Peaky Blinders (TV series)

• Cillian Murphy as Thomas "Tommy" Shelby, the leader of the Peaky Blinders.
• Sam Neill as Chief Inspector/Major Chester Campbell (series 1–2), an Ulster Protestant policeman drafted from Belfast.
• Helen McCrory as Elizabeth "Polly" Gray (series 1–5), née Shelby, the aunt of Tommy and his siblings, and treasurer of the Peaky Blinders.
• Paul Anderson as Arthur Shelby Jr., Tommy's best friend and brother.
• Iddo Goldberg as Freddie Thorne (series 1), a known communist who fought in the Great War and Ada's husband.
• Annabelle Wallis as Grace Shelby (series 1–3, 5), née Burgess, a former undercover agent, and Irish Protestant. The first wife of Tommy Shelby and the mother of his son Charles.
• Sophie Rundle as Ada Thorne, née Shelby, the Shelby brothers' only sister.
• Joe Cole as John "Johnny" Shelby (series 1–4), the third-youngest Shelby brother and a member of the Peaky Blinders.
• Ned Dennehy as Charlie Strong, owner of a boatyard and an uncle figure to Tommy.
• Benjamin Zephaniah as Jeremiah 'Jimmy' Jesus, a preacher, and friend of the Peaky Blinders.
• Andy Nyman (series 1), Richard McCabe (recurring series 2), and Neil Maskell (series 5–6) as Winston Churchill
• David Dawson as Roberts (series 1), the accountant of Billy Kimber, a local criminal kingpin.
• Charlie Creed-Miles as Billy Kimber (series 1), a local kingpin and leader of The Birmingham Boys who runs the local races.
• Tommy Flanagan as Arthur Shelby, Sr. (series 1), the father of Tommy and his siblings; Polly's brother.
• Natasha O'Keeffe as Elizabeth “Lizzie” Shelby, née Stark (series 2–6; recurring series 1); An ex-prostitute who worked for Tommy as his secretary. She is his second wife and the mother of his daughter Ruby.
• Charlotte Riley as May Fitz Carleton (series 2, 4), a wealthy widow who owns racehorses.
• Finn Cole as Michael Gray (series 2–6), Polly's biological son.
• Noah Taylor as Darby Sabini (series 2), the leader of an Italian gang in Camden Town.
• Tom Hardy as Alfred "Alfie" Solomons (series 2–6), the leader of a Jewish gang in Camden Town.
• Aimee-Ffion Edwards as Esme Shelby, née Lee (series 3–4, 6; recurring series 1–2), John Shelby's wife.
• Packy Lee as Johnny Dogs (series 3–6; recurring series 1), a Gypsy friend of Tommy Shelby's.
• Gaite Jansen as Princess Tatiana Petrovna (series 3), a Russian princess who has an affair with Tommy.
• Jan Bijvoet as Arch Duke Leon Romanov (series 3), Tatiana Petrovna's uncle.
• Dina Korzun as Grand Duchess Izabella Petrovna (series 3), Tatiana Petrovna's aunt.
• Alexander Siddig as Ruben Oliver (series 3), a portrait artist in a romantic relationship with Polly Gray.
• Paddy Considine as Father John Hughes (series 3), a priest working with the anti-communist Section D (The Economic League) in the British government.
• Ian Peck as Curly (series 4–6; recurring series 1–3), a horse expert and assistant to Charlie Strong.
• Kate Phillips as Linda Shelby (series 4–6; recurring series 3), Arthur Shelby's wife who is a devout Christian.
• Charlie Murphy as Jessie Eden (series 4–5), a union convenor and lover of Tommy Shelby's.
• Jack Rowan as Bonnie Gold (series 4–5), Aberama Gold's boxing champion son.
• Aidan Gillen as Aberama Gold (series 4–5), an ally of the Peaky Blinders and lover of Polly Gray.
• Adrien Brody as Luca Changretta (series 4), a New York mafioso with a vendetta against the Peaky Blinders.
• Kingsley Ben-Adir as Colonel Ben Younger (series 5; recurring series 4), a young colonel who begins a relationship with Ada Thorne. He is also investigating socialist and fascist political activities.
• Anya Taylor-Joy as Gina Gray (series 5–6), Michael Gray's American wife.
• Cosmo Jarvis as Barney Thomason (series 5), a WWI sniper who was a comrade and old friend of Tommy's who is locked in an insane asylum.
• Andrew Koji as Brilliant Chang (series 5), a Chinese criminal leader involved in opium smuggling.
• Brian Gleeson as Jimmy McCavern (series 5), the leader of the Billy Boys, a Scottish Protestant gang.
• Sam Claflin as Sir Oswald Mosley (series 5–6), a fascist politician and leader of the British Union of Fascists.
• Kate Dickie as Mother Superior (series 5), the head of a group of nuns.
• Alfie Evans-Meese (recurring series 1) and Harry Kirton (series 6; recurring series 2–5) as Finn Shelby, Tommy's youngest brother and a member of the Peaky Blinders.
• Jordan Bolger (recurring series 2–4) and Daryl McCormack (series 6; recurring series 5) as Isiah Jesus, the son of Jeremiah Jesus and a member of the Peaky Blinders.
• Pauline Turner as Frances (series 6; recurring series 4–5), the housekeeper of Tommy Shelby.
• Emmett J. Scanlan as Billy Grade (series 6; recurring series 5), an ex-footballer turned singer and an ally to the Peaky Blinders.
• Charlene McKenna as Laura McKee/ Captain Swing (series 6; guest series 5), an IRA leader from Belfast.
• Amber Anderson as Lady Diana Mitford (series 6), the second wife of Oswald Mosley, one of the aristocratic Mitford sisters and a Fascist socialite.
• James Frecheville as Jack Nelson (series 6), a south Boston gang leader, uncle of Gina and Michael's boss in the United States.
• Stephen Graham as Hayden Stagg (series 6), the union convenor for the workers at Liverpool docks.
• Conrad Khan as Erasmus "Duke" Shelby (series 6), Tommy's first-born son from before the Great War.

