116 Fun Facts About Peaky Blinders

The fifth series of Peaky Blinders opens on 29 October 1929, a date better known as what?

Black Tuesday's Wall Street crash hits while Michael is running the family's American business, and he has to bring the bad news home to Birmingham.

Which actor portrays the character of Thomas Shelby?

Cillian Murphy plays Tommy Shelby in all six series and returns in the 2026 film The Immortal Man, which he also produces.

The second series ends on Derby Day, 31 May 1922, with a climax at which racecourse?

It is a step up from series 1, which closed with the Shelbys seizing pitches at the far humbler Worcester Races.

In Peaky Blinders, which pub do the Shelby family own and run their betting business from?

The Garrison's landlord Harry Fenton runs it in series 1 before the family take over; the pub is later blown up and rebuilt.

What is the full name of the Shelby family matriarch, Polly?

Polly's full name is Elizabeth Gray, a Shelby by birth and Gray by marriage; as the family's treasurer she ran the business while her nephews were away at war.

Who is the main antagonist that Tommy Shelby and the Peaky Blinders face in the first series?

Billy Kimber's betting pitches at the Worcester Races are the target on 'Black Star Day', 3 December 1919, the first series' climax.

An 1890 Birmingham Mail report of "a murderous outrage" places the real gang's origins in which district?

The March 1890 Birmingham Mail report on the assault of George Eastwood called the attackers the 'Small Heath Peaky Blinders', the earliest known appearance of the name in print.

What is the name of Ada Shelby's first husband?

Freddie Thorne, played by Iddo Goldberg, fought alongside Tommy in the war and dies of 'pestilence', presumably Spanish flu, between the first and second series.

What military rank did Thomas Shelby hold during World War I?

Tommy served in France as a sergeant major, a tunneller at the Somme; Campbell's file notes he was decorated for gallantry, and the show implies he returned with what is now called PTSD.

How old is Michael Gray, taken from Polly as a small child, when he rejoins the family?

Michael is 17 when Tommy tracks him down at his foster family, where he had been raised as Henry, after Polly says she wants her children back.

Tommy's first wife is shot dead at a charity dinner while wearing what cursed gift from him?

The sapphire, which a Russian émigrée had warned Tommy was cursed, hangs at his wife's neck when the gunman shouts 'For Angel!' and fires.

What iconic item of clothing is most famously associated with the Peaky Blinders gang?

Flat caps with razor blades stitched into the peaks is the usual story, though disposable safety razors were not made in Britain until 1908, so it is probably apocryphal.

Which actor plays fascist politician Sir Oswald Mosley in Peaky Blinders?

Series 6 adds Mosley's second wife Diana Mitford, played by Amber Anderson.

The distillery-running Camden Town gang leader of series 2 heads a gang from which community?

The Camden Town boss leads a Jewish gang whose bakery is a front for a rum distillery; Tommy first courts him in series 2 as a counterweight to the Italian gangs of London.

What is Michael Gray's relationship to Polly Gray?

Michael is Polly's son, taken from her as a small child and raised by a foster family as Henry; Tommy brings him back into the family, and in the final series Tommy shoots him dead.

In what year does the second season of 'Peaky Blinders' begin?

The series follows the gang's push into the South and North while holding their Birmingham heartland.

Which political thinker is Ada Shelby's son named after?

Karl Marx is the namesake of Ada's son Karl, born at the end of series 1 to a father steeped in revolutionary politics.

Inspector Campbell's missing guns in Peaky Blinders series 1 were bound for which country?

Libya was the destination of the crates Tommy's men lift from the Birmingham Small Arms factory, and the missing guns drive the whole first series.

Who created and wrote 'Peaky Blinders'?

Steven Knight also co-created the game show 'Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?'.

Which streaming service acquired exclusive US distribution rights to Peaky Blinders in September 2014?

Netflix's version is missing most of the original soundtrack because of licensing restrictions.

Tommy Shelby's hairstyle, which the show helped bring back into fashion, is known as what?

The undercut, shaved sides with length on top, became Tommy's signature look; barbers reported a run on it once the series took off.

Which Peaky Blinders actress played Polly Gray and died in April 2021?

