''Peaky Blinders'' is a British

period Period may refer to: Common uses * Era, a length or span of time * Full stop (or period), a punctuation mark Arts, entertainment, and media * Period (music), a concept in musical composition * Periodic sentence (or rhetorical period), a concept ...

crime drama Crime films, in the broadest sense, is a film genre inspired by and analogous to the crime fiction literary genre. Films of this genre generally involve various aspects of crime and its detection. Stylistically, the genre may overlap and combine ...

television series created by

Steven Knight Steven Knight (born 1 April 1959) is a British screenwriter, film director and film producer. Knight wrote the screenplays for the films ''Closed Circuit'', '' Dirty Pretty Things'', and ''Eastern Promises'', and also wrote and directed the f ...

. Set in

Birmingham Birmingham ( ) is a city and metropolitan borough in the metropolitan county of West Midlands in England. It is the second-largest city in the United Kingdom with a population of 1.145 million in the city proper, 2.92 million in the West ...

England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...

, it follows the exploits of the Peaky Blinders crime gang in the direct aftermath of the

First World War World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

. The fictional gang is loosely based on a real urban youth gang of the same name who were active in the city from the 1880s to the 1910s. It features an

ensemble cast In a dramatic production, an ensemble cast is one that is composed of multiple principal actors and performers who are typically assigned roughly equal amounts of screen time.Random House: ensemble acting Linked 2013-07-17 Structure In contrast to ...

led by

Cillian Murphy Cillian Murphy (; born 25 May 1976) is an Irish actor. Originally the lead singer, guitarist, and lyricist of the rock band The Sons of Mr. Green Genes, he turned down a record deal in the late 1990s and began acting on stage and in short an ...

, starring as

Tommy Shelby Thomas Michael Shelby is a fictional character born in 1890 in Birmingham, England, and the main protagonist in the British period crime drama ''Peaky Blinders''. He is played by Irish actor Cillian Murphy, who has won an Irish Film & Televisio ...

Helen McCrory Helen Elizabeth McCrory (17 August 1968 – 16 April 2021) was an English actress. After studying at the Drama Centre London, she made her stage debut in ''The Importance of Being Earnest'' in 1990. Other stage roles include playing Lady Macbe ...

as Elizabeth "Polly" Gray, Paul Anderson as Arthur Shelby,

Sophie Rundle Sophie Rundle (born 21 April 1988) is an English actress, best known for portraying Ada Thorne in the BBC One historical crime drama television series ''Peaky Blinders'', Ann Walker in BBC One and HBO's period drama '' Gentleman Jack'', Vicky B ...

as Ada Shelby, and

Joe Cole Joseph John Cole (born 8 November 1981) is an English football coach and former professional footballer who played as an attacking midfielder or winger in the Premier League, Ligue 1, League One and United Soccer League. He is regarded as on ...

as John Shelby, the gang's senior members.

Sam Neill Sir Nigel John Dermot "Sam" Neill (born 14 September 1947) is a New Zealand actor. Neill's near-50 year career has included leading roles in both dramas and blockbusters. Considered an "international leading man", he has been regarded as one o ...

Annabelle Wallis Annabelle Wallis (born 5 September 1984) is an English actress. She is known for her roles as Jane Seymour in Showtime's period drama ''The Tudors'' (2009–2010), Grace Burgess in the BBC drama ''Peaky Blinders'' (2013–2022), Mia Form in th ...

Iddo Goldberg Iddo Goldberg ( he, עדו גולדברג; born 5 August 1975) is an Israeli-British actor born in Israel. He is known for his roles as Ben in ''Secret Diary of a Call Girl'', Freddie Thorne in ''Peaky Blinders'', Isaac Walton in '' Salem'' and ...

, Tom Hardy, Charlotte Riley,

Finn Cole Finlay Lewis J. Cole is an English actor from Kingston, London. He is known for his role in the BBC series ''Peaky Blinders'' as Michael Gray. He is currently starring as Joshua "J" Cody in TNT's '' Animal Kingdom'', and played young Jakob Tor ...

Natasha O'Keeffe Natasha Dervill O'Keeffe (born 1 December 1986) is a British actress. She is known for her roles as Abbey in the E4 series '' Misfits'' (2012–2013), Fedora in the ITV series '' Jekyll and Hyde'' (2015), Emilia Ricoletti in the '' Sherlock' ...

Paddy Considine Patrick George Considine (born 5 September 1973) is an English actor, director, and screenwriter. He frequently collaborates with filmmaker/director Shane Meadows. He has received two British Academy Film Awards, three Evening Standard Britis ...

Adrien Brody Adrien Nicholas Brody (born April 14, 1973) is an American actor. He received widespread recognition and acclaim after starring as Władysław Szpilman in Roman Polanski's '' The Pianist'' (2002), for which he won the Academy Award for Best Acto ...

Aidan Gillen Aidan Murphy (born 24 April 1968), better known as Aidan Gillen (), is an Irish actor. He is the recipient of three Irish Film & Television Awards and has been nominated for a British Academy Television Award, a British Independent Film Award, a ...

, Anya Taylor-Joy,

Sam Claflin Samuel George Claflin (born 27 June 1986) is an English actor. After graduating from the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art in 2009, he began his acting career on television and had his first film role as Philip Swift in '' Pirates of t ...

Amber Anderson Amber Felicity Rose Anderson (born 5 March 1992) is a British actress, pianist and model. On television, she is known for her roles as Ciara Porter in the crime drama ''Strike'' (2017) and Diana Mitford in the sixth series of ''Peaky Blinders'' ...

James Frecheville James Aitken Frecheville (; born 14 April 1991) is an Australian actor known for his lead role in the Australian film '' Animal Kingdom'' as Joshua "J" Cody, a confused teenager and youngest member of a criminal family in Melbourne's underworld. ...

