believe that the accents are watered-down versions of proper dialect to appeal to U.S. viewers.

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  6. #022

    The series takes place largely in Small Heath neighborhood, in Birmingham, England, where the Shelby family has their home on Watery Lane. It was an industrial working class neighborhood. The show centers on the Shelby family operating in this southeastern industrial area during the aftermath of World War I. While set in Small Heath, much of the filming for the early series took place at the Black Country Living Museum in Dudley, and also in Liverpool, Manchester, and Leeds.

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  7. #023

    To create the distinct, grimy industrial look of 1920s Birmingham, the art department used tons of pulverized charcoal, soot, and artificial fog across sets in Liverpool, Manchester, and Leeds.

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  8. #024

    Cillian Murphy spent weeks with traditional Romani families and horse trainers in Ireland and England to learn authentic Romani phrases, horse-riding techniques, and bare-knuckle boxing postures before shooting the pilot.

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  9. #025

    Cillian Murphy had smoked over 3000 cigarettes over the course of filming just by the end of Series 2. "I asked the prop guys to count how many we use during a series and it's 3,000," Murphy told BirminghamLive. His current count would amount to around 6000 cigarettes on set. However, he has informed reporters that he smokes herbal cigarettes (they don't contain tobacco or nicotine, and hence aren't addictive) and the creator, Steven Knight joked that the herbal ones are so weak that they would "probably count as one of his five-a-day". Across all six seasons, this brings approximately 18,000 herbal cigarettes. Though Murphy is a non-smoker and avoid roles that demands smoking.

    Cillian Murphy from Peaky Blinders looks at the camera in a white shirt and dark jacket, the background blurred.
    Peaky Blinders (2013): Cillian Murphy in a white shirt and black jacketImage: Wikimedia Commons · Tim Cornbill, CC BY-SA 2.0

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  10. #026

    The signature "Garrison Pub" exterior was not filmed in Birmingham but on a historic street set at the Black Country Living Museum in Dudley, as well as specialized studio sets built in Manchester and Liverpool.

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  11. #027

    The series utilized over 250 authentic vintage automobiles throughout its six seasons, sourced from private collectors and vintage vehicle transport societies across the United Kingdom.

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Characters & Cast (8)

  1. #028

    The reason Thomas Shelby (Cillian Murphy) rubs a cigarette on his lips when he smokes is to keep it from sticking to his lips.

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  2. #029

    The Peaky Blinders haircut, known as the "Peaky cut", was inspired by a style from back in the day. The look is called an "undercut," and was wildly popular in the early 20th century, especially among street gangs and criminals. Cillian Murphy isn't a fan of the cut. Saying: "People like the undercut thing; people go to the barber and ask for a 'Peaky cut'. It's crazy that people like it," the actor told Shortlist in 2017. "It's not grown on me in four years now. I normally keep my hair long."

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  3. #030

    Adrien Brody based his rasping, whispery vocal performance for Luca Changretta on Marlon Brando's iconic portrayal of Don Vito Corleone in The Godfather (1972), deliberately keeping his delivery low to force other characters to lean in.

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  4. #031

    Cillian Murphy created a specific walk for Thomas Shelby, walking his arms and chest exaggeratedly wide open. It became a habit to him, so he walked like that for a while at home right after shooting. This led his wife to tell him to "stop walking like that".

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  5. #032

    Actor Cillian Murphy is from Ireland and plays Thomas Shelby from England. Actress Annabelle Wallis is from England and plays Grace Burgess from Ireland.

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  6. #033

    Cillian Murphy tries to dissociate himself as much as possible from his gangster character Thomas Shelby. When asked in an interview if he had anything to say to the character, he said: "What I would say to him? I'd probably avoid that fella".

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  7. #034

    Tom Hardy's character was inspired by a real Jewish gangster named Alfred Solomon, who operated in London and was imprisoned for shooting Billy Kimber in real life.

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  8. #035

    Liam Neeson helped Sam Neill with his Northern Irish accent. Neill, playing Inspector Chester Campbell, consulted Neeson and James Nesbitt to help him regain his native Northern Irish accent for the role, as he grew up in New Zealand.

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Easter Eggs & References (2)

  1. #036

    Despite sitting for many meals, Tommy never eats on screen during the run of the series. Except for eating blackroot, twice. In contrast, Tommy is seen drinking whiskey over 200 times.

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  2. #037

    Thomas Shelby (Cillian Murphy) is seen smoking filtered cigarettes, which did not exist until 1954. At the time, almost all cigarettes were unfiltered. In the early 1950s, scientific reports showed just how dangerous smoking could be.

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Deeper Meaning (2)

  1. #038

    The series makes an intentional use of fire. It's not a coincidence that flames seemingly follow Tommy Shelby everywhere he goes. In season 1, Tommy was even referred to as a devil. Director Colm McCarthy explained: "There's definitely a sense of hell. That's very deliberate."

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  2. #039

    Some characters are seen occasionally using opium to manage the Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). Sometimes using a clay pipe, sometimes drinking Laudanum (an addictive medication of opium mixed with alcohol) from a little bottle. Specifically to combat nightmares, insomnia, and the haunting memories of the World War I. Tommy Shelby frequently wakes up shaking and sweating from nightmares, often hallucinating the sound of tunneling and digging, hearing enemy soldiers, and reliving the war. Over 250,000 soldiers from WWI suffered from symptoms like tremors, nightmares, and paralysis. Treatments ranged from sympathetic care to harsh disciplinary methods, including electric shocks.

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Career & Awards (2)

  1. #040

    This was the third time Paul Anderson and Tom Hardy have worked together.

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  2. #041

    The cast included two Oscar winners (Cillian Murphy and Adrien Brody) and one Oscar nominee (Tom Hardy).

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Life & Family (1)

  1. #042

    Cillian Murphy has revealed that his children were "horrified" when he shaved his hair for his role in the series. They said: "When it's done, you look like you're going to rob a post office."

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Related pages

  • Katrina Kaif — Peaky Blinders comes up in the facts on that page

Sources & editorial notes

Reference databases

  • Wikipedia English Wikipedia article
  • IMDb IMDb title page (trivia)

Information from external sources is independently selected, consolidated and edited by Arka Evren. Sources are listed for verification and further reading. Encyclopedia text is used under its licence (CC BY-SA). How we work