The Real Peaky Blinders
Proper Job Films for BBC2
Editor: Sarjit Bains
9pm BBC2 Monday 7th March
‘The Real Peaky Blinders’ is a two-part BBC2 documentary that will reveal the true story behind the hit BBC1 drama Peaky Blinders, about Birmingham gangster Tommy Shelby and his dodgy brother, family and hoodlum entourage.
Editor Sarjit Bains worked on this series which explores the origins of the real Peaky Blinders phenomenon in Birmingham, starting with the first mention of the term in the popular press in 1890 and the street gangs that stretched as far back as the 1860s, when they were known as slogging gangs. The documentary builds a picture of the gang movement that has its roots in the working-class areas where territorial loyalty was all and underground gambling was common practice. Professor Carl Chinn uncovers the stories of the real Peaky Blinders, several renowned experts on the gang phenomenon are interviewed as well as Steven Knight, the writer of the Peaky Blinders drama, who based the series on his own family’s anecdotes.
The Real Peaky Blinders will be shown on BBC2 on Monday March 7 at 9pm. It will subsequently be available on BBC iPlayer.