Peaky Blinders: Everything you need to know about the BBC show
The series has now come to an end
Last updated 4th Apr 2022
Peaky Blinders has seriously captivated not only the country, but seemingly the entire world. Who knew that the lives of a bunch of gangsters from Birmingham in the 1920s could be so intriguing? Well, apart from the BBC and show writer Steven Knight, of course.
Sunday 3rd April marked the end of the sixth and final season which finally started on 27th February after being postponed due to Coronavirus. Despite this season being the last, we're not to worry, as there's a potential Peaky Blinders spin-off, a Peaky Blinders-themed video game AND Peaky Blinders film in the works - still hooked on the activities of the Shelby family.
To mark the end of the series, BBC posted a sweet tribute thanking fans for watching along as the Shelby family story played out. They wrote: 'Thanks for watching #PeakyBlinders Thank you to all the incredible fans who have been a part of the journey over the last ten years. We couldn’t have done it without your support. Now we Peaky Blinders rest.'
Season six was full of secrets and action-packed drama and even saw some brand new cast members arriving, with Stephen Graham joining the series. The series came to an end on with a feature-length episode and we were certainly kept on our toes as tensions came to a head for the Shelby family in the dramatic finale. Although we're all sad to see it come to an end, fans were quick to share their thoughts on the episode as well as the series as a whole.
While the series may be over now, there are still plenty of great moments to look back on as well as plenty to look forward to, so we've collated every scrap of info we can about the show for all you Peaky-obsessives out there to peruse at your leisure. Enjoy!
Fans couldn't wait to watch the story all play out when they were treated to the full-length trailer on 1st January 2022, and the Shelby family teased 'one last deal to be done.'
Watch the trailer for Peaky Blinders series six below:
Peaky Blinders series six finale
The final episode of series six aired at 9pm on Sunday 3rd April and fans knew they were in for a treat after the show's director confirmed that it would be a feature-length episode. Fans got to watch the show wrap up in a dramatic 81-minute finale, and were given a final teaser video of what was to come on 1st April.
Anthony Byrne teased the episode saying: "It’s such a Peaky thing to do for the last hurrah. It feels very, very different to the rest of the season. It feels very, very different to anything we’ve done before. It’s very epic in scope. It feels like a film – it’s kind of a dry run for the feature film."
This comes ahead of the Peaky Blinders film, which will be made in place of a seventh series. Although we don't know what will happen in the film, it was confirmed that Tommy Shelby and his brother Arthur would feature in it.
While we're sad to see the series end, Peaky Blinders creator Steven Knight commented: "I’m seeing this as the end of the beginning, rather than the beginning of the end." We'll have to wait and see what comes next for the Shelby family.
Remembering Helen McCrory
Fans all over the world were devastated to learn that actress Helen McCrory had sadly died at the age of 52 in April, best known for playing Polly Gray in Peaky Blinders.
Her husband Damian Lewis said in a statement, 'I'm heartbroken to announce that after an heroic battle with cancer, the beautiful and mighty woman that is Helen McCrory has died peacefully at home, surrounded by a wave of love from friends and family.
'She died as she lived. Fearlessly. God we love her and know how lucky we are to have had her in our lives. She blazed so brightly. Go now, Little One, into the air, and thank you.'
Helen's fellow Peaky Blinders co-stars have also paid tribute to the actress on their social media accounts and in statements, honouring Helen and her incredible performance as Polly on the show.
Is Helen McCrory in Peaky Blinders season 6?
In early 2022, Cillian Murphy announced that Polly Gray would be 'very present' in season six, but that Helen wouldn't appear due to COVID-19 halting filming before her passing.
Speaking to Empire, he said: "What I always feel sad about is that we were about to shoot and then the pandemic happened and we had to stop.
"If we had shot then, Helen would've been in the show, and that makes me feel sad.”
He added: “It's a huge loss; it's hard to comprehend it. Because she was the matriarch of the whole thing. As the character, but just also as her personality. But she's still present in series 6.
"Steve has managed to keep her very, very present, which I think is a brilliant tribute to Steve and also to Helen. But we couldn't quite fathom it all as we were making it, you know?"
Fans were touched when the first episode was dedicated to the actress, and her voice even appeared in the second episode. Aunt Polly could be heard giving a warning to her family, saying: "There will be a war in this family, and one of you will die".
When did Peaky Blinders season 6 start?
Fans were thrilled when Peaky Blinders season six started on 27th February 2022.
Show bosses announced the news on Instagram on 15th February, writing: 'The Shelbys are back in business. Watch the final series of Peaky Blinders on iPlayer from 27 February.' (sic).
One of the show's writers shared a photo of a production script for the first episode in January 2020, confirming that it was on the way, but unfortunately production of Peaky Blinders season six was postponed due to the Coronavirus in March 2020. Show bosses released a statement to explain that it was prioritising health, to explain to fans why it was being pushed back.