, and

Stephen Graham Stephen Joseph Graham (born 3 August 1973) is a British actor. He is best known for playing Andrew "Combo" Gascoigne in the film ''This Is England'' (2006) and its television sequels ''This Is England '86'' (2010), '' This Is England '88'' ( ...

are also starring. It premiered on 12 September 2013, telecast on

BBC Two BBC Two is a British free-to-air public broadcast television network owned and operated by the BBC. It covers a wide range of subject matter, with a remit "to broadcast programmes of depth and substance" in contrast to the more mainstream an ...

until the fourth series (with repeats on

BBC Four BBC Four is a British free-to-air public broadcast television channel owned and operated by the BBC. It was launched on 2 March 2002

), then moved to

BBC One BBC One is a British free-to-air public broadcast television network owned and operated by the BBC. It is the corporation's flagship network and is known for broadcasting mainstream programming, which includes BBC News television bulletins, p ...

for the fifth and sixth series.

Netflix Netflix, Inc. is an American subscription video on-demand over-the-top streaming service and production company based in Los Gatos, California. Founded in 1997 by Reed Hastings and Marc Randolph in Scotts Valley, California, it offers a fil ...

, under a deal with Weinstein Company and Endemol, acquired the rights to release the show in the United States and around the world. In January 2021, it was announced that the sixth series would be the last, followed by a spinoff film. The final series was broadcast in 2022.

Overview

''Peaky Blinders'' is a crime drama centred on a family of mixed

Irish Traveller Irish Travellers ( ga, an lucht siúil, meaning "the walking people"), also known as Pavees or Mincéirs (Shelta: Mincéirí), are a traditionally peripatetic indigenous ethno-cultural group in Ireland.''Questioning Gypsy identity: ethnic na ...

and

Romani Romani may refer to: Ethnicities * Romani people, an ethnic group of Northern Indian origin, living dispersed in Europe, the Americas and Asia ** Romani genocide, under Nazi rule * Romani language, any of several Indo-Aryan languages of the Roma ...

origins based in

, England, starting in 1919, several months after the end of the First World War. It centres on the

Peaky Blinders The Peaky Blinders were a street gang based in Birmingham, England, which operated from the 1880s until the 1910s. The group consisted largely of young criminals from lower- to middle-class backgrounds. They engaged in robbery, violence, racke ...

street gang and their ambitious, cunning

crime boss A crime boss, also known as a crime lord, Don, gang lord, gang boss, mob boss, kingpin, godfather, crime mentor or criminal mastermind, is a person in charge of a criminal organization. Description A crime boss typically has absolute or nearl ...

Tommy Shelby (Murphy). The gang comes to the attention of

Major Major (commandant in certain jurisdictions) is a military rank of commissioned officer status, with corresponding ranks existing in many military forces throughout the world. When used unhyphenated and in conjunction with no other indicators ...

Chester Campbell (Neill), a

detective chief inspector Chief inspector (Ch Insp) is a rank used in police forces which follow the British model. In countries outside Britain, it is sometimes referred to as chief inspector of police (CIP). Usage by country Australia The rank of chief inspector is use ...

in the

Royal Irish Constabulary The Royal Irish Constabulary (RIC, ga, Constáblacht Ríoga na hÉireann; simply called the Irish Constabulary 1836–67) was the police force in Ireland from 1822 until 1922, when all of the country was part of the United Kingdom. A separate ...

sent over by

Winston Churchill Sir Winston Leonard Spencer Churchill (30 November 187424 January 1965) was a British statesman, soldier, and writer who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom twice, from 1940 to 1945 Winston Churchill in the Second World War, dur ...

from

Belfast Belfast ( , ; from ga, Béal Feirste , meaning 'mouth of the sand-bank ford') is the capital and largest city of Northern Ireland, standing on the banks of the River Lagan on the east coast. It is the 12th-largest city in the United Kingdo ...

, where he had been sent to clean up the city of the

Irish Republican Army The Irish Republican Army (IRA) is a name used by various paramilitary organisations in Ireland throughout the 20th and 21st centuries. Organisations by this name have been dedicated to irredentism through Irish republicanism, the belief tha ...

flying column A flying column is a small, independent, military land unit capable of rapid mobility and usually composed of all arms. It is often an ''ad hoc'' unit, formed during the course of operations. The term is usually, though not necessarily, appli ...

s, the

Communist Party of Great Britain The Communist Party of Great Britain (CPGB) was the largest communist organisation in Britain and was founded in 1920 through a merger of several smaller Marxist groups. Many miners joined the CPGB in the 1926 general strike. In 1930, the CPG ...

, street gangs, and common criminals. Winston Churchill (played by

Andy Nyman Andrew Nyman (born 13 April 1966) is an English actor, director, writer and magician. Early life and career Nyman was born on 13 April 1966 in Leicester, Leicestershire. His first noteworthy performance was in 2000 as Keith Whitehead in '' Dead ...

in series 1 and

Richard McCabe Richard McCabe (born William McCabe; 18 August 1960) is a Scottish actor who has specialised in classical theatre. He is an Associate Artist of the Royal Shakespeare Company (RSC). Career McCabe is an Associate Artist of the Royal Shakespeare ...

in series 2) charges him with suppressing disorder and uprising in Birmingham and recovering a stolen cache of arms meant to be shipped to

Libya Libya (; ar, ليبيا, Lībiyā), officially the State of Libya ( ar, دولة ليبيا, Dawlat Lībiyā), is a country in the Maghreb region in North Africa. It is bordered by the Mediterranean Sea to the north, Egypt to Egypt–Libya bo ...