Helen McCrory, who played Polly in every series, died of cancer on 16 April 2021; series 6 was reworked so that Polly's death is revealed in its opening episode.

Which actor portrays Arthur Shelby Jr.?

Paul Anderson's Arthur is Tommy's volatile right hand; Anderson had played Colonel Sebastian Moran in Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows before being cast.

To form an alliance with the Lee family, John Shelby marries which character?

Esme Lee marries John to seal peace with the Lee family; after John is killed in series 4 she leaves with their children, and in series 6 she returns to lead Tommy to a son he never knew.

From which city does Chief Inspector Chester Campbell originally come?

Campbell comes from Belfast, where as an Ulster Protestant policeman he had been hunting the IRA; the government sends him to Birmingham to recover the stolen guns.

Which acclaimed actor portrays the volatile Camden Town gang leader introduced in series 2?

Tom Hardy plays the Camden Town gang boss from series 2 to 6; he and Cillian Murphy had already shared the screen in Christopher Nolan's Inception (2010).

What was Tommy's future first wife secretly doing when she took a job pulling pints for the Shelbys?

Inspector Campbell, who knew her late father, told her to get close to Tommy to find the missing guns; she later shot Campbell herself.

What was the primary criminal enterprise of the Shelbys' first major rival in series 1?

The rival's empire was racecourse betting: he controlled the bookmaking pitches at legal racecourses outside London and had police on his payroll, the very business Tommy wanted to take.

Which actor took over the role of Finn Shelby from Season 2 onwards?

Kirton's Finn is shot in the arm in series 5 after ignoring orders to stay out of a hit, and is cast out of the family in the finale.

Jessie Eden convinced women at which Birmingham factory to walk out during the 1926 stoppage?

The real Eden went on to lead 10,000 women out in 1931 and a 40,000-household rent strike in 1939; her friends objected to the show's invented romance with Tommy.

What was Aberama Gold's trade when he was introduced to the Shelby family?

Aberama Gold arrives in series 4 as a hitman-for-hire, and his price for taking on the Changrettas includes Tommy turning his son Bonnie into a professional boxer.

Which Peaky Blinder's execution does Tommy fake in series 1 so he can hide in London?

Danny Whizz-Bang, a shell-shocked comrade who killed an Italian in a fit, is 'shot' by Tommy with a blank and secretly shipped to London; he returns and dies in the series 1 finale.

Polly Gray's death in Season 6 is attributed to retaliation by which organization?

The IRA, on the orders of Captain Swing, kills Polly in revenge for the botched Mosley assassination; her body is delivered to Tommy's house alongside those of Aberama Gold and Barney Thomason.

The sixth series opens on 5 December 1933, the day of which event in the United States?

5 December 1933 was the day Prohibition was repealed in the United States, which frames Tommy's plan to move his liquor trade into the legal market; series 5 had ended four years earlier, in December 1929.

The real Peaky Blinders gang was active in Birmingham during which period?

The real gang emerged in the 1880s and faded after the 1910s; by the 1920s 'Peaky Blinders' was generic Birmingham slang for any street gang, so the 1880s-to-1920s span is the fit.

In what year does the first season of 'Peaky Blinders' begin?

The series opens in 1919, in the direct aftermath of the First World War, with soldiers returning home to an industrial landscape.

Into what political role does Thomas Shelby transition in the later series of Peaky Blinders?

Member of Parliament from 1927, winning the seat at the end of the fourth series; in the fifth he shares the Commons with Oswald Mosley.

Which real American gangster's outfit does Tommy deal with in series 4 to turn Changretta's men?

Al Capone's Chicago outfit takes over Changretta's New York business in a deal Tommy brokers, so Luca's own men stand down; Arthur, whose death Tommy had faked, then shoots Changretta.

Which two Northern Irish actors helped Sam Neill recover his accent for Peaky Blinders?

Sam Neill, born in Omagh and raised in New Zealand, said fellow Ulstermen James Nesbitt and Liam Neeson helped him find the accent again, which he then had to soften for international audiences.

Who does Thomas Shelby marry first in the series?

Tommy marries Grace Burgess at the start of series 3; she dies later that series, and Lizzie Stark becomes his second wife by series 5.

