Peaky Blinders: Exploring the origins of the name and the authentic Birmingham crime story

The title of the show Peaky Blinders, created by Steven Knight, may seem self-evident, but the true meaning behind the moniker may surprise many. The sixth and last season of the series concluded in 2022, bringing the program's nine-year run to a close. Even though this iconic program may have concluded, a Peaky Blinders film is now in development that will feature the Shelby clan's big-screen debut.

"Peaky Blinders" was a real-life Birmingham-based criminal organization founded and active between the 1880s to 1910s. The members of the gang wore flat caps and had a distinct style of attire.

The name of the show “Peaky Blinders” originates from a habit of the real Shelby brothers which involved stitching disposable razor blades into the tops of their flat caps.

As rumours had it, the thugs used razors to attack their victims by giving them a headbutt. The real group existed in the 1890s, they went so far as to be confident and claim credit for a vicious attack by identifying themselves as the "Small Heath Peaky Blinders" sending letters to British media.

The criminal group's narrative in the series has been highly fictionalised to create that dramatic effect, but it still bears intriguing historical parallels having taken inspiration from the original “Peaky Blinders”. Cillian Murphy plays war hero Thomas Shelby in the criminal drama that centres on the Shelby family that went on to air on BBC and later on Netflix.

The story proceeds as Shelby leverages his outsider position and knowledge to plan significant power moves in Birmingham and beyond. Tommy is a cunning and fashionable man who will kill to get what he wants or to gain power.

As the spokesperson for the show, he depicts the look and core values of the actual group.

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What is the meaning of Peaky Blinders?

As we look into the meaning of “Peaky Blinders” we notice that Peaky identifies the peaked caps that all the young men in the organisation wore to distinguish themselves from the crowd. Blinders is a slang in Birmingham used for striking men as the criminal organisation comprised of young men.

The term gained notoriety despite its unknown origins. Still, there is a widely acceptable theory after the release of the series.

Some people think it started because of the barbarous custom of sewing razor blades into the top of their caps. However, this may be a more fanciful hypothesis given that others argue that disposable razor blades were not a luxury item at the time.

Poverty was the main cause behind the origins of these gangs, which involved young street boys who got into small crimes to make money.

Is Thomas Shelby a real person?

The BBC drama has captivated our attention by portraying Thomas “Tommy” Shelby, a Birmingham gang leader played by Cillian Murphy, and his stormy and brutal ascent to prominence. But Tommy Shelby did not exist in real life.

Thomas Shelby’s character is most notably influenced by Kevin Mooney aka Thomas Gilbert. Gilbert was known to change his last name multiple times.

The actual story behind the real group of men remains unknown, but most men indulged in petty theft, robbery and assaults, they did not indulge in high-level crimes as depicted in the series.

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How is Netflix’s Peaky Blinders different from the original crime stories from Birmingham?

The 2013 British TV series narrates the tale of the eponymous criminal gang. In the 1920s and 1930s, the Shelby brothers rule Birmingham under the direction of Thomas Shelby. Using violence, threats, extortion, and illicit trafficking, they strengthen their hold on the city.

The show vacillates between alternate reality and revisionist history. The series is based on true characters and events that took place in the 1890s.

But all events do not depict the actual events from history, the Real Peaky Blinders weren’t a highly organised criminal group, but involved themselves in theft, robberies, fights and mugging.

The Shelby family shown in Netflix’s series was also a myth. The real members of the group comprised multiple distinct gangs and were not tied to each other. Even though Knight used a great deal of artistic license, his depiction of Victorian England and the industrial cities at the beginning of the century was frighteningly true, and the organisation was a serious threat at one point.

The real-life Peaky Blinders did not have the means to dress fashionably as shown in the series. The events shown in the series take place in a glamorous society, but the original group originated from poverty during the late 19th century.