PEAKY Blinders was a huge hit for the BBC, with its dark plot of gang life in the late 19th century.
But some fans may not know that the show was actually inspired by real life Birmingham gangsters who were just as dark as the ones in the show.
Who were the real Peaky Blinders?
The real Peaky Blinders' reign of terror started in the 1880s and ended in the 1910s.
It's reported that extreme poverty at this time caused the mob culture in the Midlands, which then developed into gang warfare.
My book is not about the series Peaky Blinders, it’s about the real people behind the story, and their story is as dramatic and compelling and bloody as the series.
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While Cillian Murphy's gang leader character Thomas Shelby is a work of fiction, what the gang got up to was just as dramatic, violent and dark as the BBC's Peaky Blinders made out.
Professor Carl Chinn is a Birmingham-based historian who began researching these infamous Brummie gangs back in the 1880s, and wrote the book called The Real Peaky Blinders.
He has since praised the BBC show for its references to Birmingham pubs, such as the Garrison, and firms like the BSA, as they maintain a strong sense of place amid the pacy plot.
Professor Chinn's findings suggest the Peaky Blinders were followed by a large pre-war gang called the Brummagem Boys - a “loose collection of pick-pockets, racecourse thieves and pests who were gaining a lot of power”.
By the 1920s, a group called The Birmingham Gang emerged - many members of which were from the Brummagem Boys.
They went on to become the most feared and notorious gangs in the country - led by Billy Kimber, a character in the show's first season.
Speaking to the BBC, Professor Chinn said: "My book is not about the series, it’s about the real people behind the story, and their story is as dramatic and compelling and bloody as the series."
How did the Peaky Blinders get their name?
The name Peaky Blinders is said to have come from the gang stitching razor blades into the peak of their flat caps.
In fights, they could then simply use their hats to slash the faces, eyes and foreheads of their enemies.
The Peaky Blinders' girlfriends also had a uniform of sorts, including pearls, a large fringe and a silk handkerchief covering their throats.
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However, Professor Chinn's research has led him to believe that the sewn-in razor blades could well be a myth.
“It’s really interesting to look back at the mythologized version of the story and the reality,” he explained.
“There was no real Tommy Shelby and the Peaky Blinders were around in the 1890s and yet the series is set in the 1920s.
“As for the razor blades? They were only beginning to come in from the 1890s and were a luxury item, much too expensive for the Peaky Blinders to have used.
“And any hard man would tell you it would be very difficult to get direction and power with a razor blade sewn into the soft part of a cap. It was a romantic notion brought about in John Douglas’s novel, A Walk Down Summer Lane.
“But I can understand why the series producers used the name because it’s infused with gangsterdom.
“And I’m pleased the matriarchal strong women are a huge aspect of the programme. I think most working class men were raised by strong women.
"The series is gripping and beautifully shot. It has gained national attention and done a lot for Birmingham.”
How can I watch Peaky Blinders?
Peaky Blinders ran on BBC One and BBC Two from 2013, before concluding in a dramatic finale in 2022.
The series was made up of 36 episodes over six seasons.
Fans can binge watch every single episode ever made either on the BBC iPlayer or on Netflix.