Which London-based gang leader is an initial adversary and later an uneasy ally of Tommy Shelby?

He runs a rum distillery in Camden Town, and Tommy first has to talk him into siding with the Shelbys against the Italian gangs of London.

In series 2 the Shelby brothers announce their arrival in London by starting a fight in whose club?

Sabini retaliates by having Ada kidnapped and Tommy beaten, and Campbell has to step in to stop his men finishing Tommy off.

What is the profession of May Carleton, a woman who develops a relationship with Tommy?

May Carleton is a horse trainer, a wealthy widow who takes on Tommy's racehorse in series 2; Charlotte Riley plays her, and Tommy keeps her dangling even after his old flame returns.

On which Small Heath street is the Shelby family home and betting office in series 1?

The Shelby home is 6 Watery Lane, a terraced house whose front room serves as the family's bookmakers in series 1; the pub sits round the corner on Garrison Lane.

Which prominent historical figure sends Inspector Campbell to Birmingham at the start of Peaky Blinders?

Winston Churchill, then Secretary of State for War, dispatches Campbell; he is played by Andy Nyman in series 1, Richard McCabe in series 2 and Neil Maskell in the final two.

Which actor portrays Aberama Gold?

Gillen, best known as Littlefinger in Game of Thrones, plays the head of a Romani family who becomes engaged to Polly.

What does Tommy Shelby discard into a canal upon his return from World War I?

Tommy threw his military medals into the cut, Birmingham's canal, a gesture recalled in series 1 that sets up his contempt for the war he came home from.

The fourth series ends in the aftermath of which national event of May 1926?

Tommy uses union leader Jessie Eden for information during the strike, then gets himself elected to Parliament the following year.

Which ideology does Ada Shelby's first husband, Tommy's wartime comrade, follow?

Freddie Thorne's politics put him on Inspector Campbell's list alongside the IRA and the street gangs Campbell was sent to clean up.

On what date did Peaky Blinders premiere on BBC Two?

It stayed on BBC Two for four series before moving to BBC One.

Which channel aired the fifth and sixth series of Peaky Blinders?

BBC One took over from series 5; the move was announced in 2018, and series 5 premiered at Birmingham Town Hall before airing in August 2019.

Which two backgrounds does the Shelby family combine, per the show's premise?

Critics noted the Romani characters often spoke broken Romanian rather than Romani because no linguists were hired.

Series one concludes on 3 December 1919, a date the gang calls what?

Black Star Day is the Shelby name for a day they take out an enemy, marked with a black star in the ledger; on 3 December 1919 the target is the rival's racecourse pitches.

In which year is the third series of Peaky Blinders set?

Series 3 is set in 1924, opening with Tommy's wedding and running through the Shelbys' entanglement with White Russian exiles plotting against the Soviets.

Which Russian aristocrat has an affair with Tommy in series three?

Gaite Jansen played the White Russian princess.

Which anti-communist government body is Father John Hughes working with in series three?

Section D, the covert arm of the Economic League, is the anti-communist network Father John Hughes fronts for in series 3; Paddy Considine plays the priest, whom Tommy eventually kills.

In Peaky Blinders series three, who painted Polly's portrait and became her lover?

Ruben Oliver is played by Alexander Siddig, of Star Trek: Deep Space Nine fame.

On which day does the fourth series begin?

Series 4 opens on Christmas Eve 1925, when Black Hand letters arrive warning that Luca Changretta's New York Mafia is coming for revenge.

Whose murder is Luca Changretta avenging in series four?

Luca Changretta comes from New York to avenge his father Vicente, who was shot in series 3 after the Shelbys seized him, kicking off the Black Hand vendetta of series 4.

What is the name of the gentle horse whisperer who works at Charlie Strong's boatyard?

Curly, played by Ian Peck, is Charlie Strong's soft-spoken helper at the yard on the cut, the horse whisperer who tends the Shelbys' animals.

Series five ends on 7 December 1929, the morning after what event?

Tommy's plan to have Oswald Mosley shot at the rally is foiled when the IRA kills his gunman, and the series closes with Tommy in a field holding a pistol to his own head.

Which Glaswegian Protestant gang does Jimmy McCavern lead in series five?

