Peaky Blinders: The Real Meaning Behind Winston Churchill’s Role

Winston Churchill is one of a few characters in Peaky Blinders that is based on a historical figure, and he is an essential part of how the series explores its setting. The show introduces Churchill in the very first episode of season 1, and he has been portrayed by three actors thus far – Andy Nyman, Richard McCabe, and Neil Maskell. Peaky Blinders has a vested interest in maintaining the character’s relevance, and while his appearances are brief, they are important to the development of the show’s storyline.

Peaky Blinders begins in the aftermath of the First World War, during which time Churchill worked in various parliamentary positions including Secretary of State for War. He is, however, most famous for his wartime leadership, serving as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom during the Second World War. Peaky Blinders season 6’s trailer teases a setting in the prelude to the Second World War, and Churchill’s role in the show therefore looks set to continue.

The character of Churchill is essential in depicting a society that is recovering from war, and ominously destined for another. Churchill fought in the First World War and is often portrayed in Peaky Blinders as parallel to Tommy Shelby (Cillian Murphy), albeit with inverted social status. Churchill is a prominent historical figure, with some criticisms, that is explicitly attached to the context of the show. He serves as an effective embodiment of how Tommy’s coupling of gang life and politics, while unexpected and fantastical, represents the grey area of politics in an especially tumultuous period of history.

Peaky Blinders’ Churchill Is Essential In Portraying A Post-War Society

Churchill is introduced to the show as overseeing Inspector – later Major – Chester Campbell’s (Jurassic Park‘s Sam Neill) investigation concerning a missing crate of guns, which happens to be in the Peaky Blinders’ possession. Despite the circumstances, Churchill is portrayed as somewhat favoring Tommy over Campbell. Tommy appeals to Churchill with his commendable military record from the First World War and his acknowledgment that Churchill himself left his ministerial position to serve.

The Peaky Blinders are a gang formed by the Shelby brothers upon their return from the war. Gangster genre productions are often fantastical, but Peaky Blinders portrays gang life in a more grounded manner; it seems understandable, perhaps even expected, for soldiers to maintain a lifestyle and manner of employment that has severity and violence similar to the war. Churchill’s scenes illuminate the unwavering influence of the war on social perspectives, and his familiarity with Tommy Shelby portrays the effects of war as universally significant.

Peaky Blinders develops this theme with Tommy having been a tunneler during the war – a detail duly recognized by Churchill. As Tommy begins to develop a career as a Member of Parliament, some of his antics as a mobster become more politically charged. In season 5, Tommy and Churchill both express reservations over the fascist Oswald Mosley (Sam Claflin), and Tommy decides to plot his murder. Tommy’s work as a politician-gangster reflects the nature of his work as a tunneler: doing the “dirty work” for a perceived greater good. Churchill recognizes this as he talks of their collective efforts during the war, with Tommy under the ground and himself above it. Churchill declares, “we are in the same exact situation here in Westminster.” Then, regarding his cynicism of Mosley, he continues, “do what you have to do, Mr. Shelby.”

Scenes such as this are imaginative for the sake of Peaky Blinders’ storyline, and the resultingly sinister depiction of Winston Churchill serves as a mirror to Tommy. Tommy and Churchill experienced the same war, but through very different lives: Churchill is able to return to ministerial work following the war; Tommy decides to pursue a fortune for his family through violent and illegal means, still affected by traumatic memories of the war. Tommy rather unexpectedly is elected to the House of Commons like Churchill, but even in his transition to politics, Tommy continues to fight his wars underground.

Churchill Portrays The Tensions That Prelude WWII In Peaky Blinders

Historically, Churchill is most commonly associated with the Second World War, and his character in Peaky Blinders naturally foreshadows the event. Churchill says, “when I hear that man Mosley speak, I see the green shoots of another war growing up around his feet.” While the Shelby family is averse to Mosley’s anti-Semitic views, Churchill directly correlates the political tension caused by the establishment of his new party, the British Union of Fascists, with its ability to cause civil unrest and war.

Tommy’s openness with Churchill and his admission that he will remove Mosley’s influence by illegal means is notable in portraying Churchill as a reliable character. Tommy is a character who frequently plays his cards close to his chest; often his family is unaware of his exact plans. Since the establishment of the Peaky Blinders, Tommy has only ever relinquished a position of leadership to usurp someone. His unique faith in Churchill is a memorable moment in the Peaky Blinders season 5 finale, and it serves as recognition of a greater cause, therein foreshadowing the Second World War.

Why Churchill Was Chosen To Appear In Peaky Blinders Specifically

Churchill’s popularity and historical significance made him an obvious character choice to thread a storyline from the aftermath of World War I to the prelude to World War II, however, the former Prime Minister’s personality is an additional key element to why he appears in Peaky Blinders. Though he is lauded for his wartime leadership, he is still a figure that has been scrutinized for inappropriate and offensive conduct. His policies concerning the Bengal famine are a notable subject of criticism, as are the controversial views he held regarding race.

Churchill’s views are thoroughly debated by historians, and while he remains a significant figure in British history, there are undoubted reservations regarding him – some of his views, especially on race, are certainly considered derogatory in modern political perspectives. Churchill is a character that helps ground Peaky Blinders in its historical context while maintaining a focus on characters that are almost all detached from any sense of purely good intent. Tommy is not portrayed strictly as an antihero; he portrays the tensions of morality in an unjust society. His actions throughout the show have been predominantly villainous, but corruption in the police service and malevolence in parliament remove any sense of objective morality to respectively condemn Tommy’s actions.

Despite significant criticisms of Churchill, he remains a historically popular figure due to his leadership in the Second World War and opposition to the rise of European fascism. His role in Peaky Blinders is perhaps a reminder of the importance of perspective in judgments of character. Tommy is a character that is largely adored by viewers of the show, and while this has a level of ethical dilemma attached to it, it is perhaps one of the main visions of the show – reflecting on the darkness surrounding war and the subjectivity of morality in such contexts.

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