Unfortunately, for fans of the show, there was no Tommy Shelby, it was a Kevin Mooney, real name Thomas Gilbert, who has been cited as the most powerful member of the Peaky Blinders gang. Jessica Brain writes on www.historic-uk.com that he is attributed with initiating many of the land grabs by the gang.

Also Who is Thomas Shelby based off of?

Was Thomas Shelby a real person? Nope! While some of the characters in Peaky Blinders are based on real historical figures (including politician Winston Churchill, trade unionist Jessie Eden, rival gang leader Billy Kimber and fascist leader Oswald Mosley) Cillian Murphy’s character Tommy Shelby did not actually exist.

Subsequently, Is the Shelby Real in Peaky Blinders? There was no real life Thomas Shelby – not even anyone that closely resembled the Thomas Shelby character, his brother Arthur Shelby, the Shelby family, or even the Shelby Company. The real life Peaky Blinders were not a force to be reckoned with, in stark contrast to what Steven Knight’s hit BBC series suggests.

Is Thomas Shelby still alive? Thomas is alive… for now! He almost died on several occasions but he’s coming back in season 6 to take down Mosley. When his plans to defeat Mosley fail in season 5, he almost kills himself with a gun to his head.

How old is Tommy Shelby in real life?

According to information about the character on the Peaky Blinders’ wiki page, Tommy was born in 1890. This means given the fifth season takes place in 1929, Tommy is supposed to be 39-years-old. In real-life, Irish actor Murphy is slightly older than his character at 44 years-old.

Was Alfie Solomons a real person?

The character is based on a real-life Jewish gangster called Alfred Solomon. … The Jewish gangs of the East End would have been just as famous but for some reason history seems to have remembered Alfie Solomons.

Is the Peaky Blinders historically accurate?

A number of historically accurate figures pop up in Peaky Blinders. … So even though Peaky Blinders is steeped in real-world events and people, the focus on the fictional gang adds an unpredictable flair to the story. As mentioned earlier, Tommy even becomes a member of Parliament.

Is the Shelby family a real family?

Although many characters in the series are based on real-life historical figures, the Shelby family are entirely fictional and were created by Knight. Tommy Shelby is from a Romani family based in Birmingham.

Did the Shelby family exist?

British screenwriter Steven Knight took inspiration from his father’s stories of “incredibly well dressed,” “incredibly powerful” gangsters active in turn-of-the-century England when he invented the Shelby clan—the family of razor blade-wielding mobsters at the heart of his BBC drama “Peaky Blinders.” But it turns out …

What happened to Peaky Blinders in real life?

Yes, Peaky Blinders is actually based on a true story. … Most of the Peaky Blinders gang was around in the 1890s, not the 1920s like the show. They lost power in 1910s to the rival gang The Birmingham Boys, and never gained as much political power as Tommy does in the series.

Does Lizzie Love Thomas?

Throughout the fourth series, Lizzie and Thomas continue to have a sexual relationship and Lizzie becomes pregnant and gives birth to Thomas’ daughter, Ruby Shelby. In Series 5, Lizzie and Thomas are married.

What is Thomas Shelby smoking in bed?

Thomas Shelby, aka Tommy, smokes brown opium at night in Seasons 1 and 2 to minimize the stress and symptoms of his PTSD from World War I. His symptoms and the habit of smoking opium get better when he marries Grace in Season 3 but worsen after Grace’s death.

How old is Shelby Peaky Blinders?

John is 24 years of age at the start of the first series. He is young and handsome and immaculately groomed, first seen at the blackboard of the betting shop with a ledger in his hand.

What age are the Peaky Blinders?

During the 1890s, youth street gangs consisted of men between the ages of 12 and 30. The late 1890s saw the organisation of these men into a soft hierarchy. The most violent of these youth street gangs organised themselves as a singular group known as the “Peaky Blinders”.

What skin condition does Alfie Solomons have?

Alfie revealed that he was suffering from skin cancer; he had intended for Tommy to discover his betrayal, track him down, and kill him so Alfie could die on his own terms, rather than the Mafia.

Was the Changretta family real?

Rest easy, because the Changrettas are a fictional creation. No Changretta gang existed in real life, unlike the Peaky Blinders, who were in fact a real Birmingham gang, according to GQ. … Steven Knight, the creator of Peaky Blinders, spoke to GQ about his decision to include American gangsters in Season 4.

Was Jessie Eden a real person?

Jessie Eden (1902–1986) was a leading British trade union leader and communist activist, most famous for leading between 40,000 to 50,000 households during the Birmingham rent-strike of 1939. … Later in life, she served for three decades as Birmingham city’s federation of council house tenants.

Did Winston Churchill really know the Peaky Blinders?

The Shelby family is fictional and are based on the real 19th-century urban young gang, called the Peaky Blinders. Although the Peaky Blinders were a notorious Birmingham gang, it is very unlikely they ever crossed paths with Churchill, a Westminster politician.

Was Billy Kimber a real person?

Yes, Billy Kimber was a real Birmingham gangster and leader of the real Birmingham Boys. The Birmingham Boys were a street gang who had significant power in the North of England and London between the 1910s and 1930. The head of The Birmingham Boys was William ‘Billy’ Kimber, from Aston, Birmingham.

Are the Peaky Blinders a family?

The Shelby Family run the Peaky Blinders and their own company, Shelby Company Limited. As a wealthy family, the Shelby’s own many cars, homes and properties such as the Garrison, the local public house in Small Heath.

Are the Peaky Blinders Gypsy?

Two of these main families are Irish Gypsies, the Shelbys and the Lees. … Protagonist Tommy, played by Cillian Murphy, is the brother who pulled the family together after the First World War and their father’s abandonment. However, the real power behind the family comes from Aunt Polly.

How did the Peaky Blinders died in real life?

“Peaky Blinders” star Toby Kirkup died last summer after being sent home from the hospital with chest pain, a court in England heard this week. … While a post-mortem report at the time stated that he died of natural causes, his family requested that the coroner examine his body.

Do Peaky Blinders still exist?

Peaky Blinders, now a hit television programme, may be a fictional story of the Birmingham underworld but it is based on the very real existence of a gang by the same name based in the Midlands in the late nineteenth century.