Shropshire Star

The Real Peaky Blinders: New BBC documentary will tell the true tale of Birmingham's historic gangs

By order of the Peaky Blinders, everyone's favourite British gangster drama has returned, and next week fans can also get acquainted with the true story.

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Supporting image for story: The Real Peaky Blinders: New BBC documentary will tell the true tale of Birmingham's historic gangs
The Real Peaky Blinders will explore the true stories behind the hit drama

A two-part documentary, The Real Peaky Blinders will look at the historical street thugs and mobsters who inspired the series, and explore the violent truth of numerous figures from the late 1800s and the early 20th century.

Fronted by Professor Carl Chinn, the documentary is set to air on BBC Two, with the first episode showing on Monday.

"We started filming early last year," he said. "In the first episode we'll be starting in the 1800s, meeting men like Henry Lightfoot – the first man to be specifically called a Peaky Blinder in court – and victims like poor old George Eastwood who was beaten up brutally in March 1890 simply because he'd been drinking a ginger beer.

"In the second episode we'll be moving into the 1920s and will be looking in a lot more detail at the lives of real men whose names may be familiar from the show – Billy Kimber, Darby Sabini, Alfie Solomon – and also the 'guvnor' of the East End Jewish underworld, Edward Emanuel."

An expert in the field whose own great-grandfather was a Peaky Blinder, Professor Chinn has been no stranger to TV work looking at Birmingham's street gang past. However, this is the first time he has been involved in a television project of this scale.

Professor Carl Chinn
Professor Carl Chinn

"It was very exciting," he said. "I wanted to make sure as well that it was bringing in other historians. Peaky Blinders creator Steven Knight has also been interviewed for the series.

"It's going to be pacey, it's going to be energetic, and also – I hope – informative."

The Real Peaky Blinders, episode one, will be shown on BBC Two on Monday, March 7, at 9pm