. The first series concludes on 3 December 1919—"Black Star Day", the event where the Peaky Blinders plan to take over Billy Kimber's betting pitches at the Worcester Races. The second series has the Peaky Blinders expand their criminal organisation in the "South and North while maintaining a stronghold in their Birmingham heartland". It begins in 1921 and ends with a climax at

Epsom racecourse Epsom Downs is a Grade 1 racecourse on the hills associated with Epsom in Surrey, England which is used for thoroughbred horse racing. The "Downs" referred to in the name are part of the North Downs. The course, which has a crowd capacity of 13 ...

on 31 May 1922, Derby Day. The third series takes place in 1924, following Tommy and the gang as they enter an even more dangerous world by expanding once again, this time internationally. The third series also features Father John Hughes (

), who is involved in an anti-communist organisation; Ruben Oliver (

Alexander Siddig Siddig El Tahir El Fadil El Siddig Abdurrahman Mohammed Ahmed Abdel Karim El Mahdi (born 21 November 1965) is a Sudanese-born English actor and director known professionally as Siddig El Fadil and subsequently as Alexander Siddig. Siddig i ...

), a painter whom Polly enlists to paint her portrait; Russian Grand Duchess Tatiana Petrovna (

Gaite Jansen Gaite Sara Kim Jansen (born 25 December 1991) is a Dutch actress born in Rotterdam, the Netherlands. Life and career Jansen received her professional training at the Maastricht Academy of Dramatic Arts. At age 12, she was awarded the Best Act ...

); and Linda Shelby (

Kate Phillips Kate Phillips (born 21 May 1989) is a British actress. She became famous for her role as Jane Seymour in the successful miniseries ''Wolf Hall'' (2015). She subsequently appeared in the miniseries '' War & Peace'' (2016), the first season of th ...

), new wife of Arthur. The fourth series begins on

Christmas Eve Christmas Eve is the evening or entire day before Christmas Day, the festival commemorating the birth of Jesus. Christmas Day is observed around the world, and Christmas Eve is widely observed as a full or partial holiday in anticipation ...

1925, with the Peaky Blinders getting word that the

New York Mafia The Five Families refers to five major New York City organized crime families of the American Mafia, Italian American Mafia formed in 1931 by Salvatore Maranzano following his victory in the Castellammarese War. Maranzano reorganized the Italian ...

is coming to avenge the murders committed the previous season and ends following the general strike of May 1926, with Tommy using

Jessie Eden Jessie Eden (née Shrimpton; 24 February 1902 – 27 September 1986) was a British trade union leader and communist activist, most famous for leading between 40,000 to 50,000 households during the Birmingham rent-strike of 1939. She was also in ...

for information and being elected as a

Member of Parliament A member of parliament (MP) is the representative in parliament of the people who live in their electoral district. In many countries with bicameral parliaments, this term refers only to members of the lower house since upper house members of ...

in 1927. The fifth series runs two years later, from (

Black Tuesday The Wall Street Crash of 1929, also known as the Great Crash, was a major American stock market crash that occurred in the autumn of 1929. It started in September and ended late in October, when share prices on the New York Stock Exchange colla ...

), 29 October 1929, to 7 December 1929, the morning after a rally led by

British Union of Fascists The British Union of Fascists (BUF) was a British fascist political party formed in 1932 by Oswald Mosley. Mosley changed its name to the British Union of Fascists and National Socialists in 1936 and, in 1937, to the British Union. In 1939, fo ...

leader Sir

Oswald Mosley Sir Oswald Ernald Mosley, 6th Baronet (16 November 1896 – 3 December 1980) was a British politician during the 1920s and 1930s who rose to fame when, having become disillusioned with mainstream politics, he turned to fascism. He was a member ...

. The sixth series begins on 5 December 1933, as

prohibition Prohibition is the act or practice of forbidding something by law; more particularly the term refers to the banning of the manufacture, storage (whether in barrels or in bottles), transportation, sale, possession, and consumption of alcoholic ...

is repealed in the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...

. The

Nazi Party The Nazi Party, officially the National Socialist German Workers' Party (german: Nationalsozialistische Deutsche Arbeiterpartei or NSDAP), was a far-right politics, far-right political party in Germany active between 1920 and 1945 that crea ...

has obtained power in Germany, leading to a growth in membership of the

. Tommy must not only deal with Mosley but also with plots from the

Irish Mob The Irish Mob (also known as the Irish mafia or Irish organized crime) is a collective of organized crime syndicates composed of ethnic Irish members which operate primarily in Ireland, the United States, Canada and Australia, and have been in ...

as well as the

Anti-Treaty IRA The 1921 Anglo-Irish Treaty ( ga , An Conradh Angla-Éireannach), commonly known in Ireland as The Treaty and officially the Articles of Agreement for a Treaty Between Great Britain and Ireland, was an agreement between the government of the ...

Cast and characters

Main

as Thomas "Tommy" Shelby, the leader of the Peaky Blinders. *

as Chief Inspector/Major Chester Campbell (series 1–2), an

Ulster Protestant Ulster Protestants ( ga, Protastúnaigh Ultach) are an ethnoreligious group in the Irish province of Ulster, where they make up about 43.5% of the population. Most Ulster Protestants are descendants of settlers who arrived from Britain in the ...

policeman drafted from Belfast. *

as Elizabeth Pollyanna "Polly" Gray (series 1–5), née Shelby, the aunt of the Shelby siblings, and treasurer of the Peaky Blinders. * Paul Anderson as Arthur Shelby Jr., Tommy's best friend and eldest of the Shelby siblings. *

as Grace Shelby (series 1–3, 5), née Burgess, a former undercover agent, and Irish Protestant. She is Tommy's first wife and mother of his son Charles. *

as Freddie Thorne (series 1), a known

communist Communism (from Latin la, communis, lit=common, universal, label=none) is a far-left sociopolitical, philosophical, and economic ideology and current within the socialist movement whose goal is the establishment of a communist society, a s ...

