I just found out that the Peaky Blinders were overthrown by the Birmingham Boys in real life (and they were led by Billy Kimber)

Stephen Knight's critically acclaimed crime drama series Peaky Blinders is based on a real-life gang of the same name. While this is true and Knight was actually inspired by the real-life Birmingham gang that was famous for their gambling and violence, many facts were changed for the story.

First and foremost, the real-life gang operated in Birmingham in the 1880s and lost control until 1920. However, since Knight wanted to portray a post-war world, he set the story in the 1920s.

While Cillian Murphy's Tommy Shelby is fictional and did not exist in real life, many characters were inspired by history. One such character is Season 1's antagonist Billy Kimber, played by Charlie Creed-Miles.

Billy Kimber and his Birmingham Boys were Peaky Blinders' rival gang in real life, but they usurped the Blinders in 1920. While Billy Kimber is killed and defeated by Tommy in the Season 1 finale, this did not happen in real life.

Not only did Billy Kimber defeat Peaky Blinders in 1920, but the Blinders disappeared from the gang scene and their name became a ''synonymous slang for any street gang in Birmingham''.

More on this in our story.

Separating fact from fiction: The real Peaky Blinders were usurped by Billy Kimber

While Knight's BBC crime series portrays Tommy and the Shelbys as invincible, the actual story of the real-life Peaky Blinders is vastly different. Knight not only reversed the time period during which the Blinders ruled, but also changed their run-ins with many gangs.

While the gang fought against many rival gangs during the 1900s, they were finally usurped by the Birmingham Boys in 1920. Led by William "Billy" Kimber, the gang was the biggest organized crime group in the UK and soon gained control of all the race tracks.

While Peaky Blinders Season 1 aptly described the power struggles between various gangs, the titular gang certainly did not have the upper hand. In real life, it was Billy Kimber and the Birmingham Boys who ruled the racetracks, including Epsom (featured in the show).

While Billy Kimber was a rather forgettable antagonist in the show, the real-life gang leader was a magnanimous figure. Historian Carl Chinn, author of The Real Peaky Blinders, describes him as:

“A very intelligent man with a fighting ability, a magnetic personality and a shrewd [awareness] of the importance of an alliance with London.''

The BBC series accurately expanded on Kimber's real-life dealings and his connections with the London underworld, but his fate was far different than what the show depicted.

The Birmingham Boys were actually defeated by the Sabini gang (also featured in the show) after they lost control of the South East racecourses.

How did Peaky Blinders fictionalize Billy Kimber's tale in Season 1?

While Knight rightly captured Billy Kimber and the Birmingham Boys' aura in Peaky Blinders Season 1, I feel the gang leader was wrongfully represented. I assumed Kimber was some non-influential leader who aimed too high, but according to history, he was on the winning side.

In the Season 1 finale, after Tommy learns that Grace betrayed him and the Birmingham Boys are on their way to the Shelbys, he orders his gang for a full-blown war.

In one of the most memorable sequences from the show, Tommy Shelby shoots Billy Kimber in the head in cold blood, while his Birmingham Boys army stands behind him, ready for a war. Tommy then instructs the Birmingham Boys to run to their families as their gang leader is already dead.

While Tommy shot Billy Kimber in the show, the Birmingham Boys actually defeated the Blinders in real life. In addition, it is also reported that Billy Kimber actually died in 1945, at the age of 65. Kimber died due to a prolonged illness at the Mount Stuart Nursing Home in Torquay.

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Also Read: 5 things from Peaky Blinders that were changed from real-life

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