The Billy Boys were a real Protestant razor gang from Glasgow's Bridgeton; in the show Jimmy McCavern, played by Brian Gleeson, leads them in alliance with Mosley.

Which Chinese criminal leader involved in opium smuggling appears in series five?

Brilliant Chang, played by Andrew Koji, is the Chinatown opium smuggler who brings Tommy a huge shipment in series 5; he is named for a real 1920s London drug dealer.

Barney Thomason, Tommy's old comrade freed from an asylum in series five, had what wartime role?

Barney Thomason was a wartime sniper, which is why Tommy breaks him out of the asylum for an assassination; Cosmo Jarvis plays him, and the IRA kills him before he can fire.

Which actor plays Colonel Ben Younger, who begins a relationship with Ada?

Kingsley Ben-Adir plays Colonel Ben Younger, the army intelligence officer killed by a bomb in series 5; Ada later gives birth to their daughter Elizabeth.

Which real historical figure is Jack Nelson, the south Boston gang leader of series six, based on?

James Frecheville plays Nelson, who is Gina's uncle and Michael's boss.

Which Mitford sister, Mosley's second wife, appears in series six?

Diana Mitford, played by Amber Anderson, appears in series 6 as Mosley's mistress and future second wife; the real pair married in 1936 at Goebbels' Berlin home.

Which IRA leader from Belfast goes by the alias 'Captain Swing' in series six?

Laura McKee, played by Charlene McKenna, is the Belfast IRA commander called Captain Swing, an alias borrowed from the mythical leader of England's 1830 Swing Riots.

Which union convenor at the Liverpool docks does Stephen Graham play in series six?

Hayden Stagg, played by Stephen Graham, is the Liverpool docks union man caught skimming the Shelbys' opium in series 6; Graham returns as Stagg in the 2026 film The Immortal Man.

What is the name of Tommy's first-born son, revealed in series six?

Erasmus 'Duke' Shelby, Tommy's son by the Romani woman Zelda, is brought into the family in series 6 and played by Conrad Khan.

Which ex-footballer turned singer becomes an ally of the gang in series six?

Billy Grade, played by Emmett J. Scanlan, is the former footballer turned crooner who fronts the Shelbys' match-fixing scheme; his informing gets him killed in the finale.

Where does Tommy travel in 1933 to meet Michael and Jack Nelson's associates?

Miquelon, a French island off Newfoundland, is where Tommy waits out the end of Prohibition in series 6; a bartender named Henri and the island's police commissioner both appear.

Doctor Holford tells Tommy he has what inoperable condition in series six?

Holford diagnoses a tuberculoma, a tubercular mass in the brain, and gives Tommy 12 to 18 months to live after contact with his sick daughter Ruby; the diagnosis is later exposed as a fascist lie.

Which woman of Italian descent did Tommy date in his 20s before she died of tuberculosis?

Greta Jurossi, the Italian girl Tommy courted before the war, died of consumption; in series 5 he recalls sitting by her bed for three months as she faded.

Which Shelby sibling was the eldest, born in 1887?

Arthur, born in 1887, is the eldest Shelby sibling; Tommy, the brains of the family, came about three years later, around 1890.

Which Yorkshire town's North Light Film Studios hosted filming for series one to four?

North Light Film Studios sits in Huddersfield, in a converted mill at Armitage Bridge; series 5 and 6 moved to Space Studios Manchester in West Gorton.

Which regional screen agency's funding meant most of Peaky Blinders was filmed outside Birmingham?

Screen Yorkshire's Yorkshire Content Fund backed the production, which is why a Birmingham story was shot mostly in Yorkshire, at sites such as Dalton Mills in Keighley.

Which open-air attraction in Dudley hosted many series one scenes?

The Black Country Living Museum in Dudley, opened in 1978 with rebuilt historic buildings, doubled for Birmingham's streets and canal-side in series 1 and later series.

Which comedian was falsely rumoured to be playing Adolf Hitler in series six?

Rowan Atkinson was reported in 2020 to be playing Hitler in series 6, a story the producers dismissed as 'completely false'.

Which two names surged in UK popularity in 2018, a rise the ONS linked to the show?

