# List of Peaky Blinders characters
This is a list of principal characters in *Peaky Blinders*, the British crime drama created by [Steven Knight](https://www.edgepedia.org/steven-knight), which ran for six seasons on BBC from 2013 to 2022 and continued in the film *Peaky Blinders: The Immortal Man* and an announced sequel series. The story centers on the Shelby family, a fictional [Birmingham](https://www.edgepedia.org/birmingham) crime family operating from 1919 onward, placed among real historical figures such as [Winston Churchill](https://www.edgepedia.org/winston-churchill) and Oswald Mosley.[1](https://www.netflix.com/title/80002479) • [2](https://www.netflix.com/tudum/articles/when-is-peaky-blinders-set)
| Character | Actor | Role |
|---|---|---|
| Thomas "Tommy" Shelby | Cillian Murphy | Gang leader in 1919 Birmingham who rises to business, politics, and a seat in Parliament[1](https://www.netflix.com/title/80002479) • [2](https://www.netflix.com/tudum/articles/when-is-peaky-blinders-set) |
| Arthur Shelby Jr. | Paul Anderson | Tommy's brother, a core member of the gang[3](https://kiyanakhadivfard.myblog.arts.ac.uk/files/2023/01/peakyblindersessay.pdf) |
| Polly Gray | Helen McCrory | The family's pragmatist and often Tommy's voice of reason[4](https://www.slashfilm.com/1138683/why-peaky-blinders-grace-was-the-hardest-role-to-cast-for-the-show/) |
| John Shelby | Joe Cole | Shelby brother in the gang[3](https://kiyanakhadivfard.myblog.arts.ac.uk/files/2023/01/peakyblindersessay.pdf) |
| Ada Shelby | Sophie Rundle | Shelby sister[3](https://kiyanakhadivfard.myblog.arts.ac.uk/files/2023/01/peakyblindersessay.pdf) |
| Grace Burgess | Annabelle Wallis | An undercover spy whose loyalties splinter over the first season[5](https://www.mediaversityreviews.com/tv-reviews/2019/12/15/peaky-blinders-seasons-1-4) |
| Alfie Solomons | Tom Hardy | Camden Town gang leader and uneasy ally of Tommy[3](https://kiyanakhadivfard.myblog.arts.ac.uk/files/2023/01/peakyblindersessay.pdf) |
| Michael Gray | Finn Cole | Polly's son, drawn into the family business[3](https://kiyanakhadivfard.myblog.arts.ac.uk/files/2023/01/peakyblindersessay.pdf) |
## The Shelby family
**Thomas Shelby** is the center of the series. When the show opens in 1919 he is a gang leader riding through the unpaved, muddy streets of Birmingham on a horse; by the close of Season 5 in 1929 he drives a Bentley and holds a seat in Parliament as the MP for his hometown.[2](https://www.netflix.com/tudum/articles/when-is-peaky-blinders-set) Netflix describes him as a crime boss "set on moving up in the world no matter the cost."[1](https://www.netflix.com/title/80002479) Commentators have traced his evolution from young gang leader to major political figure to societal outcast, with the conclusion of his story coming in *The Immortal Man*.[6](https://dknetwork.draftkings.com/2026/03/09/ranking-the-best-peaky-blinders-characters-top-10-thomas-shelby-polly-gray-alfie-solomons/)
**Polly Gray**, played by [Helen McCrory](https://www.edgepedia.org/helen-mccrory), is the aunt who holds the family together; she is described as the family's pragmatist, someone who believes in being realistic and is often Tommy's voice of reason.[4](https://www.slashfilm.com/1138683/why-peaky-blinders-grace-was-the-hardest-role-to-cast-for-the-show/) McCrory died before Season 6 was filmed, and reviews of that season noted that her absence left a chasm in the drama, with the other characters feeling like minor moons around Tommy.[7](https://www.the-independent.com/arts-entertainment/tv/reviews/peaky-blinders-season-6-helen-mccrory-b2023224.html) The film later includes multiple touching tributes to her character.