who fought in the Great War and Ada's husband. *

as Ada Thorne, née Shelby, the only sister of the Shelby brothers. *

as John "Johnny" Shelby (series 1–4), the third-youngest Shelby brother and a member of the Peaky Blinders. *

Ned Dennehy Ned Dennehy (born 8 December 1965) is an Irish actor who has appeared in multiple films and television programmes. He is best known for his role as Mider in ''The Mystic Knights of Tir Na Nog''. He also appeared in ''Blitz'', ''Harry Potter and t ...

as Charlie Strong, owner of a boatyard and an uncle figure to the Shelby siblings. *

Benjamin Zephaniah Benjamin Obadiah Iqbal Zephaniah (born 15 April 1958)Gregory, Andy (2002), ''International Who's Who in Popular Music 2002'', Europa, p. 562. . is a British writer and dub poet. He was included in ''The Times'' list of Britain's top 50 post-wa ...

as Jeremiah 'Jimmy' Jesus, a preacher, and friend of the Peaky Blinders. * David Dawson as Roberts (series 1), Billy Kimber's accountant. *

(series 1),

(recurring series 2), and

Neil Maskell Neil Maskell (born 1976) is an English actor, writer and director who is known for his appearances in British crime and horror films such as '' The Football Factory'' and ''Kill List''. Early life Maskell was born in London. As a youth, he pl ...

(series 5–6) as

Charlie Creed-Miles Charlie Creed-Miles (born 24 March 1972) is an English actor and musician. Creed-Miles was born in Nottingham, and had his first starring screen role, aged 21, in ''The Punk'' (1993). His brief relationship with actress Samantha Morton Sam ...

as Billy Kimber (series 1), a local kingpin and leader of The Birmingham Boys who runs the local races. *

Tommy Flanagan Thomas Lee Flanagan (March 16, 1930 – November 16, 2001) was an American jazz pianist and composer. He grew up in Detroit, initially influenced by such pianists as Art Tatum, Teddy Wilson, and Nat King Cole, and then by bebop musicians. ...

as Arthur Shelby, Sr. (series 1), the father of the Shelby siblings and Polly's brother. *

Noah Taylor Noah George Taylor (born 4 September 1969) is a British-born Australian actor. He is best known for his roles as teenage David Helfgott in '' Shine'', Locke in the HBO series ''Game of Thrones'', Darby Sabini in the BBC One series ''Peaky Bli ...

as Darby Sabini (series 2), the leader of an

Italian Italian(s) may refer to: * Anything of, from, or related to the people of Italy over the centuries ** Italians, an ethnic group or simply a citizen of the Italian Republic or Italian Kingdom ** Italian language, a Romance language *** Regional Ita ...

gang in

Camden Town Camden Town (), often shortened to Camden, is a district of northwest London, England, north of Charing Cross. Historically in Middlesex, it is the administrative centre of the London Borough of Camden, and identified in the London Plan as o ...

. * Tom Hardy as Alfred "Alfie" Solomons (series 2–6), the leader of a Jewish gang in Camden Town. * Charlotte Riley as May Fitz Carleton (series 2, 4), a wealthy widow who owns racehorses. *

as Michael Gray (series 2–6), Polly's biological son. *

as Elizabeth "Lizzie" Shelby, née Stark (series 2–6; guest series 1), an ex-prostitute who worked for Tommy as his secretary. She is his second wife and the mother of his daughter Ruby. *

Aimee-Ffion Edwards Aimee-Ffion Edwards (born 21 November 1987) is a Welsh actress and singer. She is known for playing Sketch in '' Skins'', Esme Shelby in ''Peaky Blinders'', Sophie in '' Detectorists'' and Abi in '' Loaded''. She also had a starring voice role ...

as Esme Shelby-Lee (series 3–4, 6; recurring series 1–2), John's wife and a member of the Lee clan. *

as Princess Tatiana Petrovna (series 3), a Russian princess who has an affair with Tommy. *

as Ruben Oliver (series 3), a portrait artist in a romantic relationship with Polly. * Packy Lee as Johnny Dogs (series 3–6; recurring series 1-2), Tommy's

Gypsy The Romani (also spelled Romany or Rromani , ), colloquially known as the Roma, are an Indo-Aryan ethnic group, traditionally nomadic itinerants. They live in Europe and Anatolia, and have diaspora populations located worldwide, with sign ...

friend. * Jan Bijvoet as Arch Duke Leon Romanov (series 3), Tatiana's uncle. *

Dina Korzun Dianna Aleksandrovna "Dina" Korzun (russian: Диа́нна Алекса́ндровна "Ди́на" Ко́рзун; born 13 April 1971) is a Russian theater and film actress. Life and career Dina Korzun was born in Smolensk. She graduated from ...

as Grand Duchess Izabella Petrovna (series 3), Tatiana's aunt. *

as Father John Hughes (series 3), a priest working with the anti-communist Section D (the Economic League) in the British government *

as Linda Shelby (series 4–6; recurring series 3), Arthur's wife who is a devout Christian. * Charlie Murphy as

(series 4–5), a union convenor and Tommy's lover. *

as Luca Changretta (series 4), a

New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States New York may also refer to: Film and television * '' ...

mafioso with a vendetta against the Peaky Blinders. * Ian Peck as Curly (series 4–6; recurring series 1–3), a horse expert and Charlie's assistant. * Jack Rowan as Bonnie Gold (series 4–5), Aberama's boxing champion son. *

as Aberama Gold (series 4–5), an ally of the Peaky Blinders and Polly's lover. * Anya Taylor-Joy as Gina Gray (series 5–6), Michael's American wife. *

Kingsley Ben-Adir Kingsley Ben-Adir (born 28 February 1986) is a British actor. He has performed in several plays in London theatres. He played pathologist Marcus Summer in ITV's detective drama ''Vera'' and private detective Karim Washington on the second seas ...

as Colonel Ben Younger (series 5; guest series 4), a young colonel who begins a relationship with Ada. He is also investigating socialist and fascist political activities. *

Sir Oswald Mosley Sir Oswald Ernald Mosley, 6th Baronet (16 November 1896 – 3 December 1980) was a British politician during the 1920s and 1930s who rose to fame when, having become disillusioned with mainstream politics, he turned to fascism. He was a member ...

