Peaky Blinders 'a Western In The West Midlands'

24 February 2026
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Ed James, BBC Radio WMand


Tim Page, West Midlands


A new documentary has actually lifted the cover on the making of Peaky Blinders, and the "mythology" at the heart of the story.


Peaky Blinders: The Real Story functions interviews with the people behind the show, including creator Steven Knight speaking about the Birmingham household folklore that inspired it.


"My mommy was a bookmaker's runner. Gambling was unlawful at the time, she was 8 years of ages and she would walk down the street with a basket of cleaning and people would drop bets into the basket," Knight said.


The documentary, which released on streaming websites today, has been made by filmmaker Robin Bextor, who said he set out to different truth from fiction.


"The first reported mention of Peaky Blinders that occurred at all was in 1890, whereas the Peaky Blinders we see on screen do not begin up until after the First World War," he told BBC Radio WM.


"The real Peaky Blinders had actually completed before the series starts".


The documentary likewise checks out the production methods of the six BBC series of Peaky Blinders, including its use of modern-day rock music along with folk and blues.


Bextor stated designer Grant Montgomery desired the show to be "based on a series of Western films that he enjoyed".


"I brought a type of Americana to it. I was constantly drawn to that aesthetic, the lawlessness of it," Montgomery told the new production.


It comes weeks before the release of a new Netflix movie, the Man, continuing the story of the Shelbys into World War Two. This will be followed by two more BBC series heading through to the 1950s.


Bextor stated his film was a tribute to Peaky Blinders' Brummie roots, and the "unsurpassed" skill of its developer, Knight.


"It's not an accident that he's becoming the king of drama now. He's been asked to compose the new Bond film, he's got two new series running on TV, he's got the Peaky Blinders film ... and he was asked to write Star Wars.


"I suggest, this guy is a big achiever. Plus naturally, what Peaky Blinders gave us was 6 series of a brilliant efficiency by Cillian Murphy."


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