It sounds like the name of a music hall revivalist troupe treading the boards at Edinburgh.

But a violent gang?

Its hardly the Crips or the Bloods.

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Its barely the Scooby Gang.

It is, however, 100% accurate.

Peaky Blinders was the name to real Birmingham gang members of the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries.

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Theyd go for the face and eyes (hence Blinders).

Yes, literally blinders.

It wasnt just Birmingham.

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Drunkenness, street brawls, illegal gambling, vandalism.

The usual rap sheet.

The violence escalated though and rival Peakies began coming home -or not- with horrific injuries.

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Murder wasnt beyond them either.

In 1897, a police constable called Snipe was killed by peaky blinder George Cloggy Williams.

His only regret at the killing was that hed intended to kill a PC Holdsworth.

Hed got the wrong copper.

These days, opportunities for gambling arent too difficult to find.

In fact, they find you.

Back in the 1920s, it was a trickier hobby.

Gambling was only legally permitted at race courses, which limited the opportunities for corruption.

Limited it geographically that is.

On the courses themselves, the bookmaking industry was largely unregulated and they became the province of aggressive gangsters.

In the midlands, the business was controlled by a group called the Brummagem Boys.

Italians were heavily involved in the gambling, while Romanies handled equine matters.

The race track gang scene was incredibly evocative, says series creator Steven Knight.

As with the Peakies, the race track gangs preferred bladed weapons.

Eyes would leave sockets and fingers came off hands.

Oh, and his boss, whose name you might recognise.

History has been rather kind to Sir Winston.

He was the last commoner to receive a state funeral.

He was offered the rather swish title Duke of London, but declined.

His portrait hangs in the Oval Office to inspire the putative most powerful man in the world.

Reputations dont get much bigger.

It wasnt always the case.

Fearful was one word for it.

Knight describes him as having been strident, which he admits is toning it down a bit.

Bad news for Arthur Shelbys fingers.

The Freddies of this world had a lot going for them as the 1920s began.

Small wonder that the authorities began to get a little nervous.

Youd be forgiven for thinking that the war didnt end in 1918, that it just got weirder.

All in all, it was a dangerous, paranoid time.

And they still had the General Strike to look forward to.

Peaky Blinders continues on Thursdays on BBC Two at 9pm.

Read more about it on Den of Geek,here.

Peaky Blinders is available to order on DVD from the BBC Shophere, and Blu-rayhere.