(series 5–6), a

fascist Fascism is a far-right, Authoritarianism, authoritarian, ultranationalism, ultra-nationalist political Political ideology, ideology and Political movement, movement,: "extreme militaristic nationalism, contempt for electoral democracy and pol ...

politician and leader of the

. * Brian Gleeson as Jimmy McCavern (series 5), the leader of the Billy Boys, a Scottish Protestant gang. *

Kate Dickie Kate Dickie (born 1971) is a Scottish actress who has appeared in television series, stage plays and films. She is known for her television roles as Lex in the BBC series '' Tinsel Town'' (2000–2001) and Lysa Arryn in the HBO series '' Game ...

as Mother Superior (series 5), the head of a group of nuns. *

Andrew Koji Andrew Julian Hiroaki Koji (; born 10 November 1987) is a British actor and martial artist. He had his breakout role as Ah Sahm in the Cinemax series ''Warrior'' in 2019. Koji went on to play Storm Shadow in ''Snake Eyes'' (2021) and assassi ...

Brilliant Chang Brilliant (Billy) Chang (real name Chan Nan; born c. 1886, death date unknown) was a Chinese restaurateur and drug dealer who was implicated in supplying the drugs that killed Freda Kempton in 1922.opium Opium (or poppy tears, scientific name: ''Lachryma papaveris'') is dried latex obtained from the seed capsules of the opium poppy ''Papaver somniferum''. Approximately 12 percent of opium is made up of the analgesic alkaloid morphine, which i ...

smuggling. *

Cosmo Jarvis Harrison Cosmo Krikoryan Jarvis (born 1 September 1989) is a British actor, musician, and filmmaker. In 2015, he auditioned and was cast to portray the character of Sebastian in William Oldroyd's debut feature film ''Lady Macbeth'' (2016). Ea ...

as Barney Thomason (series 5), a WWI sniper who was Tommy's comrade and old friend and is locked in an insane asylum. * Alfie Evans-Meese (recurring series 1) and Harry Kirton (series 6; recurring series 2–5) as Finn Shelby, the youngest Shelby brother and a member of the Peaky Blinders. *

Charlene McKenna Charlene Lee McKenna ( ga, Searlaoin Nic Chionaoith; born 26 March 1984) is an Irish actress. She became a household name in Ireland after starring as Jennifer Jackson in the miniseries ''Pure Mule'' (2005). She appeared on Irish television in ' ...

as Laura McKee/ Captain Swing (series 6; guest series 5), an

IRA Ira or IRA may refer to: *Ira (name), a Hebrew, Sanskrit, Russian or Finnish language personal name *Ira (surname), a rare Estonian and some other language family name *Iran, UNDP code IRA Law *Indian Reorganization Act of 1934, US, on status of ...

leader from Belfast. *

Pauline Turner Pauline Turner is a Scottish actress, known for her role as Mary Graham on the BBC drama series '' Martin Chuzzlewit'' (1994), Frances on the BBC period drama series ''Peaky Blinders The Peaky Blinders were a street gang based in Birmingh ...

as Frances (series 6; recurring series 4–5), Tommy's housekeeper. *

Lady Diana Mitford ''Peaky Blinders'' is a British period crime drama television series created by Steven Knight. Set in Birmingham, it follows the exploits of the Peaky Blinders crime gang in the direct aftermath of the First World War. The fictional gang is loo ...

(series 6), Mosley's second wife, one of the aristocratic

Mitford sisters The Mitford family is an aristocratic English family, whose principal line had its seats at Mitford, Northumberland. Several heads of the family served as High Sheriff of Northumberland. A junior line, with seats at Newton Park, Northumberlan ...

and a Fascist socialite. *

as Jack Nelson (series 6), a south

Boston Boston (), officially the City of Boston, is the state capital and most populous city of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, as well as the cultural and financial center of the New England region of the United States. It is the 24th- mo ...

gang leader, Gina's uncle and Michael's boss in the

. Nelson is based on Joseph Kennedy, Sr. *

as Hayden Stagg (series 6), the union convenor for the workers at

Liverpool Liverpool is a city and metropolitan borough in Merseyside, England. With a population of in 2019, it is the 10th largest English district by population and its metropolitan area is the fifth largest in the United Kingdom, with a popul ...

docks. * Conrad Khan as Erasmus "Duke" Shelby (series 6), Tommy's first-born son from before the Great War. *

Jordan Bolger Jordan Bolger (born 9 November 1994) is an English actor. He has performed in television notably in Peaky Blinders, The 100 and The Book of Boba Fett. In film, he is known for side roles in Tom & Jerry and The Woman King. Early life and educati ...

(recurring series 2–4) and

Daryl McCormack Daryl McCormack (born 22 January 1993) is an Irish actor. He has appeared in the RTÉ One soap opera ''Fair City'' (2015–2016), the BBC series ''Peaky Blinders'' (2019–2022), and the Apple TV+ series '' Bad Sisters'' (2022). His films inclu ...

(series 6; recurring series 5) as Isiah Jesus, Jeremiah's son and a member of the Peaky Blinders. *

Emmett J. Scanlan Emmett John Scanlan (born 31 January 1979) is an Irish actor. He is best known for playing Brendan Brady in '' Hollyoaks''. He appeared in the BBC Two drama ''The Fall'' in 2013 and 2014, Peaky Blinders Series 5 and Series 6, and '' Breakdown' ...

as Billy Grade (series 6; recurring series 5), an ex-footballer turned singer and an ally to the Peaky Blinders.

