If you haven't got stuck into Peaky Blinders already, stop everything and go and get them all watched right now.
The critically acclaimed BBC drama is a gangster family epic set in Birmingham from 1919 and, honestly, it's brilliant.
Cillian Murphy plays Thomas Shelby, the boss of the historical Peaky Blinders gang who operated in the city during the aftermath of World War I.
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Despite the gang being ruthless, murderous gangsters, you still can't help but root for Tommy and the boys as they rise to prominence. However, you'll probably be just as gutted as me to learn that there was no real Tommy Shelby.
You've probably heard their chilling nickname was given to them because they had razor blades stitched into the front of their caps that they could use to blind their victims. However, according to historian Carl Chinn, who has written a book called The Real Peaky Blinders, there is little evidence to suggest this is true and the name probably derived from the peaked hats they wore.
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He told the Birmingham Mail: "It's really interesting to look back at the mythologised version of the story and the reality.
"There was no real Tommy Shelby and the Peaky Blinders were around in the 1890s, and yet the series is set in the 1920s.
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"As for the razor blades? They were only beginning to come in from the 1890s and were a luxury item, much too expensive for the Peaky Blinders to have used.
"And any hard man would tell you it would be very difficult to get direction and power with a razor blade sewn into the soft part of a cap. It was a romantic notion brought about in John Douglas's novel, A Walk Down Summer Lane.
"But I can understand why the series producers used the name because it's infused with gangsterdom.
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"And I'm pleased the matriarchal, strong women are a huge aspect of the programme. I think most working class men were raised by strong women."
When the BBC delved into the history of the real Peaky Blinders back in 2013, they discovered children as young as 12 were recruited to join Birmingham's most notorious gang.
Members included 13-year-old David Taylor, who was jailed for carrying a gun, and 12-year-old Charles Lambourne.
Adult members who terrorised the city included Harry Fowler, Ernest Bayles, Stephen McHickie and Thomas Gilbert. I mean, I'm sure they were still crazy bastards and everything but, I can't lie, I'm gutted there was no Tommy, John and Arthur. They're my boys now.
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Seriously, if you've not given the BBC 2 series a go yet, do it now. By order of the Peaky Blinders.
Words by Sian Broderick
Featured image credit: BBC 2
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