• Samuel Edward-Cook as Danny "Whizz-Bang" Owen (series 1), a former comrade of Tommy Shelby and a loyal member of the Peaky Blinders.
• Tony Pitts as Sergeant/Inspector Moss (series 1–4), a police officer from Birmingham.
• Kevin Metcalfe as Scudboat (series 1–2), a henchman of the Peaky Blinders.
• Neil Bell (series 1) as Harry Fenton, a former landlord and owner of the Garrison pub.
• Lobo Chan as Mr. Zhang (series 1)
• Tom Vaughan-Lawlor as Malacki Byrne (series 1), a member of the IRA and the cousin of one of the IRA members.
• Isabelle Estelle Corbusier as Yasmin Lipscomb (series 1)
• Jeffrey Postlethwaite as Henry (series 1–2), a Peaky Blinders henchman.
• Matthew Postlethwaite as Nipper (series 1–2), a Peaky Blinders henchman.
• Adam El Hagar as Ollie (series 2), the assistant to Alfie Solomons.
• Henry Garrett as Clive Macmillan (series 2), first husband of Grace Burgess. He was a rich banker who lived in Poughkeepsie, New York.
• Sam Hazeldine as Georgie Sewell (series 2), the right-hand man and consiglieri to Darby Sabini.
• Paul Bullion as Billy Kitchen (series 2), a Black Countryman, who briefly worked as a Head Baker for Tommy Shelby and Alfie Solomons.
• Rory Keenan as Donal Henry (series 2), a spy who worked for the Irregulars against the Pro-Treaty IRA.
• Simone Kirby as Irene O'Donnell (series 2), a Pro-Treaty IRA member, who works with Donal Henry and Inspector Campbell to blackmail Tommy Shelby into carrying out an assassination.
• Wanda Opalinska as Rosemary Johnson (series 2, 4), the foster mother of Michael Gray, whom she named Henry.
• Daniel Fearn as King Maine (series 2, 4), a boxing trainer in Birmingham who trains Arthur Shelby and Bonnie Gold.
• Jordan Bolger (series 2–4) and Daryl McCormack (series 5–6) as Isiah Jesus, the son of Jeremiah Jesus and a member of the Peaky Blinders
• Josh O'Connor as James (series 2), a friend and housemate of Ada Thorne.
• Dorian Lough as Mario (series 2), the owner of The Eden Club, ran by Darby Sabini.
• Allan Hopwood as Abbey Heath (series 2)
• James Eeles as "The Digbeth Kid" Harold Hancox (series 2), An aspiring actor hired by the Peaky Blinders to get stood up and spend a week inside jail, only to be killed by Sabini's henchmen.
• Erin Shanagher as Mrs. Ross (series 2, 4), A vengeful mother who dislikes Arthur for the death of her son.
• George Gwyther (series 3) and Callum Booth-Ford (series 5–6) as Karl Thorne, the only child of Ada and Freddie Thorne.
• Stephanie Hyam as Charlotte Murray (series 3), a wealthy girl, with whom Michael Gray has a short affair.
• Kenneth Colley as Vicente Changretta (series 3), the father to Luca and Angelo Changretta.
• Bríd Brennan as Audrey Changretta (series 3–4), the mother of Luca Changretta, wife of Vicente Changretta and head of the Italian crime family in Birmingham, as part of being the enemy of the Peaky Blinders.