Thankfully, production restarted on Peaky Blinders season six in January 2021 - but the news was bittersweet, as show bosses confirmed that the sixth season would be the last, despite show creator Steven Knight's musings on a potential season seven.
Ahead of the new series, the trailer (released in December 2021) teased a warning for Tommy Shelby from his sister Ada.
She says in the clip: "Take a good look, Tom. Cos one of us isn't gonna be here for long."
The clip ends: "Always listen to Ada."
Which awards has Peaky Blinders won?
Since its first series in 2013, Peaky Blinders has taken home a number of gongs - including a BAFTA Television Award for Best Drama Series and two TV Choice Awards for the fourth season, as well as two National Television Awards in 2020. Cillian Murphy dedicated his win to the show's fans in a heartfelt video.
The show has also been nominated in the 2020 TV Choice Awards for Best Drama Series, going up against Killing Eve, Our Girl and Sex Education.
What was the Peaky Blinders season 5 start date?
The official start date was confirmed as Sunday 25th August at 9pm on BBC One. Taking to Twitter, both BBC One and the official Peaky Blinders Twitter account shared the news - BBC One wrote, 'By order of the #PeakyBlinders, we hereby inform you that the Shelbys are back in business from Sunday 25th August, 9pm.'
Filming wrapped on Peaky Blinders series five in January 2019, with the BBC One official Twitter account sharing the news in a tweet.
What channel is Peaky Blinders on?
Peaky Blinders originally aired on BBC Two for the first four seasons, but after the success of the show, it's now been moved to BBC One. Director of BBC Content Charlotte Moore explained the decision behind the move in a statement, saying, "Peaky Blinders is world class drama at the top of its game and the time has arrived for it to move to the UK’s biggest channel.
"Steven Knight's epic storytelling is authentic and utterly compelling and I want to give it the chance to be enjoyed by an even broader audience on BBC One. We couldn’t have asked for a better response to series four and the impact it had with young audiences. This move will also give BBC Two more creative headroom to experiment with new drama."
Steven himself added, "I am thrilled that our precious Peaky Blinders is moving to BBC One. Peaky is a show nurtured and grown by the audience who have found us through word of mouth. Hopefully this move will help us reach even more people."
What is Peaky Blinders about?
Peaky Blinders is about a crime family from Birmingham called the Shelbys. Led by second-eldest brother, Peaky Blinders' Tommy Shelby, the show so far has centred around him gaining power and notoriety not only in the UK, but overseas as well.
When the show was first announced, the official BBC synopsis read, 'Peaky Blinders is an epic gangster family saga that begins in 1919 in the lawless slum neighborhoods of post-war Birmingham. Peaky Blinders is a dazzling picture of England which blows away preconceptions even though the characters and events are taken directly from the pages of history.
'They now burst into life in a vibrant evocation of a hedonistic age, where the clothes are razor-sharp, the music fast and the dancing outrageous. The real Peaky Blinders were a scandal and this fiction will be the same...'
Who plays Tommy Shelby in Peaky Blinders?
Head of the Shelby family gangster Tommy Shelby is played by Irish actor Cillian Murphy. To get into playing the character Cillian spent time with the show's creator Steven Knight who is from Birmingham, and he explained: "We went to the actual Garrison pub in Birmingham with his Brummie mates.
"And they’re singing Birmingham City songs and telling all sorts of stories, and I was recording on my iPhone, and then I took that home, and used it to try and track the accents."
What has happened in Peaky Blinders so far?
Read our recap of Peaky Blinders season 1.
Read our recap of Peaky Blinders season 2.
Read our recap of Peaky Blinders season 3.
Read our recap of Peaky Blinders season 4.
Read our recap of Peaky Blinders season 5.
Who is in the Peaky Blinders cast?
Read all about the cast of Peaky Blinders here.
Former Hollyoaks star Emmett J. Scanlan made his debut in Peaky Blinders in season five as Billy Grade, to the delight of soap fans. There were also rumours that David Beckham was having a cameo in Peaky Blinders, but he shut those down.
Stephen Graham has also been confirmed to appear in the upcoming season of Peaky Blinders. Line of Duty star Stephen, who is also well-known for his role as Andrew 'Combo' Gascoigne in the This Is England franchise, has been confirmed to join the show in a tweet.
Is there going to be a Peaky Blinders spin-off?
It's not definitely happening yet, but show creator Steven Knight has confirmed he'd be interested in writing a Peaky Blinders spin-off series! Watch this space.
Are the Peaky Blinders real?
Yes - of sorts. The Peaky Blinders themselves were a real-life gang started in the early 1890s, led by a man named Thomas Gilbert who quite frequently changed his last name. However, it's unclear whether the name Shelby had anything to do with it.