Recurring

* Lobo Chan as Mr. Zhang (series 1), a business owner in Chinatown. * Neil Bell (series 1) as Harry Fenton, a former landlord and owner of the Garrison pub. * Samuel Edward-Cook as Danny "Whizz-Bang" Owen (series 1), Tommy's former comrade and a loyal member of the Peaky Blinders. *

Tony Pitts Anthony Pitts (born 10 October 1962) is an English actor, most notable for playing Archie Brooks in the long-running British soap ''Emmerdale Farm'' between 1983 and 1993. Early life Pitts was born in Sheffield, England. His family was wor ...

as Sergeant/Inspector Moss (series 1–4), a police officer from Birmingham. * Kevin Metcalfe as Scudboat (series 1–2), a henchman of the Peaky Blinders. * Jeffrey Postlethwaite as Henry (series 1–2), a Peaky Blinders henchman. * Matthew Postlethwaite as Nipper (series 1–2), a Peaky Blinders henchman. *

Simone Kirby Simone Kirby (born 28 October 1976) is an Irish people, Irish actress. She is probably best known for playing Oonagh in the Ken Loach film ''Jimmy's Hall''. Other credits include Irene O'Donnell in ''Peaky Blinders (TV series), Peaky Blinders'' ...

as Irene O'Donnell (series 2), a Pro-Treaty IRA member, who works with Donal Henry and Inspector Campbell to blackmail Tommy into carrying out an assassination. *

Rory Keenan Rory Keenan (born 9 June 1980) is an Irish actor. Career Primarily a stage actor, Keenan has worked extensively in theatre in London. He has worked in film and TV from a young age. Most has performed in the National Theatre's acclaimed produc ...

as Donal Henry (series 2), a spy who worked for the Irregulars against the Pro-Treaty IRA. * Adam El Hagar as Ollie (series 2), Alfie's assistant. *

Sam Hazeldine Samuel Hazeldine (born 29 March 1972) is an English actor working in film, television and theatre. He is the son of actors James Hazeldine. and Rebecca Moore. Early life Sam Hazeldine was born in Hammersmith, London. He is the son of actors ...

as Georgie Sewell (series 2), the right-hand man and consiglieri to Sabini. *

Wanda Opalinska Wanda Opalinska is an English-Polish actress, known for playing the part of Polish immigrant and Underworld factory worker Wiki Dankowska in the ITV soap opera ''Coronation Street''. Early life Opalinska went to drama school before studying Engl ...

as Rosemary Johnson (series 2, 4), Michael's foster mother, whom she named Henry. * Daniel Fearn as King Maine (series 2, 4), a boxing trainer in Birmingham who trains Arthur and Bonnie. * Paul Bullion as Billy Kitchen (series 2), a Black Countryman, who briefly worked as a Head Baker for Tommy and Alfie. *

Josh O'Connor Josh O'Connor (born in 1989/1990) is a British actor. He portrayed a young Charles III (Prince Charles) in the Netflix drama ''The Crown'' (2019–2020), for which he won the Golden Globe Award for Best Actor – Television Series Drama and th ...

as James (series 2), Ada's friend and housemate. *

Dorian Lough Dorian Tristan Lough (born 27 April 1966 in Kensington, London) is an English actor who appeared as DS Dave Satchell in ''Trial & Retribution''. He has also played Ray Taylor in ''EastEnders''. Lough is also known for starring in the music vide ...

as Mario (series 2), the owner of The Eden Club, ran by Sabini. * Allan Hopwood as Abbey Heath (series 2) * James Eeles as "The

Digbeth Digbeth is an area of Central Birmingham, England. Following the destruction of the Inner Ring Road, Digbeth is now considered a district within Birmingham City Centre. As part of the Big City Plan, Digbeth is undergoing a large redevelopment ...

Kid" Harold Hancox (series 2), an aspiring actor hired by the Peaky Blinders to get stood up and spend a week inside jail, only to be killed by Sabini's henchmen. * Erin Shanagher as Mrs. Ross (series 2, 4), a vengeful mother who dislikes Arthur for the death of her son. * George Gwyther (series 3) and Callum Booth-Ford (series 5–6) as Karl Thorne, the only child of Ada and Freddie. *

Stephanie Hyam Stephanie Hyam is a British actress and artist, notable for stage work including ''The James Plays'' (2014, Edinburgh International Festival and Royal National Theatre) and film and TV appearances including ''Their Finest'' (2017), ''Doctor Who'' ...

as Charlotte Murray (series 3), a wealthy girl, with whom Michael has a short affair. *

Kenneth Colley Kenneth Colley (born 7 December 1937) is an English film and television actor whose career spans over 60 years. He came to wider prominence through his role as Admiral Piett in the '' Star Wars'' films ''The Empire Strikes Back'' (1980) and '' ...

as Vicente Changretta (series 3), the father to Changretta and his brother Angel. *

Bríd Brennan Bríd Brennan (born 1955) is a Northern Irish actress who is known for her theatre work. She originated the role of Agnes in the Brian Friel play ''Dancing at Lughnasa'', for which she won the 1992 Tony Award for Best Featured Actress in a Play. ...

as Audrey Changretta (series 3–4), Changretta's mother, wife of Vicente Changretta and head of the Italian crime family in Birmingham, as part of being the enemy of the Peaky Blinders. *

Frances Tomelty Frances Tomelty (born 6 October 1948) is a Northern Irish actress whose numerous television credits include '' Strangers'' (1978–1979), ''Testament of Youth'' (1979), ''Inspector Morse'' (1988), '' Cracker'' (1993), ''The Amazing Mrs Pritchard ...

