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

• Lobo Chan as Mr. Zhang (series 1), a business owner in Chinatown.
• Neil Bell (series 1) as Harry Fenton, a former landlord and owner of the Garrison pub.
• Samuel Edward-Cook as Danny "Whizz-Bang" Owen (series 1), Tommy's former comrade 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.
• Jeffrey Postlethwaite as Henry (series 1–2), a Peaky Blinders henchman.
• Matthew Postlethwaite as Nipper (series 1–2), a Peaky Blinders henchman.
• Simone Kirby as Irene O'Donnell (series 2), a Pro-Treaty IRA member, who works with Donal Henry and Inspector Campbell to blackmail Tommy into carrying out an assassination.
• Rory Keenan as Donal Henry (series 2), a spy who worked for the Irregulars against the Pro-Treaty IRA.
• Adam El Hagar as Ollie (series 2), Alfie's assistant.
• Sam Hazeldine as Georgie Sewell (series 2), the right-hand man and consiglieri to Sabini.
• Wanda Opalinska as Rosemary Johnson (series 2, 4), Michael's foster mother, whom she named Henry.
• Daniel Fearn as King Maine (series 2, 4), a boxing trainer in Birmingham who trains Arthur and Bonnie.
• Paul Bullion as Billy Kitchen (series 2), a Black Countryman, who briefly worked as a Head Baker for Tommy and Alfie.
• Josh O'Connor as James (series 2), Ada's friend and housemate.
• Dorian Lough as Mario (series 2), the owner of The Eden Club, ran by 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.
• Stephanie Hyam as Charlotte Murray (series 3), a wealthy girl, with whom Michael has a short affair.
• Kenneth Colley as Vicente Changretta (series 3), the father to Changretta and his brother Angel.
• Bríd Brennan as Audrey Changretta (series 3–4), Changretta's mother, 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 seeks out.
• Richard Brake as Anton Kaledin (series 3), a Russian refugee, who attempted to discuss business with Sabini and Tommy on Tommy and Grace's 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 Tommy's friend.
• Richard Dillane as General Curran (series 3), Grace's uncle.
• Dominic Coleman as Priest (series 3)
• Wendy Nottingham as Mary (series 3), Tommy's housekeeper.
• Billy Marwood (series 3), Jenson Clarke (series 4–5), and Billy Jenkins (series 6) as Charles Shelby, the son of Tommy and Grace.
• Luca Matteo Zizzari as Matteo (series 4), one of Changretta's henchmen.
• Jake J. Meniani as Frederico (series 4), one of Changretta's henchmen.
• Graeme Hawley as Niall Devlin (series 4), a working man in the Peaky Blinders Limited, working for Tommy.
• Donald Sumpter as Arthur Bigge (series 4), the King's Private Secretary, who deals with the case of the execution of Polly, Arthur, John and Michael.
• Jamie Kenna as Billy Mills (series 4), a former heavyweight boxing champion and a worker for the Shelby Company Limited, who fights against Bonnie at the company.
• Joseph Long as Chef (series 4)
• Andreas Muñoz as Antonio (series 4), the Italian assassin who came into Tommy's house as a sous-chef and planned to kill Tommy.
• Ethan Picard-Edwards as Billy Shelby (series 4), the son of Arthur and Linda.
• Dave Simon as Mulchay (series 4–5)
• Heaven-Leigh Clee (series 5) and Orla McDonagh (series 6) as Ruby Shelby, the daughter of Tommy and Lizzie.
• 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's personal doctor.
• Abbie Hern as Mary Bone (series 6), Finn's wife.

The first 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] Steven Knight, Stephen Russell and Toby Finlay all had writing credits on the series.[14]

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 was marketed in the United States.[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 completed 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".[28] Production on the series was due to begin in March 2020, but was delayed due to the COVID-19 pandemic.[29] 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".[30]

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".[31] Helen McCrory, who played the character of Polly Gray, died in April 2021 and had been unable to film any scenes for the series.[29] Series six premiered on 27 February 2022.[32][33]

Following the announcement that the sixth series would be the last, Knight clarified that, following the year-long production hiatus in 2020, it had been decided to produce a feature length movie in place of a seventh television series, with other connected television series potentially following.[34] There is still no production date, but creator Steven Knight has revealed that the movie should hit cinema screens in 2024.[35]

Peaky Blinders won the Returning Drama award at the 2022 National Television Awards ceremony, with Knight subsequently confirming during his acceptance speech that production of the film would begin in Spring 2023.[36]

Series four and five introduced the character Jessie Eden, based on the real-life British communist and trade union leader.[53] Although the reception was mixed,[54] some people who had known Jessie Eden personally took offence to the way she was depicted.[55] 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.[56]

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.[57] 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."[56]

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.[54]