Peaky Blinders

Peaky Blinders is a British period crime drama television series created by Steven Knight. Set in Birmingham, England, the series follows the exploits of the Shelby crime family in the direct aftermath of the First World War. Set in Birmingham, England, the series follows the exploits of the Peaky Blinders crime gang in the direct aftermath of the First World War. The fictional gang is loosely based on a real urban youth gang of the same name, who were active in the city from the 1890s to the 1910s.

Cillian Murphy is perfectly casted as Thomas Shelby, a witty, and almost always prepared entrepreneur of illicit activities. His brothers are also well casted with a variety of personalities with different ranges of aggressiveness.

The wardrobe is also beautiful. The Peaky Blinders, like any good criminal gang, has a uniform that inspires both admiration and fear. Over 5 seasons and a decade of history, their style (and 1920’s style in general) has come to influence modern fashion in many ways. There are many outfits inclusive of tweed, three peice suits, the popular pinstripe clothing pattern, as well as pocket watches with chains appearing in waistcoats and vests. The prohibition high & tight hairstyle along with newsboy and flat caps have made reappearances in modern fashion due to inspiration from the show.

The show is also reminiscent of the American show Boardwalk Empire - another period show that took place in 1920’s Atlantic City. The Guardian explains how the points of comparison between Peaky Blinders and HBO's Boardwalk Empire are conspicuous. Both shows are set immediately after the first world war in a gangland in which the future is up for grabs; and both feature a returning soldier shattered and embittered by his war experiences.

"Thomas Shelby is one of those men who came back from this war horrifically damaged, who were spat back into society without any counseling," says Cillian Murphy. "And, of course, a lot of them brought their weapons home with them. There were a lot of guns around at the time. Tommy has a huge disdain for authority – everything he was told was a lie."

It can sometimes be hard to root for the Shelby family as they aren’t always on the right side of every situation and Arthur is an absolute train wreck at times. However, the gang members show strong growth and character development as they tackle the obstacles that come at them each season.

The most recent season touches on fascism which I thought was really interesting and almost parallels the broader geopolitical trends right now. Overall a great show that I highly recommend.

On 18 January 2021, it was announced that series six, which had just begun filming, would be the final television series of Peaky Blinders; though Knight revealed "the story will continue in another form". Whether the show will proceed after the 6th season either through a seventh season or through additional spinoff shows is yet to be determined.