• Frances Tomelty as Bethany Boswell (series 3), a wise old woman living in Wales, whom Tommy Shelby seeks out.
• Richard Brake as Anton Kaledin (series 3), a Russian refugee, who attempted to discuss business with Darby Sabini and Tommy Shelby on Tommy and Grace Burgess' wedding day.
• Alex Macqueen as Patrick Jarvis MP (series 3), a Member of Parliament and also a member and representative of The Economic League, working with Father Hughes.
• Ralph Ineson as Connor Nutley (series 3), a Lancaster factory foreman.
• Peter Bankole as William Letso (series 3), a former diamond miner, a tunneler from the South African Labor Corps and a friend of Tommy Shelby.
• Richard Dillane as General Curran (series 3), an uncle of Grace Burgess.
• Dominic Coleman as Priest (series 3)
• Wendy Nottingham as Mary (series 3), the housekeeper of Tommy Shelby.
• Billy Marwood (series 3), Jenson Clarke (series 4–5), and Billy Jenkins (series 6) as Charles Shelby, the son of Tommy and Grace Shelby.
• Luca Matteo Zizzari as Matteo (series 4), one of Luca Changretta's henchmen.
• Jake J. Meniani as Frederico (series 4), one of Luca Changretta's henchmen.
• Graeme Hawley as Niall Devlin (series 4), a working man in the Peaky Blinders Limited, working for Tommy Shelby.
• Donald Sumpter as Arthur Bigge (series 4), the King's Private Secretary, who deals with the case of the execution of Polly Gray, Arthur Shelby, John Shelby and Michael Gray.
• Jamie Kenna as Billy Mills (series 4), a former heavyweight boxing champion and a worker for the Shelby Company Limited, who fights against Bonnie Gold at the company.
• Joseph Long as Chef (series 4)
• Andreas Muñoz as Antonio (series 4), the Italian assassin who came into Tommy Shelby's house as a sous-chef and planned to kill Tommy.
• Ethan Picard-Edwards as Billy Shelby (series 4), the first child of Arthur and Linda Shelby.
• Dave Simon as Mulchay (series 4–5)
• Emmett J. Scanlan as Billy Grade (series 5–6), an ex-footballer turned singer and an ally to the Peaky Blinders.
• Heaven-Leigh Clee (series 5) and Orla McDonagh (series 6) as Ruby Shelby, the daughter of Tommy and Lizzie Shelby.
• Elliot Cowan as Michael Levitt (series 5), a Birmingham journalist.
• Peter Campion as Micky Gibbs (series 5), barman of The Garrison pub.
• Tim Woodward as Lord Suckerby (series 5), a High Court Judge.
• Darragh O'Toole as Liam (series 6), An associate of Jack Nelson's.
• Peter Coonan as Connor Dunn (series 6), An associate of Jack Nelson's.
• Assaad Bouab as Henri (series 6), A bartender on Miquelon Island.
• Franc Bruneau as Miquelon Island Police Commissioner (series 6), Head of Police Department on Miquelon Island.
• Simon Wan as Han (series 6), An opium dealer who operates through a cafe in Birmingham's Chinatown.
• Naomi Yang as Li (series 6), Han's wife.
• Aneurin Barnard as Doctor Holford (series 6), Tommy Shelby's personal doctor.
• Abbie Hern as Mary Bone (series 6), Finn Shelby's wife.

