Sharp suits, flat caps, and a swaggering menace set to a thunderous rock soundtrack: Peaky Blinders was unlike anything else on British television. Steven Knight’s saga of a Birmingham crime family in the aftermath of the First World War became a global phenomenon, and its distinctive style spilled off the screen to launch a genuine fashion craze. This is the story of how a period gangster drama became one of the coolest shows on television.
The rise of the Shelby family
Peaky Blinders was created by Steven Knight and first broadcast on the BBC in 2013, running for six series until 2022. It follows the Shelby family, a criminal gang operating in Birmingham in the years after the Great War, and in particular their fierce, calculating leader Tommy Shelby, played by Cillian Murphy. Set against a backdrop of social and political upheaval, the series charts the family’s ruthless rise from backstreet bookmakers towards wealth and power.
The show took the raw materials of the historical gangster drama and transformed them into something bold and distinctive. Its Birmingham is a world of smoke, fire and violence, peopled by hard men and formidable women, and its story of ambition, loyalty and brutality unfolds with operatic intensity.
Cillian Murphy’s Tommy Shelby
At the centre of it all is Cillian Murphy’s mesmerising performance as Tommy Shelby. Cold, controlled and endlessly calculating, Tommy is a war-scarred visionary determined to climb the social ladder by any means necessary. Murphy plays him with a quiet, watchful intensity that makes him magnetic — a gangster of few words whose stillness conceals a ferocious will.
Tommy became an iconic character, and Murphy’s portrayal anchored the entire series. Around him gathered a rich ensemble of family members and rivals, but it was Tommy — haunted by the trenches, ruthless in business, and forever reaching for more — who embodied the show’s blend of danger, style and tragic ambition.
Style as substance
What truly set Peaky Blinders apart was its extraordinary sense of style. The show’s meticulous attention to menswear — the tailored three-piece suits, the overcoats, and above all the signature flat caps — created an unforgettable look that became inseparable from its identity. The Shelbys’ hard, elegant appearance made crime look dangerously glamorous.
The show paired this striking visual style with an audacious use of modern rock music, scoring its early-twentieth-century world with contemporary songs to electrifying effect. This anachronistic soundtrack gave the series a bold, timeless energy, refusing the stuffiness of the traditional period drama and making the whole enterprise feel thrillingly cool.
A fashion phenomenon
The impact of that style reached far beyond the screen. Peaky Blinders sparked a genuine fashion craze, with its distinctive look — flat caps, tailored suits and a certain hard elegance — inspiring menswear trends, themed events and a wave of imitators. Barbers, tailors and party-goers embraced the Shelby aesthetic, and the show’s fashion influence became a cultural talking point in its own right.
This was a rare example of a television drama shaping how people actually dressed. The series demonstrated the power of a strong, consistent visual identity, and its costumes became as famous as its characters, a testament to how completely the show’s style captured the public imagination.
A global following
Peaky Blinders built a devoted global following, its reach extending well beyond Britain thanks to international streaming. Its combination of gripping drama, charismatic characters and irresistible style translated across cultures, turning it into one of the most successful British exports of its era.
Its popularity endured across all six series and beyond, with the story continuing into a feature film. Few recent British dramas have generated such passionate fandom or such a lasting cultural footprint.
Why it endures
Peaky Blinders endures because it fused compelling drama with unforgettable style. Its story of a ruthless family clawing its way up from the streets is gripping in its own right, but it is the show’s distinctive look, sound and attitude that elevated it into a phenomenon.
For anyone drawn to bold, stylish, character-driven drama, the saga of Tommy Shelby and his family remains essential viewing — a period gangster story that broke every rule of the genre and, in doing so, became one of the most distinctive and influential British shows of its time.