It's also unclear how much of the show is based on reality, and how much is based on old stories - and how much of the old stories were real.
Creator Steven Knight said, "The reason it came to me was that my parents grew up in Birmingham in the 20s. My mum, when she was nine years old, was a bookie’s runner; they used to use kids to take bets because it was all illegal. My dad’s uncle was part of the Peaky Blinders. It was reluctantly delivered, but my family did give me little snapshots, of gypsies and horses and gang fights and guns, and immaculate suits.
"One of the first stories that inspired me was of my dad when he was a little kid, sent to deliver a message. There was a table, covered in money and guns, surrounded by blokes, beautifully dressed, drinking beer from jam jars. You didn’t buy glasses. You only spent money on clothes."
What does Peaky Blinders mean?
There's some discrepancy over the real origin of the gang's name. It is thought that the name comes from the gang members surreptitiously stitching razors into their flat caps, which could then be used as weapons. However, Gillette was the first company to introduce the first replaceable razors in the US in 1903, and they first became available in 1908 in the UK.
Historian and criminal expert John Douglas thinks this is the truth of the matter, and says that members of the gang with razors sewn into their hats would often headbutt their victims to potentially blind them. Alternatively, they might have slashed the foreheads of victims so that blood would pour into their eyes and cause temporary blindness.
But historian Carl Chinn reckons it's more to do with the way that the gang dressed. He told the Birmingham Mail, "Fashionably dressed, they were named after the weapon they used in fights: the peaks of their flat caps into which had been sewn safety razors and which were slashed across the foreheads of their opponents, causing blood to pour down into their eyes and blind them.
"As for the 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. And any hard man would tell you it would be very difficult to get direction and power with a razor blade sewn into the soft part of a cap."
How many seasons of Peaky Blinders are there?
There are six series of Peaky Blinders now, with the newest season being the last. The first season aired in September 2013, season two came out in October 2014, series three aired in May 2016 and season four was released in November 2017. Season five aired on BBC One in August 2019, and season six in February 2022.
Is Peaky Blinders on Netflix?
Yes! Seasons one-five are currently available to stream on Netflix.
Season six returns to BBC and BBC iPlayer on 27th February 2022.
Where was Peaky Blinders filmed?
Although Peaky Blinders is set predominantly in Birmingham, not much of the show is actually filmed there - find out about all the Peaky Blinders filming locations here. Tommy's Uncle Charlie's yard is filmed at the Black Country Living Museum in Dudley, as well as the Canal Street Bridge and other moments. You can read about them here.
The Black Country Living Museum
The Black Country museum is home to many of the filming locations for Peaky Blinders, and if you take a trip around the museum for a day you'll be sure to recognise some past scenes of the show.
Pictured here is Uncle Charlie's dockyard, home to many dodgy dealings between the Shelby brothers as well as allowing safe passage for who or whatever they need to get out of the Midlands. Read up on the museum here.
Powis Street, Liverpool
Much of the filming for Peaky Blinders is done in and around Liverpool, and different companies host many tours in the city so that fans of the show can see where the magic happens. This particular street is used for the Shelby families homes in the first season, named Watery Lane on the show.
Formby Beach, Liverpool
Many heartbroken viewers will spot that Formby Beach in Liverpool was the spot where Alfie Solomons (played by Tom Hardy) admitted his betrayal to Tommy, and basically forced Tommy into shooting him dead after confessing that he had cancer. It was very emotional.
Port Sunlight, Wirral
Port Sunlight is a model village in the Wirral, Merseyside. Although the village and the homes within it were originally built for workers at the Lever Brothers Factory, it's now a tourist attraction. Eagle-eyed Peaky fans will recognise the timbered housing as Aunt Polly's home, which is 'in' Sutton Coldfield in the show.
Arley Hall, Cheshire
Once Tommy became as 'legit' as he could in season three, he and Grace moved themselves into an incredible country house. Sadly, Grace was shot dead at a party they hosted there, but Tommy continued to live there with their son Charlie as well as their staff.
Arley Hall is situated in Northwich, Cheshire, and is often used as a wedding venue. Other shows to be filmed there include Coronation Street, Antiques Roadshow and Cold Feet.
General Manager Steve Hamilton said, "It's been incredible to see the effort and attention to detail that goes into a production such as Peaky Blinders. There was a real buzz around Arley during the filming and it was great to work with the BBC on such a popular and critically acclaimed drama. The great thing now is that people will be able to visit us this summer and walk in the rooms where these amazing stars have filmed their scenes."
Manchester Town Hall
The town hall in Manchester was apparently used as a building front in a scene in one of the first two seasons where Sam Neill's character, Major Campbell, visits Winston Churchill, but Peaky Blinders' Production Designer Grant Montgomery told i News that "the interiors were done in another location." So cryptic!
