Inside the real Peaky Blinders: Who were the infamous Birmingham gang?
The Sopranos, Boardwalk Empire, Underbelly, Gomorrah… There are plenty of spectacular TV dramas from across the world that concern themselves with the fascinating and violent world of gangsters. But until recent years, Britain didn’t have a horse in the race . That all changed back in 2013 though, when BBC Two first aired Steven Knight’s incredible crime drama Peaky Blinders. It would go on to be a huge runaway success.
Later, as the Peaky Blinders started to grow in status, they came up against larger gangs such as the much bigger and much tougher Birmingham Boys and ‘The King of the Racecourse Gangs’, Charles ‘Derby’ Sabini and his mob. As seen in series one and two of the BBC series. The only difference is – in reality – the Peaky Blinders never stood a chance against either and were quickly pushed out.
The legend has it that the gang’s handle originates from their propensity to stitch razor blades into their fabric caps and use them as handy makeshift weapons during fights. Which is an endearing, if rather grisly, image. It’s likely just a fabricated one, though.Professor of History and all-round expert on the Midlands Carl Chinn explains: ‘Razor blades? They were only beginning to come in from the 1890s and were a luxury item, much too expensive for the Peaky Blinders to have used.
Rival figures like Billy Kimber and ‘Derby’ Sabini existed. As did, of course, the likes of Sir Winston Churchill. History buffs should keep a look-out for Sam Claflin in series five as he appears as the unfortunately-also-real fascist Oswald Mosley.Unlike most of their enemies, the Peaky Blinders took their appearance seriously. While most street gangs of the time just wore standard clothes for the time, the Blinders stood out for their flair for fashion.
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