Peaky Blinders was created by Steven Knight, directed by Otto Bathurst, and produced by Katie Swinden. The writers are listed as Steven Knight, Stephen Russell and Toby Finlay.[8]

Screen Yorkshire provided funding for the production through the Yorkshire Content Fund, ensuring that the majority of the show was filmed in Yorkshire as part of the deal.[9] The series was filmed in Birmingham, Bradford, Dudley, Leeds, Liverpool, and Port Sunlight.[10] Railway sequences were filmed between Keighley and Damems, using carriages from the Ingrow Museum of Rail Travel (owned by Vintage Carriages Trust),[11] and carriages owned by the Lancashire and Yorkshire Railway Trust.[12] Many of the scenes for the show were shot at the Black Country Living Museum.[13]

Ulster-born, New Zealand-raised Sam Neill enlisted the help of Northern Irish actors James Nesbitt and Liam Neeson to help him recover his lost Northern Irish accent for the role of C.I. Campbell. In the end, he had to tone down the accent since the series is being marketed in the United States.[14]

Linguists weren't hired in the production to assist in the show, leading to the Romani Gypsies frequently speaking broken Romanian (as opposed to Romani).[15]

A second series was commissioned shortly after the broadcast of the first and aired in October and November 2014.[6] On 11 January 2014, auditions were held in Digbeth area of Birmingham (near where parts of the series are set) for white and mixed race teenage male extras, resulting in lengthy queues.[16][17]

Shortly after the final episode of the second series, the show announced via its Twitter account that it had been renewed for a third series.[18] On 5 October 2015, the official Peaky Blinders Twitter account announced that filming had begun for series 3.[19] Filming wrapped on 22 January 2016, after 78 days of shooting.[20][21]

During the initial broadcast of series 3, the BBC renewed Peaky Blinders for series 4 and 5, each of which comprises six episodes.[22] Filming for series 4 started in March 2017 and premiered on 15 November 2017 on BBC Two.[23] Both The Weinstein Company and its logo in its credits weren't included, even though the company was formerly involved in the US distribution of the series.[24]

The BBC commissioned a fifth series in mid-2016. On 22 August 2018, it was confirmed that series 5 would be broadcast on BBC One.[25][26] Having already premiered to a select audience at Birmingham Town Hall on 18 July 2019, the series began airing on BBC One on 25 August 2019.[27]

On 5 May 2018, Steven Knight told Birmingham Press Club that "we are definitely doing [series] six and we will probably do seven".[28] Knight has indicated that once the series is complete, a film or spin-off could follow.[29] Production on series 6 was due to begin in March 2020, but was cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.[30] During 2020, rumours emerged linking comedian Rowan Atkinson to the show for the role of Adolf Hitler in series 6, but the producers denied the involvement saying that the news is "completely false".[31]

On 18 January 2021, it was announced that series six, which had just begun filming, would be the final television series of Peaky Blinders; though Knight revealed "the story will continue in another form".[32] Knight later clarified that, following the year-long production hiatus, it had been decided to produce a movie in place of a seventh television series, with other connected television series potentially following.[33] On 16 April 2021, it was announced that Helen McCrory, who played the character of Polly, had died after a battle with cancer. Cillian Murphy later confirmed that Helen McCrory did not get a chance to film any scenes before her death.[30] The series premiered on 27 February 2022.[34][35]

Series four and five introduced the character Jessie Eden, based on the real-life British communist and trade union leader.[52] Although the reception was mixed,[53] some people who had known Jessie Eden personally took offence to the way she was depicted.[54] Graham Stevenson, a historian of British communism, a personal friend of Jessie Eden and the writer of her biography, was a harsh critic of the show, stating:

I knew Eden, and as a callow 22-year-old, I didn't ask the 70-year-old Jessie about her relationships, let alone sex life. But I doubt her private life was as complicated or dramatic as her eponymous character's. Nor can I see any young woman during the 1920s gratuitously going into a gents' toilets, as Eden is shown doing, for any reason at all other than life or death. The social values of the programme are ahistorical. It is surely the conceit that Tommy Shelby, the gangster villain-hero of the series, could ever convince a woman like Eden to be wined and dined, let alone be seduced, that finally reveals the true motives of the creators of the programme.[55]

Stevenson also criticised the show for its clothing choices, incorrectly showing Churchill as Home Secretary in 1919, incorrectly depicting Eden as a mass leader during the 1926 General Strike; eventually these inaccuracies led Stevenson to stop watching the show.[56] He went on to elaborate: "Although the TV series' cinematography, music and fast-paced action is obviously attractive, especially matched to outstanding charismatic performances, it's disappointing that an expert in Tudor history was the historical adviser to the series, rather than someone with a background in trade unionism or communism."[55]

At a round table event featuring Stevenson, the poet Dave Puller, and cultural historian Paul Long, the three discussed the series and its depictions of the British working class. Long rated the series positively and praised the series as a great representation of interesting working-class protagonists. Puller had mixed feelings and was disappointed that the show chose to focus on Jessie Eden's fictional romance with Tommy, rather than her real achievements as a communist and a trade union leader.[53]