Why do Peaky Blinders have that haircut? According to historians, shaved hairstyles were common among criminals during the early 20th century. Longer hair had the potential to get in the way during fights and shorter styles made gangsters look tougher. Plus, the cut made them harder to identify when wearing hats.
The Peaky Blinders haircut is historically accurate and has been a popular look since the 20th century, particularly amongst young working-class men. The hair cut originated in interwar Glasgow, when the Neds (petty criminals), had a haircut which was long on the top and short at the back and sides.
Thomas Shelby aka the Textured French Crop
Thomas Shelby's textured French crop is short on the back and sides, with long hair on top. For his slightly tousled style, you'll want to keep this fairly long so that it can be brought to the front and swept to one side.
Yeah, but it's fine. I don't generally do wigs. I think they look phony. If I see that a character has to wear a wig, I generally won't do the part.
The "Peaky Blinders" haircut is historically accurate, too. It's been a popular look since the early 20th Century and was favored among street gangs and young working-class men at the peak of its popularity.
When it comes to Peaky Blinders there really is only one person who can take the top spot when it comes to intelligence, and that is Tommy Shelby. The leader of the group and the man behind all of the plans and business ideas, Tommy has a reason for everything he does.
Historian David Cross, of the West Midlands Police Museum in Sparkhill, is also confident that razor blades in caps is just an urban myth. "If you think of your grandfather's cap in those days, then it would have had a very hard peak," said Mr Cross. "They used their hats with razor blades sewn in to rob people.
From the beginning, Tommy has struggled with what we now understand as post-traumatic stress disorder, stemming from his time in World War I. In Season 6, he suffers from seizures, with his body reflecting the inner turmoil wrought from fighting at home and abroad.
Tommy Shelby has four tattoos that have appeared on screen. The most famous is the sunray design on his left breast. This was based on a real tattoo that had Jesus in the middle; but Tommy's not the religious type, so only the sunrays were used.
"I actually chose to leave Peaky Blinders because I wanted to explore new avenues, and new characters and new stories." Well, John Shelby, we miss you. But we understand.
Tommy and others are seen smoking Opium throughout the series as a coping mechanism. over 5000 cigarettes were smoked on the show. Characters drink frequently on-screen, become drunk, and act violent and clumsy. One character has an opium habit, and a 10-year-old child smokes a cigarette on-screen.
Tommy Shelby and his kin are Irish-Romani (sometimes spelled Romany) Gypsies, a unique cultural and ethnic group present in Britain since the 1500s. The award-winning Peaky Blinders is directed by Steven Knight and has run for 6 seasons, the most recent hitting U.S.
The gypsy shag haircut, which first gained popularity in the 70s, is characterized by its evenly progressing layers, resulting in an overall "shaggy" look.
The high waisted trousers back then were much shorter than what men commonly wear now. The trousers stopped above the shoe, preventing the hem from touching the ground. The reason behind this detail is that there was no formal sewage system, and the streets were filthy.
Thomas Shelby's texturised crop is short on the back and sides of the head with a slightly longer length on top. Ask the barber: Ask for a "crop" but indicate you would like to have the fringe sweeping to the right or left and short around the back and sides with extra length left on top.
The breast tattoo holds meaning that may explain why Tommy Shelby's Peaky Blinders relationships, both platonic and romantic, often end poorly. By holding his freedom closest to his heart in the form of a permanent tattoo, it implies that he will not be bound by anything, even by marriage and love.
Smoking is a big part of most scenes, and all of the cigarettes were real. "I asked the prop guys to count how many we use during a series and it's 3,000," Murphy told BirminghamLive.
The whiskey that is drunk in Peaky Blinders is the Gallglennie Whiskey. However, this whiskey does not really exist but it was invented by the makers of the series. By the way, the actors do not drink real whiskey during the filming. Instead of whiskey they use tea.
The Peaky Blinders is the most powerful gang in England, and one of the most powerful gangs in the world. Initially founded in Birmingham after WWI, through Thomas Shelby's leadership, they began as an illegal bookmaking operation and eventually branched out to fixing races, bootlegging and car manufacturing.
If you've ever noticed that Shelby never eats on the show, that's because it was an accidental choice that later turned into an intentional decision. Once fans noticed this quirk, Murphy and Knight decided to turn it into a “Tommy thing,” which added to the character's obsessive industriousness.
Chester Campbell
Yet the worst act he has ever committed is forcing Polly to sleep with him to keep her son from spending the rest of his life behind bars.
He is always thinking a few steps ahead and he tends to plan everything very detailed. I would say his IQ is somewhere between 120 and 130.
The Peaky Blinders name
A popular theory is that the name originated from the gang's practice of stitching razor blades into the peaks of their trademark flat caps. Flat caps were often referred to as 'peakys' at the time, and the razor blades would cause damage to the face when victims were headbutted.
Tommy Shelby (Cillian Murphy) would be inspired by Thomas Gilbert, or Kevin Mooney (he changed his name a few times throughout his life), one of the most prominent members of the gang. Some of the most well known Peaky Blinders were Harry Fowles, or Baby-Faced Harry, Stephen McNickle and Earnest Haynes.
The phrase was inspired by John Milton's “Paradise Lost” where the “red right hand” represents divine vengeance.