Peaky Blinders on Netflix: What were the real-life characters who appeared in the series?

Warning, spoilers. The following article will reveal the main elements of Peaky Blinders.

The story told by Stephen Knight over the six seasons of Peaky Blinders, which are now available in their entirety on Netflix and will culminate in a big screen film, is fictional. But as fans of British fiction know, some of the characters are based on real people.

Some of them, such as Winston Churchill or Charlie Chaplin, are absolutely obvious, but what some viewers may not know is that there are other characters inspired by real life, including figures as charismatic as the one played by Tom Hardy.

Led by Tommy Shelby, the group is also inspired by a real gang. Stephen Knight actually developed his idea for Peaky Blinders from stories his parents, who grew up in the south-east of Birmingham, told him as a child:My parents had connections with illegal bookmakers, as did many people back then“, he admitted in the interview. From there, the creator began to build his story by mixing “family legends and historical facts.”

“It is a piece of fiction woven into a real setting, of great dramatic and cinematic beauty, but which, for very English reasons, has been relegated to the history books” – Stephen Knight

Throughout the series there are characters whose real lives are documented, but for some there are not enough quality images to give an idea of ​​their faces. For others, fortunately, the opposite is the case, as you can see in the following portraits.

interpreted as: Charlie Creed – Miles

One of Tom’s first enemies on the show when the Peaky Blinders started rigging the horse was Billy Kimber. The latter did exist and was the leader of a gang known as the ‘Birmingham Boys’ who were known to control several racecourses in northern England in the 1910s and 1930s. The real Kimber died of an illness in 1942, not from being shot by a rival gang leader, as in the fiction.

IPerformed by: Sam Claflin

In Season 5, Peaky Blinders introduced Sir Oswald Mosley, an MP who wanted to help Tom start a new party in Britain, but ended up becoming one of his greatest enemies. In real life, Mosley was an equally controversial British politician who, disillusioned with traditional partisan politics, became the founder and leader of the far-right party known as the British Union of Fascists (BUF), as well as a key figure in support. Hitler in Britain.

Done by: Charlie Murphy

Jesse Eden was a recurring character in seasons 4 and 5 of Peaky Blinders. A communist and union coordinator in the middle of the fight for equal pay for women, he appeared in Tom’s life when he threatened to strike at one of his factories. The character of Jesse Eden is inspired by the British campaigner and labor leader of the same name, who rose to fame by leading the 1939 Birmingham rent strike, among other protests over the years, and who went down in history as a powerful advocate. For women and social justice.

interpreted as: Andrew Codge

Billy “The Shining” Chang stars in Season 5 of Peaky Blinders as the triad leader and Tommy Shelby’s opium supplier. The real Chang was a charismatic immigrant who ran a Cantonese restaurant in Birmingham before turning to drug dealing and earning the nickname “Drug King” from the press.

interpreted as: Donald Sumpter

In Peaky Blinders, the 1st Baron Stamfordham, acting as the King’s private secretary, extorts some power from Tommy to become the Labor MP for South Birmingham, thereby making him a government insider. In real life he was an officer in the British Army and private secretary to Queen Victoria in the latter years of her reign, as well as for most of George V’s reign.

interpreted as: Tom Hardy

Alfie Solomons first appeared in Season 2 of Peaky Blinders as the leader of a rather untrustworthy Jewish gang, owner of an illegal distillery and business partner of Tommy Shelby in Camden Town. Hardy’s character was not the main character’s right-hand man, but he was still very popular with fans of the series, and his return after being left for dead was well received at the time. In real life, the real Solomon – like his fictional version without the ‘s’ – was also part of the Sabini gang of Italian mobsters who operated in the world of racing and gambling. He is known to have been arrested several times for gun violence, including the shooting of Billy Kimber himself. He eventually becomes a police informant.

interpreted as: Neal Maskell (Season 5)

Neil Maskell played a famous politician in season 5 of the series, where he is a high-ranking member of the government. Secretary of State for the Colonies Churchill works with Tommy Shelby, instructing him to carry out assassinations for the government while granting export licenses. Two other actors have previously lent their features to the future British Prime Minister: Andy Nyman (Season 1) and Richard McCabe (Season 2).