Is “Peaky Blinders” Based on a True Story? Inside the Violent History of the Real Gang
Is “Peaky Blinders” Based on a True Story? Inside the Violent History of the Real Gang
Keith LangstonSun, March 22, 2026 at 12:00 PM UTC
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Cillian Murphy as Tommy in 'Peaky Blinders: The Immortal Man' ; mugshot of a Peaky Blinders member.Credit: Courtesy of Netflix/Robert Viglasky; World History Archive/Alamy Stock Photo -
Peaky Blinders ran for six seasons from 2013 until 2022
The story is continued in Peaky Blinders: The Immortal Man, which debuted on Netflix on March 20
The real Peaky Blinders gang inspired the show, but were small-time criminals
Fans have officially been reunited with the Peaky Blinders gang.
The BBC period crime drama — which was released in the United States by Netflix — ran for six seasons from 2013 until 2022. Now, the story of the gang led by Thomas “Tommy” Shelby (Cillian Murphy) is being continued in Peaky Blinders: The Immortal Man, which hit the streamer on March 20.
The original series followed the Shelby family, whose criminal enterprise established itself as a major player in the illegal betting and bootlegging rackets in Birmingham, England, during the aftermath of World War I. The Great War played a big role in Tommy's ruthless character.
“Having survived the first World War, to actually come that close to death and see your friends blown to pieces before you and all this trauma that he lived with, I think he was unafraid of death," the actor told Entertainment Weekly in June 2022.
The series incorporated a number of other factual events into its storyline, like the 1926 United Kingdom general strike, the Great Depression and, in later seasons, the build-up to World War II. The Immortal Man will take place during Second World War.
On top of using historical events as a backdrop for the series, Peaky Blinders was also inspired by a real gang. First called the “Small Heath Peaky Blinders,” the gang really was centered in Birmingham.
Here’s everything to know about the true story behind Peaky Blinders and the real gang that inspired the show.
Who were the Peaky Blinders?
'Peaky Blinders: The Immortal Man'.Credit: Courtesy of Netflix/Robert Viglasky
While the Peaky Blinders series picked up after World War I, the real street gang rose to prominence in the 1890s.
Much like the gang featured in the show, the real Blinders were known for their dapper style and could sometimes become viciously violent, according to Smithsonian Magazine. Also similar to the show, the gang was made up of young, working-class men.
However, historians told The Independent that the real Blinders likely didn't fight with razor blades stitched into their caps, as they would have been too expensive.
Gang members did slash knives “across the foreheads of their opponents, causing blood to pour down into their eyes and blind them," Carl Chinn told the publication.
But Peaky Blinders creator Steven Knight has said otherwise. In a September 2019 GQ essay, Knight revealed the initial inspiration he had for the show, recalling the stories of his mother and father growing up in Birmingham.
"Historians may claim the phrase 'Peaky Blinder' went out of use at the turn of the century, but every uncle and auntie in my family and the grandparents told me the term was alive and kicking into the Thirties," he wrote. "I’ve consistently found books to be an unreliable source of information when it comes to working-class history, since mostly people didn’t bother to write things down."
Once, when Knight's father was a child, he encountered the real Peaky Blinders while being tasked to pass along a note.
“My dad said he stepped inside to find a group of men slouched in chairs,” Knight wrote. “Their flat caps pulled low, razor blades stitched into the peaks, guns only half hidden under open jackets. And in the middle of the group, piled high on a table, was a mountain of silver coins.”
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What did the Peaky Blinders do?
Mugshots of some of the prominent members of the Peaky Blinders.Credit: World History Archive via Alamy
In the series, the Peaky Blinders were depicted as a criminal organization that eventually gained an intimidatingly large amount of power and influence in Birmingham.
However, the real Blinders weren’t so accomplished. The gang was mostly a collection of petty thieves who were known to steal bikes or mug strangers on the street, per GQ.
But the gang could get violent. According to a March 23, 1890, article from the Birmingham Daily Post (via the Birmingham Mail), the Blinders gang once assaulted a young man named George Eastwood who ordered a nonalcoholic ginger beer at a bar.
The group waited for Eastwood to leave the bar and then jumped him, kicking him and beating him with their belts. He ultimately had to spend three weeks in a hospital.
News of the incident went national, eventually appearing in the London Daily News, where the gang was referred to as the “Small Heath Peaky Blinders’ gang.” The Birmingham Mail article cited this as the first official instance of the gang’s now-famous name.
In another notorious incident, the Blinders killed police constable George Snipe after he attempted to arrest 23-year-old William Colerain for using lewd language. George “Cloggy” Williams, who was 19 at the time, was ultimately convicted of manslaughter and sentenced to life in prison, according to History Extra.
"Surely all respectable and law-abiding citizens are sick of the very name of ruffianism in Birmingham and assaults on police," an anonymous letter published in the Birmingham Daily Mail on July 21, 1898, read. "No matter what part of the city one walks, gangs of 'peaky blinders' are to be seen, who ofttimes think nothing of grossly insulting passers by, be it a man, woman or child. I venture to say that 99 times out of 100, they are not even brought to justice."
What happened to the Peaky Blinders?
'Peaky Blinders'.Credit: Courtesy of Netflix/Robert Viglasky
The real Peaky Blinders gang never grew to anything more than a group of small-time criminals. The group was eventually pushed out of town during the 1910s by the Birmingham Gang, led by Billy Kimber, historians told The Independent.
Fans of the series will surely recognize that name, since he was portrayed in the show as the leader of the Birmingham Boys. In Peaky Blinders, Kimber (Charlie Creed-Miles) was killed by Tommy during a shootout.
In reality, Kimber was never murdered and his gang successfully pushed the Blinders out of town. The gang leader ultimately died in 1945 at the age of 63 in a nursing home, according to the Birmingham Mail.
What other real-life influences were used in Peaky Blinders?
Sam Claflin ; Sir Oswald Ernald Mosley.Credit: Jon Kopaloff/Getty; General Photographic Agency/Getty
Peaky Blinders often incorporated real-life events and people into its plot, including Winston Churchill.
Just as he did during numerous appearances throughout the series — played by Andy Nyman in season 1, Richard McCabe in season 2 and Neil Maskell in seasons 5 and 6 — the real-life Churchill held various governmental roles in the U.K., including being a member of Parliament and serving as the home secretary. Most notably, he was the U.K. prime minister during World War II.
Another real-life historical figure featured in Peaky Blinders person was Oswald Mosley. Portrayed in the show by Sam Claflin, Mosley has friction with Tommy throughout season 5 as he becomes a devout fascist. In the final season, Mosley gets married to Diana Mitford at the home of Nazi propagandist Joseph Goebbels, with Adolf Hitler himself in attendance.
In real life, Mosley really was a pro-Hitler fascist who helped lead Britain’s anti-Semitic and violent fascist movement during the 30s. His wedding really did take place at Goebbels’ home, with Hitler attending as a guest of honor, per the BBC.
However, Claflin's character didn't return for The Immortal Man. “I don’t know that I should not say anything, and keep the speculation going, but no, sadly, I’ll share — I’m not in the film, though, I’m so excited as a fan of the series," the actor told Metro in June 2025.
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Source: “AOL Entertainment”