[8](https://www.techradar.com/streaming/netflix/peaky-blinders-the-immortal-man-review)
The remaining siblings fill out the gang: Arthur Jr. (Paul Anderson), John ([Joe Cole](https://www.edgepedia.org/joe-cole)), and Ada ([Sophie Rundle](https://www.edgepedia.org/sophie-rundle)), with Michael Gray ([Finn Cole](https://www.edgepedia.org/finn-cole)) joining as the younger generation.[3](https://kiyanakhadivfard.myblog.arts.ac.uk/files/2023/01/peakyblindersessay.pdf) Netflix's cast listing for the series also includes Ned Dennehy, Natasha O'Keeffe, and Harry Kirton among the regulars.[1](https://www.netflix.com/title/80002479)
## Allies and adversaries
**Grace Burgess** ([Annabelle Wallis](https://www.edgepedia.org/annabelle-wallis)) enters in Season 1 as an undercover spy; her loyalties quickly splinter, and reviewers have noted that she falls headlong into the trope of being a trophy to be won for the story's male leads.[5](https://www.mediaversityreviews.com/tv-reviews/2019/12/15/peaky-blinders-seasons-1-4) Casting her was reportedly the toughest casting task in the show, because the series deliberately avoids clean divisions between good and bad characters.[4](https://www.slashfilm.com/1138683/why-peaky-blinders-grace-was-the-hardest-role-to-cast-for-the-show/)
**Alfie Solomons** ([Tom Hardy](https://www.edgepedia.org/tom-hardy)) is a gang leader and recurring figure in the series, named in the main cast alongside the Shelby family.[3](https://kiyanakhadivfard.myblog.arts.ac.uk/files/2023/01/peakyblindersessay.pdf) Season 1's antagonist Billy Kimber is drawn from a real Birmingham gang leader of the same name; the historical Kimber was a Birmingham native who at one point was even a Peaky Blinder himself, though the show presents him as London-born.[9](https://tollbit.radiotimes.com/tv/drama/how-historically-accurate-is-peaky-blinders-and-was-tommy-shelby-a-real-person/) • [10](https://www.netflix.com/tudum/articles/peaky-blinders-real-life-true-story)
## Historical figures as characters
Many characters and plotlines are fictional, but each season is grounded in historical events, and real figures intersect with the Shelbys: Winston Churchill appears as a government figure from the first season, and Sir Oswald Mosley becomes a principal antagonist of the later seasons as leader of the [British Union of Fascists](https://www.edgepedia.org/british-union-of-fascists) in the 1930s.[2](https://www.netflix.com/tudum/articles/when-is-peaky-blinders-set) • [11](https://www.huffingtonpost.es/life/cultura/peaky-blinders-serie-extrema-derecha-nunca-entendio-pueblo-gitano-decrepitud-shelby-antifascismo-f202603.html) Other real-life figures used in the show include trade unionist Jessie Eden and rival gang leader Billy Kimber; [Tommy Shelby](https://www.edgepedia.org/tommy-shelby) himself did not exist.[9](https://tollbit.radiotimes.com/tv/drama/how-historically-accurate-is-peaky-blinders-and-was-tommy-shelby-a-real-person/)
## Characters in the film and sequel series
*Peaky Blinders: The Immortal Man* picks up in 1940, with [Cillian Murphy](https://www.edgepedia.org/cillian-murphy) reprising the role of Tommy Shelby, now self-exiled and drawn back to Birmingham when his estranged son becomes embroiled in a Nazi plot.[12](https://www.netflix.com/tudum/articles/peaky-blinders-movie-release-date-photos-news?pubDate=20260320) That son, Duke, played by [Barry Keoghan](https://www.edgepedia.org/barry-keoghan), is Tommy's grown-up eldest son, who helps the Nazis distribute counterfeit money across the country and grows rich to the tune of £70 million; after a bombing destroys an arms depot, he becomes the gang's new leader and steals guns and dynamite.[8](https://www.techradar.com/streaming/netflix/peaky-blinders-the-immortal-man-review) • [13](https://www.thedailybeast.com/obsessed/peaky-blinders-the-immortal-man-cillian-murphy-takes-his-place-as-undisputed-criminal-icon/)