as Bethany Boswell (series 3), a wise old woman living in Wales, whom Tommy seeks out. *

Richard Brake Richard Colin Brake (born 30 November 1964) is a Welsh-American character actor, known for his supporting roles as Joe Chill in ''Batman Begins'' (2005), Doom-Head in '' 31'' (2016), and the chemist in '' Mandy'' (2018), as well as his lead role ...

as Anton Kaledin (series 3), a Russian refugee, who attempted to discuss business with Sabini and Tommy on Tommy and Grace's wedding day. *

Alex Macqueen Alexander Tulloch Macqueen (born 30 November 1973) is an English actor. He has appeared on television, film and radio in the UK in productions such as ''Holby City'', ''Doctor Who,'' ''Hut 33'', ''Peep Show'', ''The Thick of It'', ''Keeping Mu ...

as Patrick Jarvis MP (series 3), a Member of Parliament and also a member and representative of the Economic League, working with Father Hughes *

Ralph Ineson Ralph Michael Ineson (; born 15 December 1969) is an English actor and narrator. Known for his deep, rumbling, Yorkshire-accented voice, his most notable roles include William in ''The Witch'', Dagmer Cleftjaw in '' Game of Thrones'', Amycus Ca ...

as Connor Nutley (series 3), a Lancaster factory foreman. *

Peter Bankole Peter may refer to: People * List of people named Peter, a list of people and fictional characters with the given name * Peter (given name) ** Saint Peter (died 60s), apostle of Jesus, leader of the early Christian Church * Peter (surname), a su ...

as William Letso (series 3), a former diamond miner, a tunneler from the South African Labor Corps and Tommy's friend. *

Richard Dillane Richard Dillane (born 1964) is a British actor. He appears in a lead role of the Netflix series ''Young Wallander'', based on the character Kurt Wallander created by novelist Henning Mankell. He played British intelligence agent Peter Nicholls i ...

as General Curran (series 3), Grace's uncle. *

Dominic Coleman Dominic Andrew Coleman (born 29 January 1970 in Solihull, Warwickshire) is a British actor. He went to secondary school at Tudor Grange Academy Solihull which then led him to train at Leeds University's Bretton Hall where he studied a BA (hons ...

as Priest (series 3) * Wendy Nottingham as Mary (series 3), Tommy's housekeeper. * Billy Marwood (series 3), Jenson Clarke (series 4–5), and Billy Jenkins (series 6) as Charles Shelby, the son of Tommy and Grace. * Luca Matteo Zizzari as Matteo (series 4), one of Changretta's henchmen. * Jake J. Meniani as Frederico (series 4), one of Changretta's henchmen. *

Graeme Hawley Graeme Hawley (born 28 November 1975) is an English actor. He is best known for his role as John Stape in the British soap ''Coronation Street''. Career Hawley graduated from Manchester Metropolitan University in 1996 with a degree in Drama, b ...

as Niall Devlin (series 4), a working man in the Peaky Blinders Limited, working for Tommy. *

Donald Sumpter Donald Sumpter (born 13 February 1943) is an English actor who has appeared in film and television since the mid-1960s. Career One of his early television appearances was the 1968 ''Doctor Who'' serial ''The Wheel in Space'' with Patrick Troug ...

as Arthur Bigge (series 4), the King's Private Secretary, who deals with the case of the execution of Polly, Arthur, John and Michael. *

Jamie Kenna Jamie Kenna is a British actor and former semi-professional footballer, formerly of Rusthall FC. He appeared in Stormbreaker as Fox, Green Street as Big Marc and EastEnders as Vince Franks. He also appeared in ''The Bill''. In August 2014, K ...

as Billy Mills (series 4), a former heavyweight boxing champion and a worker for the Shelby Company Limited, who fights against Bonnie at the company. * Joseph Long as Chef (series 4) *

Andreas Muñoz Andreas Muñoz (born 4 April 1990) is a Spanish actor. Early life Andreas Muñoz was born in Madrid, Spain, in 1990. His is the eldest in a family of actors including Gara and Omar Muñoz, and son of Luís Mariano Muñoz and María Dolores Bl� ...

as Antonio (series 4), the Italian assassin who came into Tommy's house as a sous-chef and planned to kill Tommy. * Ethan Picard-Edwards as Billy Shelby (series 4), the son of Arthur and Linda. * Dave Simon as Mulchay (series 4–5) * Heaven-Leigh Clee (series 5) and Orla McDonagh (series 6) as Ruby Shelby, the daughter of Tommy and Lizzie. *

Elliot Cowan Elliot Aidan Cowan (born 9 July 1976) is an English people, English actor, known for portraying Corporal Jem Poynton in ''Ultimate Force'', Fitzwilliam Darcy, Mr Darcy in ''Lost in Austen'', and Ptolemy I Soter, Ptolemy in the 2004 film ''Alexan ...

as Michael Levitt (series 5), a Birmingham journalist. *

Peter Campion Peter Campion (born 1976) is an American poet. He graduated from Dartmouth College with a BA, and from Boston University with an MA. He taught at Washington College, Ashland University, and Auburn University. He currently teaches at Universi ...

as Micky Gibbs (series 5), barman of The Garrison pub. *

Tim Woodward Timothy Oliver Woodward (born 24 April 1953) is an English actor. Tim Woodward was born in Kensington, London, England, the son of actors Edward Woodward and Venetia Barrett. He was educated at Haileybury and Imperial Service College. He is pr ...

as Lord Suckerby (series 5), a High Court Judge. * Darragh O'Toole as Liam (series 6), an associate of Jack Nelson's. *

Peter Coonan Peter Coonan (born 1984) is an Irish actor, known for his role as Fran Cooney in the RTÉ One series '' Love/Hate'', for which he won Best Actor in a Supporting Role – Television at the 11th Irish Film & Television Awards. In 2011, he played ...

as Connor Dunn (series 6), an associate of Jack Nelson's. *

Assaad Bouab Assaad Bouab ( ar, أسعد بواب, born July 31, 1980) is a French-Moroccan actor whose first co-starring role was in ''Whatever Lola Wants'', directed by Nabil Ayouch and co-starring Laura Ramsey as Lola. The film premiered on 11 December 20 ...

as Henri (series 6), a bartender on

Miquelon Island Miquelon (french: Île Miquelon) also known as ', is one of the islands of the archipelago of Saint Pierre and Miquelon, an Overseas collectivity of France located in the Gulf of St. Lawrence in the Atlantic Ocean, south of the coast of Newfou ...