The ONS linked the 2018 rises of Arthur and Ada to Peaky Blinders: Arthur re-entered the boys' top ten for the first time since the 1920s and Ada climbed sharply.

Which US rapper did Steven Knight name as 'such a fan' of the show?

Snoop Dogg, Knight said, was 'such a fan' that he sought out a meeting in London to talk about how the show echoed his own gang past.

Which studio developed the 2020 video game Peaky Blinders: Mastermind?

FuturLab, the Brighton studio behind Velocity 2X, developed Peaky Blinders: Mastermind, published by Curve Digital in 2020; Maze Theory made the VR game The King's Ransom in 2023.

Which dance company staged The Redemption of Thomas Shelby in 2022?

Rambert's Peaky Blinders: The Redemption of Thomas Shelby premiered at the Birmingham Hippodrome in 2022, choreographed by the company's artistic director Benoit Swan Pouffer.

Who directed the 2026 film Peaky Blinders: The Immortal Man?

Tom Harper, who had directed three episodes of series 1, returned to direct The Immortal Man; Steven Knight wrote it, as he did every episode of the series.

Which band's 'Red Right Hand' serves as the Peaky Blinders theme song?

Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds took the title from Milton's Paradise Lost, where it refers to God's vengeful hand; the song also runs through the Scream films.

'Red Right Hand' was released as a single from which 1994 album?

Let Love In, released in April 1994, carries Red Right Hand alongside Do You Love Me? and Loverman; Red Right Hand followed them as a single later that year.

Nick Cave said the town in 'Red Right Hand' is a reconstructed version of which place?

He filled a whole notebook with maps and sketches of the town while writing it.

Which of the first six Scream films is the only one NOT to feature 'Red Right Hand'?

Scream 4 (2011) is the one entry without it; the song runs through the other five, including a re-recorded version with new lyrics for Scream 3.

What does Tommy name the filly he buys at auction in series 2?

Grace's Secret is the filly Tommy buys at auction in series 2 and names for the barmaid he lost; her training draws him into the world of the racing aristocracy.

Which rival gang did the real Peaky Blinders beat for territory in Birmingham?

'Slogger' was a boxing term for someone who could strike a heavy blow.

Which Birmingham historian believes 'Peaky Blinders' referred to the gang's dapper style?

Carl Chinn, the Birmingham historian who wrote a history of the gang, argues the name came from their peaked caps and 'blinder', Brummie slang for something strikingly smart.

Which police constable was killed by the real Peaky Blinders in 1897?

PC George Snipe was killed by gang members in 1897 during one of the assaults on police that the press called 'constable baiting'.

Who is named as the most powerful member of the real Peaky Blinders?

Kevin Mooney, born Thomas Gilbert, is named as the most powerful member of the real gang, alongside Harry Fowles, Ernest Haynes and Stephen McNickle.

Which Irish police chief was contracted in 1899 to enforce the law in Birmingham?

Charles Haughton Rafter, a Royal Irish Constabulary officer, became Birmingham's chief constable in 1899 and led the push that broke the gangs, though corruption and bribery blunted his efforts for a time.

Peaky Blinders star Cillian Murphy won the Academy Award for Best Actor for which role?

J. Robert Oppenheimer, in Christopher Nolan's 2023 film, won Murphy the Oscar after years of supporting turns in Nolan's Dark Knight trilogy, Inception and Dunkirk.

Cillian Murphy made his professional debut in which 1996 Enda Walsh play?

Disco Pigs, Enda Walsh's 1996 two-hander, gave Murphy his professional debut as 'Pig' in Cork; he reprised the role in Kirsten Sheridan's 2001 film adaptation.

Cillian Murphy was born in which Cork suburb?

Douglas, a southern suburb of Cork city, is Murphy's birthplace; he grew up nearby in Ballintemple and as a teen fronted a band, The Sons of Mr. Green Genes, with his brother Páidi.

Steven Knight is one of three creators of which global game show?

Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?, which Knight devised with David Briggs and Mike Whitehill, launched on ITV in 1998 and went on to be licensed in well over 100 countries.

Before Peaky Blinders, Steven Knight was best known for Dirty Pretty Things and which screenplay?

