Peaky Blinders Facts: “Peaky Blinders” is a British period crime drama television series created by Steven Knight. The show premiered on BBC Two in September 2013.
Peaky Blinders Facts
- “Peaky Blinders” is a British period crime drama television series created by Steven Knight.
- The series premiered on BBC Two on September 12, 2013.
- The title “Peaky Blinders” comes from a 19th-century urban youth gang in Birmingham, England, who were reportedly known for sewing razor blades into the peaks of their flat caps.
- The show is set in Birmingham, England, and primarily follows the Shelby crime family in the aftermath of World War I.
- The series is known for its stylish cinematography, evocative of the post-World War I era.
- Cillian Murphy stars as the protagonist Tommy Shelby, the ambitious and cunning leader of the Peaky Blinders gang.
- “Peaky Blinders” features several historical figures such as Winston Churchill and Oswald Mosley, although their portrayal is not completely accurate to history.
- The show uses a contemporary rock music soundtrack, despite being set in the early 20th century. Bands like The White Stripes and Arctic Monkeys are often featured.
- Tom Hardy appears in the series as Alfie Solomons, a Jewish gang leader from London, starting from season 2.
- The show has received critical acclaim, particularly for its stylish presentation, story, writing, and performances, especially Cillian Murphy’s performance.
- The series has also won several awards, including the BAFTA for Best Drama Series in 2018.
- In 2014, it was announced that a real ale, called Peaky Blinder, would be launched in The Black Country and Birmingham, inspired by the series.
- There’s a real-life bar based on the TV series in Liverpool called the “Peaky Blinders Bar.”
- The Garrison Pub, which is the Shelby family’s local pub in the series, is based on a real pub in Birmingham.
- The first season is set in 1919, just after World War I, and each subsequent season generally advances the timeline by about two years.
- Despite the show’s popularity, it was announced in 2021 that the sixth season would be its last, but the story will continue “in another form.”
- Peaky Blinders has spawned a number of cultural references and inspired a fashion trend toward 1920s-style clothing.
- Steven Knight confirmed in 2019 that a Peaky Blinders movie is “probably going” to happen.
- Annabelle Wallis, who plays Grace Shelby in the series, actually auditioned for the role of Ada Shelby, which eventually went to Sophie Rundle.
- Some of the Peaky Blinders filming locations, although set in Birmingham, were shot in Liverpool and Manchester because they had better-preserved Victorian and Edwardian industrial buildings.