Why Charlie Chaplin appeared in Peaky Blinders
Steven Knight said he wanted to shine a light on the silent film star's connection to Birmingham which is 'not commonly known'
Charlie Chaplin is best known for being seen rather than heard - but a lot of people don't remember seeing him pop up in Peaky Blinders.
The legendary silent film star made a brief cameo in Steven Knight's hit series, although a lot of fans might have missed it.
But while it might seem a bit off brand, there was a method to this madness, as Knight has now revealed how it was all a part of his 'one man campaign' to get the supposed truth of Chaplin's origins out there.
Despite the iconic screen star and film maker maintaining that he was born in London up until his death in 1977, there has been a long-running dispute about whether this was actually the case - there's even a blue plaque Southwark dedicated to The Great Dictator actor and director which dubs him a 'Walworth-born comic genius', though Knight believes otherwise.
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He's not necessarily the only one either, as MI5 files released back in 2012 show the UK security agency was unable to confirm where he was welcomed into the world.
Nobody has been able to track down Chaplin's 1889 birth certificate which could verify his birthplace and put this whole thing to bed, but some people - such as Knight - suspect that he was actually Birmingham born and bred.
More specifically, the Peaky Blinders creator reckons that the cinematic icon has Romani Gypsy roots.
While sitting down with the stars of his uber popular series and his upcoming feature film Peaky Blinders: The Immortal Man, Cillian Murphy (Tommy Shelby) and Sophie Rundle (Ada Shelby), Knight explained this is why Chaplin featured in the show in season two.
In the fifth episode, Tommy is seen trying to impress his beau Grace by introducing her to his high-profile pals.
He tells her that he has something of a connection to Chaplin as he 'knows his bodyguard Wag MacDonald', who he explains is a former Birmingham bookie who ended up jetting off to Los Angeles.
Tommy then tells Grace: "You see, Wag is also a Romani Gypsy, as is Chaplin - but he keeps it a secret. Chaplin was born on the Black Patch, a Gypsy camp in Birmingham.
"That's why he gave Wag the job, even though Wag was on the run. See, we all have our secrets Grace."
The Chaplin reference is also reiterated in the first episode of the sixth season of Peaky Blinders, as Tommy's second wife Lizzy is heard telling the gang of excited children running amok in her living room: "This projector is a gift from Charlie f**king Chaplin and he sent it all the way from Hollywood. Now sit down and watch the film!"
These blink and you'll miss it moments demonstrate how Knight expertly blended historic figures and events with fiction throughout Peaky Blinders to produce compelling storylines.
Speaking to GQ alongside Murphy and Rundle, he explained how one of Tommy's rivals in the series, gangster and horse racing kingpin Billy Kimber, is also mixed up in Chaplin's heavily disputed backstory.
"[The character] Billy Kimber is based on a person who was called Billy Kimber, who was a Birmingham gangster, who didn't get killed," Knight said. "He actually went off, believe it or not, and became Charlie Chaplin's bodyguard in Los Angeles...I could bore you for ages on this. Charlie Chaplin was born in Birmingham on a Gypsy site - which is not commonly known, but he was."
"And he knew Billy Kimber, and he knew the Sheldons, who were the original Shelbys," Knight continued. "[Kimber] appears in one of his films, Billy Kimber walks through shot."
Murphy then pointed out Chaplin's cameo in Peaky Blinders, to which Knight responded: "That's why [Chaplin appeared]! That's my one man campaign to get it acknowledged that Charlie Chaplin is from Birmingham...which he is."
According to the Travellers’ Times, a document from Tamworth was sent to Chaplin in the 1970s, which was signed by a Romani man named Jack Hill - and it stated that he was 'born on the Black Patch'.
Hill alleged that Chaplin was birthed 'in a caravan [that] belonged to the Gypsy Queen, who was my auntie', while he then added: "You were born on the Black Patch in Smethwick near Birmingham'.
Hill claimed that he was the 'only man alive' who knew the truth about Chaplin's heritage, and said that his father was a lion tamer who worked alongside Chaplin's dad in a circus.
Chaplin's daughter Victoria found the letter upon the death of her mother Oona in 1991, and her brother Michael previously said he believes it must have meant something to his late and great dad.
Michael told The Guardian in 2011: "It must have been significant to him, or why would he have kept it?"
Adding more fuel to the Romani Gypsy fire surrounding Chaplin, his mother Hannah - whose maiden name was Hill - was reportedly a descendant of a travelling family.
So although nothing has been outright confirmed, there's a fair bit of evidence that suggests Chaplin hailed from the West Midlands region rather than the UK capital.
Which is why Knight included Chaplin in the Peaky Blinders series - as he wanted to let the rest of the world in on what might have been Chaplin's most closely guarded secret.
Peaky Blinders: The Immortal Man releases in cinemas on 6 March and will be available to stream on Netflix from 20 March.
Topics: History, Netflix, Peaky Blinders, TV, Celebrity, Cillian Murphy
Olivia Burke