A sequel series, written by Steven Knight and set in postwar Birmingham in the early 1950s, will follow a new generation led by Duke Shelby, played by [Jamie Bell](https://www.edgepedia.org/jamie-bell), and Charles Shelby, Tommy's youngest son, played by [Charlie Heaton](https://www.edgepedia.org/charlie-heaton).[14](https://www.netflix.com/tudum/articles/peaky-blinders-sequel-series-plot-release-date-news?inapp=trueOs) The film's cast guide also notes returning faces alongside the new cast.[15](https://www.netflix.com/tudum/articles/peaky-blinders-immortal-man-cast-guide?inapp=trueOs)
## References
1. [Peaky Blinders, Netflix title page](https://www.netflix.com/title/80002479)
2. [A Complete Historical Timeline of Peaky Blinders, Netflix Tudum](https://www.netflix.com/tudum/articles/when-is-peaky-blinders-set)
3. [Peaky Blinders (2013) characters essay, Kiyana Khadivfard, University of the Arts London blog](https://kiyanakhadivfard.myblog.arts.ac.uk/files/2023/01/peakyblindersessay.pdf)
4. [Why Peaky Blinders' Grace Was The Hardest Role To Cast, SlashFilm](https://www.slashfilm.com/1138683/why-peaky-blinders-grace-was-the-hardest-role-to-cast-for-the-show/)
5. [Peaky Blinders, Seasons 1–4, Mediaversity Reviews](https://www.mediaversityreviews.com/tv-reviews/2019/12/15/peaky-blinders-seasons-1-4)
6. [Ranking the Best Peaky Blinders Characters, DK Network](https://dknetwork.draftkings.com/2026/03/09/ranking-the-best-peaky-blinders-characters-top-10-thomas-shelby-polly-gray-alfie-solomons/)
7. [Peaky Blinders, season six review, The Independent](https://www.the-independent.com/arts-entertainment/tv/reviews/peaky-blinders-season-6-helen-mccrory-b2023224.html)
8. [Peaky Blinders: The Immortal Man review, TechRadar](https://www.techradar.com/streaming/netflix/peaky-blinders-the-immortal-man-review)
9. [How historically accurate is Peaky Blinders?, Radio Times](https://tollbit.radiotimes.com/tv/drama/how-historically-accurate-is-peaky-blinders-and-was-tommy-shelby-a-real-person/)
10. [The Real-Life 'Peaky Blinders': Here's the True Story Behind the Show, Netflix Tudum](https://www.netflix.com/tudum/articles/peaky-blinders-real-life-true-story)
11. [Peaky Blinders, la serie que la extrema derecha nunca entendió, HuffPost España](https://www.huffingtonpost.es/life/cultura/peaky-blinders-serie-extrema-derecha-nunca-entendio-pueblo-gitano-decrepitud-shelby-antifascismo-f202603.html)
12. [Peaky Blinders Movie: Cast, Release Date, News, Netflix Tudum](https://www.netflix.com/tudum/articles/peaky-blinders-movie-release-date-photos-news?pubDate=20260320)
13. [Oscar Winner Takes His Place as Undisputed Criminal Icon, The Daily Beast](https://www.thedailybeast.com/obsessed/peaky-blinders-the-immortal-man-cillian-murphy-takes-his-place-as-undisputed-criminal-icon/)
14. [Jamie Bell and Charlie Heaton Join 'Peaky Blinders' Sequel Series, Netflix Tudum](https://www.netflix.com/tudum/articles/peaky-blinders-sequel-series-plot-release-date-news?inapp=trueOs)
15. [Peaky Blinders: The Immortal Man Cast Guide, Netflix Tudum](https://www.netflix.com/tudum/articles/peaky-blinders-immortal-man-cast-guide?inapp=trueOs)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Arts and culture › Screen and stage › Film and television › Film characters and fictional worlds › Television drama and comedy characters › Drama and crime characters*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Oct 15, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Last review: Oct 25, 2026*
*Copyright 2026 EdgeChat AI, a subsidiary of Biostate AI.*
License: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license