However, unlike Tommy Shelby’s ambitious and well-oiled family firm, the historical Peaky Blinders were primarily interested in violent crimes, robbery and racketeering, and a police record from 1904 described the gang as “foul-mouthed young men who stalk the streets in drunken groups, insulting and mugging passers-by.” ‘Peaky Blinders’ recently took home Best Drama at the TV Bafta Awards. The unexpected win was well-deserved for the crime drama. Alfred Thomas was an enforcer for the gang – made famous by the BBC drama – and was even sent down for 14 months following a mass brawl. It would be really interesting to make one.. It’s gruesome stuff from Birmingham’s answer to the Sopranos. Gangster drama Peaky Blinders tells the tale of Thomas Shelby and his criminal gang. The actual Peaky Blinders were around from the 1890s rather than the 1920s, so that differs from the BBC series. But who were the real Peaky Blinders? Oscar-winning actor Adrien Brody is set for a role in the BBC gangster drama. We know the Shelby family mother was a gypsy, and we see them speak some Roma dialect throughout the show. Does that mean their grandfather on their mother's side was a gypsy king? Fashionably dressed, the charismatic but deeply flawed Shelby family would blind enemies by slashing them with the razor blades stitched into the peaks of their flat caps. Mesmerising and dark, the series is set in the streets of post-war Birmingham on the verge of the 1920s. The story follows the Shelby crime family… Warning: Spoilers for Peaky Blinders follow! And Philip admits: “It is possible he killed people.” For example, movie star Charlie Chaplin (pictured above) makes an appearance in Peaky Blinders season 2, which makes sense because he was indeed a Birmingham native with a Gypsy upbringing. Peaky Blinders’ Shelby family isn’t based on real historical figures, but the world they inhabit mirrors real-life Birmingham society of the 1920s. "Peaky Blinders" was the nickname of a real gang that operated out of Birmingham's working neighborhoods towards the end of … The Real Peaky Blinders by Carl Chinn (£12.95, Brewin Books) is available online and from good bookshops. What else do we know about their family tree? Peaky Blinders had lost its cutting edge. Philip Millard researched his family tree – and was shocked to discover his grandad was a member of the Peaky Blinders. In s1e2 with the Lees, it is said that "their grandfather was a king". Most of their members were young men, and some could be as young as 12. Literally in the Season Five finale given that the show's famous, trademark, razor blade caps never appeared - except to keep our heroes' heads warm. The Peaky Blinders were an urban street gang based in Birmingham, England, that operated from the end of the 19th century to the early 1900s.The group, which grew out of the harsh economic deprivations of working class Britain, was composed largely of young men of lower to middle-classes. The fictional Peaky Blinders on our TV screens are infused with drama and dread.