As an avid streaming fan, I‘m sure you‘ve come across the hugely popular British crime drama Peaky Blinders. The stylish show is set in 1919 Birmingham and follows the cunning exploits of the notorious Shelby crime family.
But where did this distinctive moniker – Peaky Blinders – come from? As a curious media analyst and history buff, I decided to dig deeper into the real history and folklore around Britain‘s most famous gangster clan. What I discovered was a fascinating web of mystery, violence,language and lore.
Setting the Scene: Birmingham in the Early 1900s
To understand the Peaky Blinders, you first need to understand the world they emerged from. Birmingham in the late 1800s and early 1900s was a bustling industrial boomtown, second only to London in size and importance.
The city’s population exploded from around 343,000 in 1881 to 522,000 in 1901. As Carl Chinn, a historian of working-class Birmingham, describes it:
“There was massive growth and massive overcrowding. There was huge poverty and deprivation.”
This rapid, unrestrained growth created an environment ripe for crime. By the 1890s, Birmingham had gained a reputation as a hardscrabble city crawling with thieves, gangsters and prostitution rings.
Against this backdrop, gangs like the Peaky Blinders rose to prominence. They gained control over gambling, robbery and bribery rackets in the poor industrial slums. For the Peaky Blinders, their power base was the Small Heath neighborhood.
The Murky Origins of the Name
So where does the unusual name Peaky Blinders come from? Unfortunately, the exact roots are shrouded in mystery. There are a few competing theories, none definitively proven.
The most common explanation is that “peaky” refers to the gang members’ signature flat caps with razor blades sewn into the peaks. During fights, they would headbutt enemies and the cap peaks would cut their opponents, potentially blinding them.
However, historian Carl Chinn favors a less violent interpretation. He believes peaky first referred to the fashionable peaked caps worn by gang members, while “blinder” was slang for someone looking dapper.
“The popular usage of “peaky” at the time referred to any flat cap with a peak. “Blinder” was a familiar Birmingham slang term (still used today) to describe something or someone of dapper appearance.”
Either way, the name Peaky Blinders would come to be synonymous with Birmingham’s early 20th century criminal underworld. By the 1900s, the gang had reached legendary status in the city. Newspapers hyped up their violent exploits.
And yet, hard facts about the group remain elusive even today. As Carl Chinn admits:
“Contrary to popular opinion…the name of the gang may have actually originated with style: Peaky for their peaked caps and Blinder as Birmingham slang for a striking gentleman.”
Much of the Peaky Blinders story has been shrouded in myth and folklore. But this only adds to their dangerous allure!
Painting a Picture Through Language
The Peaky Blinders series artfully brings this murky world to life partly through language. Both the regional accents and the Romani language of the Shelby clan help transport us to early 1900s Birmingham.
The Shelbys speak in a thick Birmingham or “Brummie” accent. Native Birmingham actor Cillian Murphy worked hard to capture the very specific local dialect. Some examples of peak Brummie slang include:
- “Babby” – baby
- “Cob” – bread roll
- “Island” – roundabout
- “Owight” – hello
We also hear snippets of the Romani language, reflecting the Shelby’s Gypsy heritage. Romani phrases like “tickna mora o‘beng” (devil) give a sense of the family’s roots and secrecy. The show thoughtfully incorporates Romani into scenes without explaining it to heighten the feeling of mystery.
Pop Culture Mythology Around Birmingham Crime
While hazy on historical facts, Peaky Blinders did capture the public imagination around early 20th century Birmingham gangs.
The show tapped into a mythology that had built up around this era in British pop culture and memory. Other films and shows also portrayed romanticized versions of Birmingham‘s criminal underworld decades later:
| Show/Film | Release Year | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Gangster No. 1 | 2000 | Chronicled the rise of a fictional 1960s London gang leader |
| Layer Cake | 2004 | Daniel Craig drama about a cocaine dealer looking to retire |
| Birmingham Gang Busters | 2012 | Recreated clashes between rival Birmingham gangs |
Peaky Blinders brought this already mythologized period to vivid new life. The name itself seemed to brilliantly capture the contradiction between elegance and violence at the gang’s core.
Even if the details are fuzzy, the Peaky Blinders era has cemented itself as a uniquely British version of the gangster story.
A Criminal Anti-Hero for Our Times
But why has Peaky Blinders resonated so powerfully with modern audiences? I think its success lies in the complex anti-hero Tommy Shelby and the world he inhabits.
We identify with Tommy’s cunning ambition and his struggles to overcome trauma and loss. We’re repelled yet seduced by the glamorized lawlessness and violence.
And with inequality and corruption still ripe issues today, we relate to those left behind by social progress. As Carl Chinn reflected:
“Although Peaky Blinders is set in the past, it has many parallels with the present. It taps into a lot of the issues that are still relevant today – about inequality, about class, about aspiration.”
So while a historical recreation, the themes still feel highly contemporary. Much as gangster movies did for Depression-era audiences, Peaky Blinders lets us fantasize about power, freedom and sticking it to the establishment.
Few TV anti-heroes have had the same magnetic pull as Tommy Shelby. And I suspect the evocative name Peaky Blinders has become permanently fixed in our cultural lexicon. As a media fan, I look forward to more seasons of this intoxicating criminal underworld.
