Peaky Blinders: Revealing the truth behind Tommy Shelby’s empire; What is real and what is fantasy? | –

with Peaky Blinders: The Immortal Man It’s now streaming on Netflix and a new sequel series is already in development for a possible release in 2027. Peaky Blinders He is back at the center of attention. The film revisits Tommy Shelby in wartime Britain, while the upcoming series is set to take the story into the 1950s with a new generation of the Shelby family. But the renewed spotlight has revived a question that has followed the series since its inception: How true is Peaky Blinders, and how much of it was made for television? The answer lies somewhere in between. The world of the Shelby family draws from real people, real places, and real tensions, but reshapes them into something far more cohesive and expansive than what existed.

The world of the series, and where it fits into the movie

The original series followed Tommy Shelby, played by Cillian Murphy, as a World War I veteran, as he built a criminal empire in post-war Birmingham.

Over the course of its journey, the story expanded from street-level betting operations to political influence, international dealings, and confrontations with fascism. The 2026 film moves this timeline to World War II. It finds an older and largely isolated Tommy, living in isolation as the Blitz reshapes Britain. The central conflict is no longer just about control of land or businesses, but rather about inheritance.

His son Duke’s growing role in the family business draws him back in, pitting him against new threats, including Nazi-linked forces, while forcing him to reckon with the consequences of his past decisions.

This shift is important because it highlights how the series itself has evolved. What began as a story centered on local crime expands into something broader and more symbolic, spanning decades and historical moments.

The planned sequel series, set in the 1950s and created by Steven Knight, will continue this trajectory, focusing on a new generation rather than repeating Tommy’s rise.

What was the real Peaky Blinders series like?

The real Peaky Blinders were not a single family, nor were they a unified or centrally organized criminal enterprise. The name refers to a loose group of street gangs that operated in Birmingham in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, especially in working-class areas such as the Bordesley and Small Heath.

These were neighborhood-based groups, formed by local conditions rather than by any overarching structure or leadership.Most of its members were young, mostly teenagers or men in their early twenties, and grew up in areas characterized by overcrowding, poverty, and limited opportunities. Their activities reflected that environment. They were involved in street-level violence, fights with rival groups, theft, intimidation, and small-scale gambling scams.

These were not coordinated operations across cities or regions, but rather local actions, often opportunistic and limited in scope.

There is no evidence that they ran anything resembling the organized hierarchical organization depicted in Peaky Blinders. They did not control large betting networks, run protection operations or run long-term criminal enterprises extending beyond their immediate surroundings.

By the 1920s, groups such as the Birmingham Boys had already overtaken them, and the Sabini Gang subsequently became dominant in organized crime, especially around racetracks.

Style and identity, what the show gets right

Where the series aligns most closely with history is in how these men present themselves. The real Peaky Blinders were known for their appearance, and that reputation is an important part of their historical identity. They wore clothing that set them apart, with jackets, waistcoats, low-waisted trousers, silk scarves, and steel-topped shoes all part of their look.

Their high hats, worn at an angle, became their trademark.It is widely understood that the name itself derives from this style: “Peaky” is in reference to hats, and “Blinder” is local Birmingham slang referring to someone who is eye-catching or well-dressed. Their clothes were not casual. It was a deliberate assertion of identity and status in an environment in which both were limited.

One of the most persistent elements of the show, the idea that razor blades were sewn into those hats, does not hold up historically.

Historian Carl Chain addressed this directly, noting in the Birmingham Mail that razor blades had only begun to become popular in the 1890s and were considered a luxury item. He noted that it was impractical and unlikely for street gangs to use them in this way, adding that embedding the blade into the soft fabric of the hood would not provide the control or strength required in combat.

He points out that the image belongs more to later storytelling than to the period itself.

The characters, who’s real and who’s not

The Shelby family, Tommy Shelby, Arthur, John and Polly, is, unfortunately, not found in the historical record. They are fictional creations created for Peaky Blinders, although elements of their world are drawn from true novels. Steven Knight said the idea came in part from stories his parents told about Birmingham, including relatives connected to the Sheldon family, who were involved in illegal horse betting at a time when such activity was not permitted.Around this fictional core, the series places a number of real historical figures, many of whom played central roles in British organized crime or politics during the late 19th and early 20th centuries.Billy Kemper is portrayed in the series as the Shelby family’s main rival, and was in fact one of the most powerful crime bosses in England. He led the Birmingham Boys (also known as the Promagim Boys), a group that dominated racetrack betting and protection rackets.

Unlike the show, where his story ends with a violent confrontation, Kemper died after a long illness.

Alfred Solomon is the real-life character behind Alfie Solomons, who in the series played a volatile Jewish gang leader operating in London. While heavily stylized, the historical figure was actually involved in criminal activity linked to racetracks and security nets.

Darby Sabini, portrayed as another rival, was an Italian-born real crime boss who led the Sabini gang.

He clashed with Kemper and his organization over control of racetrack betting, and his group eventually became one of the dominant forces in the field as the previous gangs declined.

The series also features major political figures. Oswald Mosley emerges as a rising political force allied with fascism in Britain. He was the founder and leader of the British Union of Fascists, and during World War II, he was arrested by the British government as a threat to national security.

His wife Diana Moseley is also pictured. She came from an aristocratic family, shared her husband’s political views, and was also interned during the war. Historical records show that the British authorities considered her a greater security risk than her husband.

Other real-life characters also appear across the series’ timeline, including Winston Churchill, who is depicted at various stages of his political career.

Churchill, of course, was a central figure in British politics, and later served as Prime Minister during World War II.These individuals are drawn from real history, but the series places them in direct and sustained interaction with the fictional Shelby family. In fact, there’s no indication that these characters ever crossed paths in the way the show is presented. The tables are being rearranged Their temporalities, their relationships and their conflicts are intensified to fit a single narrative thread, bringing together people who worked in overlapping but not necessarily connected worlds.

Crime and volume, the bigger the difference

The most important departure from history lies in the scale of operations.

In the series, the Peaky Blinders are depicted as a sophisticated and expanding criminal organization, moving into illegal betting networks, protection rackets, political influence, and even international dealings.There is no historical basis for this level of organization or access.The true peaky blinders remained local and fragmented. Their activities did not extend to national networks or sustainable institutions, and they had no influence on industries or political structures.

Their presence was linked to specific neighborhoods and limited forms of crime. As organized crime in Britain developed into more organized systems – particularly in relation to racetracks and betting – it was other groups, not the Peaky Blinders, that dominated.

Where history ends and the series begins

What the series draws from history is specific and recognizable: the existence of street gangs in Birmingham, their distinctive style, the presence of characters like Billy Kemper, and the social conditions that shaped those environments.Beyond that, the central elements of the story, the Shelby family, their continued rise, the scale of their operations, and their longevity in the decades that followed, were created on screen. The series collects real names, places and parts of history, but arranges them into a continuous narrative that did not exist in this form.