In 1898, a concerned citizen anonymously sent a troubling letter to the Birmingham Daily Mail:
“No matter what part of the city one walks, gangs of ‘peaky blinders’ are to be seen, who ofttimes think nothing of grossly insulting passers-by, be it a man, woman or child. I venture to say that 99 times out of 100, they are not even brought to justice.”
During the 1800s, the Peaky Blinders held a ruthless grip on the industrial city of Birmingham. They were bookmakers and racketeers, regularly bumping up against rival gangs and cops while drawing the ire of locals.
Their fictional counterparts are the stars of Peaky Blinders, a six-season juggernaut series that tells the story of the Shelbys, an Irish-Romani family who run the city’s gritty streets. After years of vicious violence, sneaky backstabbing, and emotional gut punches, the fearsome clan is returning to screens with a feature film on Netflix.
Before you immerse yourself in the world of street gangs, gravelly Birmingham accents, and World War II–era Britain, here’s everything you need to know about the series — from the most important plot points to the most notable characters — before watching the movie.
Meet the Shelbys, Birmingham’s very own royals. The series begins in 1919 in a city rife with sex, drugs, and violence, and the Shelby family — aka the leaders of the Peaky Blinders — are at the center of it all. Initially, the gang’s main business is rigging horse races, but that quickly evolves into hooch smuggling and blackmailing government officials.
Throughout the show, the Shelbys face fierce rivalries with competing gangs, including the Birmingham Boys and the Changrettas, an Italian crime family. Tommy Shelby (Cillian Murphy), the head of the family business, also talks his way into a role in government, where he takes on the fascist movement as a member of parliament.
The Peaky Blinders men are known for their close-cropped hair, smart dress — usually a three-piece tweed suit — and baker boy caps, which conceal razor blades. Their favorite watering hole is The Garrison, a rowdy pub, and they often use horses to get around.
Buckle up because the family has quite a complicated interpersonal dynamic, as we’ll explore below.
This family is dealing with a lot of trauma and emotional baggage. Tommy fought in World War I and he and his men were given the dangerous task of digging tunnels under enemy lines to plant explosives. They were once left for dead, without ammunition or supplies, and sang “In the Bleak Midwinter” as they waited for the enemy to arrive. Thankfully, no one showed up. “We all agreed that everything after that was extra,” Tommy says, looking back on that moment.
As the leader of Peaky Blinders, Tommy is violent and vindictive but also protective of his clan. He has a soft spot for horses and a deep hatred of fascists, as evidenced by his attempted takedown of Oswald Mosley (Sam Claflin), founder of the British Union of Fascists. His relationship with his son Duke is new: He only learned of his existence in Season 6, following the death of his daughter, Ruby. “A daughter lost, a son found,” Esme Shelby (Aimee-Ffion Edwards), Tommy’s sister-in-law, says as she breaks the news.
Duke proves a capable Peaky Blinder when he enters the fold. He kills Billy Grade (Emmett J. Scanlan), who was secretly working as an informant, and banishes Finn Shelby (Harry Kirton) for betraying their family, informing him that he’s being kicked out “by order of the fucking Peaky Blinders.”
Tommy is almost at the end of his rope. His Aunt Polly (Helen McCrory) has been murdered by the IRA, he’s haunted by the memories of his late wife Grace, and Ruby is dead. Tommy’s second wife, Lizzie (Natasha O’Keeffe), leaves him after learning that he had an affair, and she takes his son Charles (Billy Jenkins) with her. On top of all that, Tommy’s physician, Dr. Holford (Aneurin Barnard), tells him he has a tumor and a short amount of time to live.
To make matters worse, his cousin Michael (Finn Cole) is determined to kill him. Michael plants a car bomb in Tommy’s car but the Peaky Blinders leader outsmarts him. He has Johnny Dogs (Packy Lee), his close associate, switch the cars the bomb was in, and later kills Michael.
Tommy isolates himself from his family and decides to end his life. Before going through with it, he’s visited by a vision of Ruby, who encourages him to light a fire. He follows her instructions, using a newspaper for kindling, and sees an image of Dr. Holford side by side with his enemy Oswald Mosley. Realizing that he’s been given a fake diagnosis, Tommy sets off to kill the physician.
As he corners Dr. Holford, the clock chimes to mark armistice hour. In a very un-Tommylike move, he sets his target free. The series ends with Tommy riding off on his horse into an unknown new chapter.
Check out our guide to the most essential Peaky Blinders episodes here!
