Peaky Blinders 'a Western in the West Midlands'

A new documentary has lifted the lid on the making of Peaky Blinders, and the "mythology" at the heart of the story.

Peaky Blinders: The Real Story features interviews with the people behind the show, including creator Steven Knight talking about the Birmingham family folklore that inspired it.

"My mom was a bookie's runner. Gambling was illegal at the time, she was eight years old and she would walk down the street with a basket of washing and people would drop bets into the basket," Knight said.

The documentary, which launched on streaming sites this week, has been made by filmmaker Robin Bextor, who said he set out to separate fact from fiction.

"The first reported mention of Peaky Blinders that happened at all was in 1890, whereas the Peaky Blinders we see on screen don't start until after the First World War," he told BBC Radio WM.

"The real Peaky Blinders had finished before the series starts".

The documentary also explores the production techniques of the six BBC series of Peaky Blinders, including its use of modern rock music alongside folk and blues.

Bextor said designer Grant Montgomery wanted the show to be "based on a series of Western films that he loved".

"I brought a kind of Americana to it. I was always drawn to that aesthetic, the lawlessness of it," Montgomery told the new production.

It comes weeks before the release of a new Netflix film, the Immortal Man, continuing the story of the Shelbys into World War Two. This will be followed by two more BBC series heading through to the 1950s.

Bextor said his film was a tribute to Peaky Blinders' Brummie roots, and the "unsurpassed" skill of its creator, Knight.

"It's not an accident that he's becoming the king of drama now. He's been asked to write the new Bond movie, he's got two new series running on TV, he's got the Peaky Blinders film... and he was asked to write Star Wars.

"I mean, this guy is a huge achiever. Plus of course, what Peaky Blinders gave us was six series of a brilliant performance by Cillian Murphy."

Follow BBC Birmingham on BBC Sounds, Facebook, X and Instagram.