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Article Highlights:

  • Who was Thomas Shelby in real life? He wasn’t based on a real person.
  • Show creator Steven Knight said Thomas Shelby “will become good” and get a redemption arc.
  • Peaky Blinders Season 6 could release in February 2022.
Thomas Shelby actor Cillian Murphy from 'Peaky Blinders' Season 6 smiling while answering questions at a Q&A against a black background
Cillian Murphy during a Q&A for ‘Peaky Blinders’ | Anthony Harvey/Getty Images

Fans are eager to hear updates regarding Peaky Blinders Season 6. The Peaky Blinders Season 5 finale showed Shelby family patriarch Thomas Shelby losing his cool after his plan to assassinate Oswald Mosley went haywire. And while fans know Thomas has made a number of difficult, and ruthless, decisions, he certainly has heart. Show creator Steven Knight mentioned Tommy “will become good” before the series’ end, too.

Was Thomas Shelby a real person? The iconic ‘Peaky Blinders’ cast member is beloved by fans

So, who was Thomas Shelby in real life? While a number of gangs existed between World War I and World War II, Tommy himself wasn’t a real person. Is the Shelby family a real family? Again, while the gang life is based on reality and other families, the Shelbys didn’t appear to actually exist despite all the lore fans learned leading up to Peaky Blinders Season 6.

With that said, show creator Steven Knight explained the Peaky Blinders were a real gang — and he has a family affiliation with them. “My dad’s uncle was part of the Peaky Blinders,” Knight said, according to The Week. “It was reluctantly delivered, but my family did give me little snapshots, of g*psies and horses and gang fights and guns, and immaculate suits.”

Knight elaborated on the stories his father used to tell about the Peaky Blinders. “My parents, particularly my dad, had these tantalizing memories of from when he was 9 or 10 years old of these people,” he continued. “They were incredibly well dressed, they were incredibly powerful, they had a lot of money in an area where no one had money, and … they were gangsters.”

Show creator promises Thomas Shelby ‘will become good’

Is Thomas Shelby a good person? Fans who’ve watched everything up to Peaky Blinders Season 6 may have differing opinions of Tommy’s moral compass. On one hand, his love for his deceased wife, Grace, shows he misses her dearly and really did love her. But he can be ruthless when it comes to the Shelby Company Limited business.

It seems the series may end with a Tommy redemption arc, though. Knight told Variety the last season of the show “will tell a different story, where Tommy Shelby — who begins as this nihilistic, looking-out only for his family person — will be redeemed, and he will become good. I want to take him on that journey from the person we saw [in season 1], to the person he will become in 1939.”

It’s unclear in what ways he will become a better man. Some fans think he may sacrifice himself for one of his loved ones, or perhaps his son.

A ‘Peaky Blinders’ cast member suggests the ‘Peaky Blinders’ Season 6 release date is early 2022

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‘Peaky Blinders’ Season 6: Director Said Fans Will ‘Certainly Find Out’ Who Betrayed Thomas Shelby

With so much anticipation for the Peaky Blinders Season 6 release date, when will fans get to see the season drop? Neither the BBC or Netflix has given any indication of when we’ll see the new season. But Conrad Khan, a newcomer to the Peaky Blinders cast, gave a hint.

“That comes out, from what I last heard —  I mean, these things change so quickly -– I think that will come out next February, the beginning of next year,” Khan said, according to RadioTimes.com. “There was so much footage, so many episodes, that it does take a while to edit –- six months or something.”

We look forward to learning more about Thomas Shelby becoming “good” in Peaky Blinders Season 6.

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