Peaky Blinders (2013)
Peaky Blinders is a 2013 drama series created by Steven Knight. It stars Cillian Murphy, Paul Anderson and Sophie Rundle.
Birmingham, 1919, and the smoke has not cleared. The Shelby family runs bookmaking, extortion, and worse out of a soot-stained corner of the city, razor blades stitched into their flat caps. Tommy Shelby, back from the trenches with a thousand-yard stare and a colder plan, wants the business legitimate, or close enough to pass. Steven Knight's crime saga tracks their climb against police crackdowns, rival gangs, and the pull of politics. Cillian Murphy anchors it, with Helen McCrory as the matriarch holding the books. Anachronistic rock scoring and painterly grime give the whole thing the swagger of a myth.
Quick answers
What is Peaky Blinders about?
Birmingham, 1919, and the smoke has not cleared. The Shelby family runs bookmaking, extortion, and worse out of a soot-stained corner of the city, razor blades stitched into their flat caps. Tommy Shelby, back from the trenches with a thousand-yard stare and a colder plan, wants the business legitimate, or close enough to pass. Steven Knight's crime saga tracks their climb against police crackdowns, rival gangs, and the pull of politics. Cillian Murphy anchors it, with Helen McCrory as the matriarch holding the books. Anachronistic rock scoring and painterly grime give the whole thing the swagger of a myth.
When was Peaky Blinders released?
Peaky Blinders was released on 12 September 2013.
How many episodes does Peaky Blinders have?
Peaky Blinders has 36 episodes across 6 seasons.
Who made Peaky Blinders?
Peaky Blinders was created by Steven Knight.
Where can I watch Peaky Blinders?
Peaky Blinders is available on Netflix, Amazon and AppleTV.
Where to watch Peaky Blinders
Stream: Netflix
Official site
Cast
- Cillian Murphy as Thomas Shelby
- Paul Anderson as Arthur Shelby
- Sophie Rundle as Ada Shelby
- Helen McCrory as Polly Gray
- Finn Cole as Michael Gray
- Ian Peck as Curly
- Ned Dennehy as Charlie Strong
- Harry Kirton as Finn Shelby
- Natasha O'Keeffe as Lizzie Stark
- Joe Cole as John Shelby
- Packy Lee as Johnny Dogs
- Kate Phillips as Linda Shelby
Similar series
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Peaky Blinders in our writing
- In Memoriam: Sam Neill Was Never a Movie Star. He Was Something Better.
- Companion guide: British Crime Drama: The Complete Guide
- Companion guide: Mafia & Organized Crime
- Companion guide: Sam Neill: The Reasonable Man in Unreasonable Movies
A few thoughts on Peaky Blinders
Readers should start with The Godfather, Puzo's novel of a crime family clawing toward respectability the hard way. For a game with the same weight of loyalty and violence, Red Dead Redemption 2 follows an outlaw gang as its world closes in around it. On film, Goodfellas matches the seductive rise and slow rot.
Crime families clawing their way toward respectability
Tommy Shelby wants the Peaky Blinders legitimate, not just rich, and this angle follows that same climb toward respectability. The Godfather and GoodFellas set the template for family businesses run on violence, Boardwalk Empire and Godfather of Harlem move it into Prohibition-era ambition, and Fargo, MobLand, Sons of Anarchy and Mayans M.C. keep the ledger just as bloody.
UK crime dramas that treat the city itself like a character
Peaky Blinders turns Birmingham's alleys into a battlefield, and these British crime sagas do the same with their own patches: Ripper Street prowls Whitechapel after the Ripper, Taboo stalks Regency London's docks, and Gangs of London and This City Is Ours turn present-day territory wars into street-level chess. Vigil, Hidden Assets and Miss Scarlet add procedural grit, and The Gold traces the money after a real heist.
Games about outlaws who live by their own code
Tommy Shelby breaks the law with his own strict rules of loyalty and honor, and these games hand you outlaw protagonists cut from the same cloth. Red Dead Redemption 2 and Max Payne both trail men who cannot outrun their past, Assassin's Creed II and Assassin's Creed IV: Black Flag dress the same instinct up as history, and Uncharted 2 and Uncharted 4 turn thieving into a family trade.