Eastern Promises, David Cronenberg's 2007 thriller about London's Russian mafia with Viggo Mortensen, was Knight's script; he also wrote and directed Locke, starring Tom Hardy.

What was Steven Knight's father's trade?

Knight was born in Birmingham in 1959 and studied English at UCL.

What is the name of the Birmingham studio complex Steven Knight opened in 2024?

Digbeth Loc. Studios opened in 2024 and became the new home of MasterChef, moving the BBC show from London to Birmingham.

Where is Alfie Solomons revealed to be living in series five after surviving being shot?

Margate: Tommy finds Alfie alive in a seafront house there in series 5, his face scarred from the shot on the beach, and the two reach an uneasy understanding.

Sophie Rundle played Ann Walker in which BBC period drama?

Gentleman Jack cast Sophie Rundle as Ann Walker, Anne Lister's wife in all but law, opposite Suranne Jones; in Happy Valley she had been rookie PC Kirsten McAskill.

Finn Cole, who plays Michael Gray, starred as Joshua 'J' Cody in which TNT series?

Animal Kingdom, TNT's crime drama based on the Australian film, starred Finn Cole as J Cody for six seasons; he also played young Jakob Toretto in F9.

Joe Cole won Best Actor at the 2018 British Independent Film Awards for which film?

A Prayer Before Dawn, in which Cole plays boxer Billy Moore in a Thai prison, won him the 2018 BIFA for Best Actor; he also played Sean Wallace in Gangs of London.

Anya Taylor-Joy, who plays Gina Gray in Peaky Blinders, won a Golden Globe for which miniseries?

The Queen's Gambit's Beth Harmon brought her the Golden Globe and SAG Award; she later played Imperator Furiosa in the 2024 Mad Max prequel.

Luca Changretta actor Adrien Brody became the youngest Best Actor winner at what age?

Adrien Brody was 29 when The Pianist won him Best Actor in 2003, the youngest winner in the category's history to that point, and he won a second for The Brutalist in 2025.

Stephen Graham won three Emmys at the 77th ceremony for which 2025 miniseries?

Adolescence, the one-take Netflix drama Graham co-created with Jack Thorne, brought him 2025 Emmys as lead actor, writer and executive producer of the limited series.

What was the real Darby Sabini's birth surname?

Handley: Darby Sabini was born Ottavio Handley in London's Little Italy in 1888 and took his Italian father's surname; he was known as 'king of the racecourse gangs'.

In what year did the real Oswald Mosley found the British Union of Fascists?

Mosley founded the British Union of Fascists in October 1932 after his New Party flopped; it was banned in 1940, and the 1936 Battle of Cable Street blocked one of its marches.

The real Jessie Eden is most famous for leading how many households in the 1939 Birmingham rent strike?

Around 49,000 households joined the 1939 Birmingham rent strike Jessie Eden led, inside the 40,000-to-50,000 band; in 1931 she had led an unprecedented strike of 10,000 women factory workers.

Which dub poet played the preacher Jeremiah 'Jimmy' Jesus across all six series?

Benjamin Zephaniah, the Birmingham-raised dub poet, played the street preacher Jeremiah Jesus in every series; his 1982 album Rasta featured the Wailers' first recording after Bob Marley's death.

Grace Burgess actress Annabelle Wallis previously played which of Henry VIII's wives in The Tudors?

Jane Seymour was Wallis's role in series 3 of The Tudors; she later starred in the horror film Annabelle and the 2017 The Mummy.

Lizzie Shelby actress Natasha O'Keeffe played the Forsaken Lanfear in which Amazon fantasy series?

The Wheel of Time cast O'Keeffe as Lanfear, the Forsaken who stalks Rand, from its second season; she also appeared as Emilia Ricoletti in the Sherlock special 'The Abominable Bride'.

May Carleton actress Charlotte Riley met Tom Hardy on the set of which 2009 adaptation?

Wuthering Heights, ITV's 2009 two-parter, cast Riley as Cathy opposite Hardy's Heathcliff; the pair married in 2014.

Kate Phillips, Linda Shelby in Peaky Blinders, led which Victorian-era crime drama from 2020?

Miss Scarlet and The Duke's Eliza Scarlet is Phillips's lead role; she first broke through as Jane Seymour in Wolf Hall.