It is a well known fact these days that Peaky Blinders is loosely based on a gang with the same name from Birmingham in the 1920s. However, Steven Knight has done an excellent job at mixing reality with truth throughout the show’s history, which has seen real-life characters deployed in the series.
Over previous seasons, we have seen the Peaky Blinders mixed up in business involving Winston Churchill and Oswald Mosley, and the success of that ensures that it will be set to continue over the next couple of seasons. But, which real-life figures could we see come face to face with the Peaky Blinders?
Al Capone
The obvious name that stands out to fans is that of Al Capone. The ruthless leader of the Chicago Mafia has already been name-checked in a previous episode, and that could mean that he could be set to travel over to Birmingham and align with the Peaky Blinders. Capone was mentioned during the tense showdown between Tommy Shelby and Luca Changretta at the end of season four.
Changretta looked to signal the end of the Peaky Blinders dominance in the era, before Shelby revealed that he had been talking to a ‘friend’ of Changretta’s in America, which was revealed to be Capone. It hasn’t been mentioned whether a deal has been made between the two Mafia bosses, but Capone making an appearance in the show has been constantly muted.
Adolf Hitler
The introduction of Oswald Mosley in the previous season of Peaky Blinders saw the show head in a slightly different direction, as Tommy was now faced with the dilemma of whether to align with a Politian that has fascist views. In the end, Tommy tried to kill Mosley, but the plan spectacularly backfires as it becomes apparent that somebody had betrayed the Peaky Blinders.
Oswald’s introduction could see a shock appearance in the future by Adolf Hitler, who shared a lot of similar beliefs as Mosley. It would make for an interesting dynamic to see Hitler appear in Peaky Blinders, as it would be interesting to see what a potential meeting between himself and Tommy Shelby could have looked like.
Alf White
Peaky Blinders has already enjoyed success with introducing real-life gangsters from the 1920s in the show, with Charles Sabini being the notable example. Sabini pushed the Peaky Blinders to their limit during season two, and the Brummie gang could once again come toe-to-toe with another London-based gang in the future.
This time we could see the Peaky Blinders come up against notorious Mafia boss Alfi White. White was a known criminal throughout the 20s, and was imprisoned for the shooting of Freddie Gilbert and George Sage in 1922. However, after his release, he wanted to use his links with Sabini to get involved with trackside betting. As fans will be aware, the Blinders own the racecourses in the show, which means that we could see White get closer with the Peaky Blinders in order to get this business.
