Tommy Shelby's Hat In Peaky Blinders Isn't Exactly Historically Accurate

Sorry to be the bearer of bad news, but not everything you see in movies or television shows — even historically-based ones — happens to be 100% true to life. Shocking, I know. Director Christopher Nolan invented the pivotal conversation by the water between J. Robert Oppenheimer and Albert Einstein in "Oppenheimer," the racing movie "Gran Turismo" fudged some important real-life details (despite having "Based on a True Story" literally in its title!), and the acclaimed BBC show "Peaky Blinders" completely invented the character of Tommy Shelby, portrayed by actor Cillian Murphy. If this information has given anyone severe trust issues from now on, I apologize.

When it comes to the Steven Knight-created series in particular, that's not where the divergences from fact-based, historical events end. Savvy fans know that Knight and his writers pulled from all sorts of historical sources for events and especially major figures that factored into the story, such as the villainous Oswald Mosley (Sam Claflin) or even the notorious rival gangster Alfie Solomons (Tom Hardy). But everything within the margins proved to be up for grabs — including the inspiration for the very title of the show. As established in season 1, the eponymous gang of Birmingham outlaws differentiated themselves from other organized English criminals at the time through the use of their distinctive hats ... and the razors they kept hidden inside, ready to deploy as a weapon at a moment's notice.

As the resident buzzkill, I'm here to inform the masses that this was yet another exaggeration on the show's part, sadly. It made for a downright cinematic sense of flair throughout each season of "Peaky Blinders," no doubt about it, but this is one case where fiction simply doesn't line up with reality.

You know what it's like. You're strolling down the cobblestoned streets of Birmingham with your motley crew of fellow troublemakers, when all of a sudden, you run into a rival gang, with no intention of backing down from a fight. What do you do when you need a more personal touch for close-quarters combat? It's simple: just take off your hat, find the hidden razor embedded inside, and voila! Unfortunately, that little scenario might make for an awesome urban myth, but at the end of the day it's likely only that — a myth.

That's the cold dose of reality provided by the Birmingham Mail (via Netflix's Tudum website). In an interview published around the time of the season 6 premiere, the outlet talked to local Birmingham historian Carl Chinn about separating truth from fiction in "Peaky Blinders." At the top of the list, inevitably, are those sneaky, razor-sharp blades hidden inside the hat of each and every Peaky Blinder. In the world of the show, their odd-sounding name comes from the act of slashing enemy faces with those razors and blinding opponents with their own blood. But in reality, Chinn explains that it just doesn't add up:

"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."

Talk about a bummer. Still, we're glad facts never got in the way of telling a truly compelling story ... as exaggerated as it may have been. Just don't let this ruin the show for you, by order of the Peaky Blinders!