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How real were the Peaky Blinders?
Published : Thursday, 10 September, 2026 at 5:31 PM
Hasibul Islam
Collected Photo
The Peaky Blinders were a real street gang in Birmingham, but the powerful Shelby family and its leader Tommy Shelby, portrayed in the hit TV series, are largely fictional.
Historical records show that a gang known as the Peaky Blinders operated in Birmingham, particularly around Small Heath, during the 1890s.
According to Birmingham City Council, the gang was part of the city’s street-gang culture and was associated with violence and crime. Historical accounts mention the use of weapons including knives, stones, belts and heavy footwear during clashes.
But there is no evidence that Thomas “Tommy” Shelby existed as portrayed in the series. The Shelby family, their criminal empire and their political ambitions were created for the television drama.
Series creator Steven Knight has said the show was partly inspired by stories he heard from his family about Birmingham’s gangs. He combined those accounts with the city’s social history to create the fictional Shelby family.
The timeline also differs from history. The series begins in 1919, while historical references place the real Peaky Blinders in Birmingham mainly during the 1890s.
The show does, however, incorporate real historical figures and events. Oswald Mosley, for example, was a real British politician, while the industrial setting and social tensions depicted in the series reflect aspects of post-World War I Britain.
So, while the name Peaky Blinders has a genuine historical origin, Tommy Shelby and the Shelby family are products of fiction making the series a historical crime drama inspired by reality rather than a true story.
-HIS
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Published by the Editor on behalf of the Observer Ltd. from Globe Printers, 24/A, New Eskaton Road, Ramna, Dhaka.
Editorial, News and Commercial Offices : Aziz Bhaban (2nd floor), 93, Motijheel C/A, Dhaka-1000.
Phone: PABX- 41053001-06; Advertisement: 41053012; 01793317829, 01550707291, E-mail: [email protected], [email protected] Online: email: [email protected] 41053014; 01550707297 Advertisement: 01550707296
