PLOT
Peaky Blinders is a British historical crime drama television series loosely based on the real Peaky Blinders, an urban youth criminal gang based in Birmingham, England, during the late 1800's and early 1900's centuries. The series stars Cillian Murphy as Thomas Shelby, a gangster operating during the aftermath of World War I.
The story is a "gangster family epic," which centers on the Peaky Blinders gang and their ambitious and highly dangerous boss Thomas Shelby.
SERIES 1
Series 1 begins on February 6, 1919. Chief Inspector Chester Campbell is sent over from Belfast as a detective in the Royal Irish Constabulary by Winston Churchill, who tasks him with recovering a stolen cache of arms meant for Libya, as well as suppressing the disorder and uprising brewing in Birmingham. The series ends on December 3, 1919, a day Thomas calls "Black Star Day," and is when the Peaky Blinders plan to take over Billy Kimber's betting pitches at the Worcester Races.
SERIES 2
Series 2 is set two years after the first, in 1922, and sees "the Shelby Family expand their empire South and North while maintaining a stronghold in their Birmingham heartland."[1] The series ends on May 31, 1922, which is Derby Day.
SERIES 3
Series 3 is set two years after the second in 1924.
SERIES 4
Series 4 begins on December 24, 1925, with the Peaky Blinders getting word that the New York Mafia, led by Luca Changretta is coming to avenge the murder of his father. The series ends with the 1926 general strike, which lasted from May 4 through May 12, and Thomas being elected as a Member of Parliament in 1927.
SERIES 5
Series 5 begins on October 29, 1929, a day known as Black Tuesday. The series ends on December 7, 1929, the morning after a rally led by British Union of Fascists and its leader Sir Oswald Mosley.
CONTEXT
BIRMINGHAM, ENGLAND
Birmingham is an industrial, working-class city. The factories work all through the night. There's constant booming from the giant steam hammers and flashes from the steel foundries. The streets are cobbled and lined with terrace houses and factories. Birmingham is broken up by multiple canals, such as the Grand Union Canal.
Birmingham includes the neighborhood district of Small Heath. Another well-known district is the Chinese Quarter. Green Lane is where many Irish from Belfast have settled after escaping violence. It looks like the rest of the city, except all the signs are in Italian. It's a pleasant and colorful scene. One of the main streets is Garrison Lane. The train station is on Snow Hill. Alum Rock is an inner-city suburb of Birmingham and is officially a division of Saltley. The Birmingham Police serves as the main law enforcement agency, tasked with upholding the peace and patrolling the streets.
PEAKY BLINDERS
The Peaky Blinders were a street gang based in Birmingham, England, which operated from the 1880s until the 1920s. The group consisted largely of young criminals from lower- to working-class backgrounds. They engaged in robbery, violence, racketeering, illegal bookmaking, and control of gambling. Members wore signature outfits that typically included tailored jackets, lapelled overcoats, buttoned waistcoats, silk scarves, bell-bottom trousers, leather boots, and flat caps.
The Blinders' dominance came about from beating rivals, including the "Sloggers", "a pugilistic term for someone who could strike a heavy blow in the ring",[3] whom they fought for territory in Birmingham and its surrounding districts. They held "control" for 30 years until 1920, when a larger gang, the Birmingham Boys, led by Billy Kimber, overtook them