Victoria Baths, Manchester
The Victoria Baths in Manchester were used for scenes in season two. After Polly's son Michael returned, having been raised in the countryside by adoptive parents, the Shelby brothers took him along to a horse fair where Tommy bought a filly and also met May Carleton. Of course, in true Peaky style, the day ends in a fight, but the filming for the fair took place at the baths.
Montgomery told i, "I remember thinking Victoria Baths could give it a really good look. One of the baths had timber over it, so we put sawdust down on top."
Bolton
The centre of Bolton was used for various scenes in the show, but Le Mans crescent in Bolton was used for shots to capture the Shelby brothers' trip to London, and specifically the exterior of the Eden Club - the jazz den owned by Sabini, who becomes a nemesis to the family.
Montgomery told i, "We were thinking how to do London in the 1920s, and Bolton has that wonderful crescent. So I said, 'Well, this is our London.' And the exterior to the Eden Club was all done in Bolton."
Brooke’s Mill, Huddersfield
Producers used Brooke's Mill in Huddersfield as the location for the gypsy campsite, using traditional caravans and carts, as well as horses.
Leeds Town Hall
Many fans of the show were convinced that the scenes in which Campbell and Grace share information about the Shelby family in the art gallery were filmed at the Town Hall in Birmingham. However, the front was actually shot at the Town Hall in Leeds.
Newby Hall & Gardens, Ripon
However, the scenes on the inside of the art gallery where Campbell and Grace surreptitiously pass notes to each other were filmed at the Newby Hall & Gardens in Ripon, North Yorkshire.
Keighley and Worth Valley Steam Railway
Most of the Peaky moments that take place on a train or at a station happen on the Keighley and Worth Valley railway line. It's a 5-mile long rail line that runs through a small part of West Yorkshire, and many will recognise Keighley as the station where Grace shot Major Campbell in season one.
Undercliffe Cemetery, Bradford
The shots in season one where Polly pays her respects at the cemetery and meets Freddie Thorne laying flowers for his mum is thought to have been shot in Bradford at the Undercliffe Cemetery.
Keighley and Worth Valley Railway, Yorkshire
If it's a scene involving a train station, this historic Yorkshire station is likely to be the filming location, boasting gorgeous old platforms and carriages, picturesque walking paths and eye-catching backdrops.
Chatsworth House, Derbyshire
If you're looking for May Carleton's mansion, featured in season two of Peaky Blinders, then Chatsworth House, in Bakewell, Derbyshire, is the place! The stunning historic building is perfect for aristocratic horse-trainer May Carleton.
Episodes shot at Chatsworth include huge stars of the show, including Cillian Murphy (as Thomas Shelby), Charlotte Riley (as May Carleton) and Annabelle Wallis (as Grace Burgess).
Where is the Peaky Blinders pub?
In the show, the Peaky Blinders frequent their local pub The Garrison quite often, and have a great deal of influence over the owner, Harry Fenton. In series two, Tommy buys the pub for his brother Arthur, and from then on they own it.
It is based on a real-life pub called The Garrison Tavern in Small Heath, where the real Peaky Blinders are thought to have frequented.
Are the Peaky Blinders Irish?
According to reports online, the real-life Peaky Blinders had English, Irish and Gypsy roots. On the show, the Shelby family have Gypsy blood, with Aunt Polly hailing from a Gypsy Queen. They also occasionally speak Romany on the show to each other.
The Shelby patriarch, Arthur Shelby Sr., was played by Scottish actor Tommy Flanagan with an Irish accent, so it's thought that they have Irish ancestry.
When is the Peaky Blinders music festival?
There was an official Peaky Blinders festival to celebrate the premiere of the show's fifth season! Although fans of the show put an unofficial festival together in 2018, it wasn't approved by show bosses, and they decided to do one for real this year.
Show creator Steven Knight co-curated the festival, which took place in Digbeth on 14th and 15th September 2019, and featured live music from bands who have contributed to the soundtrack across five stages.
What is the Peaky Blinders video game?
Announced in April 2020, the Peaky Blinders video game entitled Mastermind was released in Summer 2020. You can play as each of the main characters who all have their own special abilities - Tommy (threatening), Arthur (brawling and door kicking), Polly (bribing and lock picking), John (arson and brawling), Ada (distraction) and Finn (sneaking and pickpocketing).
It's available on PS4, Xbox One, PC, and Nintendo Switch later this year, and is a sequel to the TV series.
When is Peaky Blinders on?
You can watch the latest series of Peaky Blinders on BBC and BBC iPlayer from 27th February 2022.
Read more:
Here are all the new faces for Peaky Blinders season six
Sophie Rundle speaks out on 'all guns blazing' final season of Peaky Blinders
Peaky Blinders season five: A full recap of what happened