It’s no secret that we Brummies are pretty proud of Peaky Blinders. It’s really put us on the map globally, and while we always knew Brum for the Bullring and Cadbury’s, now, we’re heavily associated with the Hollywood legend that is Cillian Murphy. And we’re on board. Forget Bourneville, it’s Shelbyville – by order of the Peaky Blinders.
To celebrate Birmingham’s newfound fame, the University of Birmingham will be launching a brand new part-time course as part of its curriculum – specialising in all things Peaky Blinders-related.
The course has been designed with both TV fans and history buffs in mind, spanning not only the history of the real-life Peaky Blinders – who wreaked havoc on Small Heath back in the late 1800s – but the rich tapestry of history that Steven Knight has created with the BBC series, too.
True fans of the show will know that while Peaky Blinders is based on the real gang, the storyline has been created for dramatic purposes, taking place just after the First World War (so a different timeline to the real-life gang) with events and motives altered – naturally, giving the course plenty of material to go at.
The announcement comes at a great time, too, since it’s just been announced that filming will begin this September in Birmingham for the upcoming Peaky Blinders movie. The original cast, including Cillian Murphy as Tommy Shelby, will return (at least, the characters who are still alive, it’s been a brutal run!), and continue where the story picked up at the end of series six.
The course will begin in September 2025, with applications opening this autumn.
April Fools! Sorry if we got you for a moment there…