. * Franc Bruneau as Miquelon Island Police Commissioner (series 6), Head of Police Department on Miquelon Island. * Simon Wan as Han (series 6), An opium dealer who operates through a cafe in Birmingham's

Chinatown A Chinatown () is an ethnic enclave of Chinese people located outside Greater China, most often in an urban setting. Areas known as "Chinatown" exist throughout the world, including Europe, North America, South America, Asia, Africa and Austra ...

. * Naomi Yang as Li (series 6), Han's wife. *

Aneurin Barnard Aneurin Barnard (; ; born 8 May 1987) is a Welsh actor and musician. He is known for playing Davey in ''Hunky Dory'', Claude in '' The Truth About Emanuel'', Bobby Willis in '' Cilla'', Tim in ''Thirteen'', King Richard III in '' The White Quee ...

as Doctor Holford (series 6), Tommy's personal doctor. * Abbie Hern as Mary Bone (series 6), Finn's wife.

Episodes

Production

''Peaky Blinders'' was created by

and produced by Katie Swinden.

Screen Yorkshire Following a review of the film infrastructure in England during 2000, the UK Film Council set up nine Regional Screen Agencies, one in each of the regions of England, to deliver support for film-making, exhibition and related media activities. Th ...

provided funding for the production through the Yorkshire Content Fund, ensuring that the majority of the show was filmed in Yorkshire as part of the deal. Linguists weren't hired in the production to assist in the show, leading to the Romani Gypsies in the earlier series frequently speaking broken

Romanian Romanian may refer to: *anything of, from, or related to the country and nation of Romania **Romanians, an ethnic group **Romanian language, a Romance language *** Romanian dialects, variants of the Romanian language ** Romanian cuisine, tradition ...

(as opposed to

Series 1

The first series was filmed in

Bradford Bradford is a city and the administrative centre of the City of Bradford district in West Yorkshire, England. The city is in the Pennines' eastern foothills on the banks of the Bradford Beck. Bradford had a population of 349,561 at the 2011 ...

Dudley Dudley is a large market town and administrative centre in the county of West Midlands, England, southeast of Wolverhampton and northwest of Birmingham. Historically an exclave of Worcestershire, the town is the administrative centre of the ...

Leeds Leeds () is a city and the administrative centre of the City of Leeds district in West Yorkshire, England. It is built around the River Aire and is in the eastern foothills of the Pennines. It is also the third-largest settlement (by populati ...

, and

Port Sunlight Port Sunlight is a model village and suburb in the Metropolitan Borough of Wirral, Merseyside. It is located between Lower Bebington and New Ferry, on the Wirral Peninsula. Port Sunlight was built by Lever Brothers to accommodate workers in it ...

. Railway sequences were filmed between

Keighley Keighley ( ) is a market town and a civil parish in the City of Bradford Borough of West Yorkshire, England. It is the second largest settlement in the borough, after Bradford. Keighley is north-west of Bradford city centre, north-west of Bi ...

and Damems, using carriages from the Ingrow Museum of Rail Travel (owned by Vintage Carriages Trust), and carriages owned by the Lancashire and Yorkshire Railway Trust. Many of the scenes for the show were shot at the

Black Country Living Museum The Black Country Living Museum (formerly the Black Country Museum) is an open-air museum of rebuilt historic buildings in Dudley, West Midlands, England.James Nesbitt William James Nesbitt (born 15 January 1965) is an actor from Northern Ireland. From 1987, Nesbitt spent seven years performing in plays that varied from the musical '' Up on the Roof'' (1987, 1989) to the political drama ''Paddywack'' (1994) ...

and

Liam Neeson William John Neeson (born 7 June 1952) is an actor from Northern Ireland. He has received several accolades, including nominations for an Academy Award, a British Academy Film Award, and two Tony Awards. In 2020, he was placed 7th on ''The I ...

to help him recover his lost Northern Irish accent for the role of C.I. Campbell. In the end, he had to tone down the accent since the series was marketed in the United States.

Series 2

A second series was commissioned shortly after the broadcast of the first and aired in October and November 2014. On 11 January 2014, auditions were held in Digbeth area of Birmingham (near where parts of the series are set) for white and mixed race teenage male extras, resulting in lengthy queues.

Series 3

Shortly after the final episode of the second series, the show announced via its Twitter account that it had been renewed for a third series. On 5 October 2015, the official ''Peaky Blinders'' Twitter account announced that filming had begun for series 3. Filming completed on 22 January 2016, after 78 days of shooting.

Series 4

During the initial broadcast of series 3, the

BBC #REDIRECT BBC #REDIRECT BBC Here i going to introduce about the best teacher of my life b BALAJI sir. He is the precious gift that I got befor 2yrs . How has helped and thought all the concept and made my success in the 10th board exam. ...

...

Overview

Cast and characters

Main

Recurring

Episodes

Production

Series 1

Series 2

Series 3

Series 4

Series 5

Series 6

Future

Reception

Depiction of Jessie Eden

Awards and nominations

Broadcast and release

Cultural impact

Video games

References

Bibliography

External links