Steven Knight’s Peaky Blinders: The Immortal Man culminates Tommy Shelby’s saga by anchoring its plot in Operation Bernhard, a clandestine German WWII forgery operation so sophisticated it forced the Bank of England to recall currency—a historical revelation Knight calls “secret history” at its most chaotic, while weaving in a personal tribute to Birmingham Blitz workers.
With Peaky Blinders having cemented its legacy as a gritty chronicle of interwar Birmingham, creator Steven Knight faced the daunting task of concluding Tommy Shelby’s journey. Instead of revisiting familiar political machinations or gangland wars, Knight delved into one of World War II’s most covert economic warfare schemes: Operation Bernhard, the Nazi plot to flood Britain with flawless counterfeit currency. This choice encapsulates Knight’s lifelong fascination with “secret history”—those chaotic, overlooked events that traditional narratives erase as inevitable.
Knight’s methodology is clear: avoid the obvious. “I find that history books tend to write history as if whatever happened was inevitable,” he shared in an exclusive interview. “But I find real history to be more chaotic. And there are all sorts of things that could have happened. I’m always interested in that more chaotic history. Secret history especially is really appealing.” This insight from Town & Country reveals how Knight mines historical shadows to fuel his storytelling, and Operation Bernhard proved a perfect vessel.
The Forgery That Shook the Bank of England
Operation Bernhard was not a mere scheme but an audacious, state-sponsored assault on British economic stability. Inside the Sachsenhausen concentration camp, the Nazis assembled a team of prisoners—artists, lithographers, and designers—with the singular goal of perfecting fake £5, £10, and £20 notes. Their attention to detail was obsessive; they replicated paper composition by adjusting the pH of water to match German sources, and meticulously rubbed bills to simulate natural wear. The result? Forgeries so impeccable that the Bank of England later admitted they were virtually indistinguishable from genuine currency. The success was so profound that Britain withdrew £10 notes during the war and completely redesigned its currency afterward, a move kept classified for fifty years to prevent public panic [Town & Country].
For Knight, this plot provided a narrative engine that felt organically Peaky. “The fact is that the Germans did try to swamp the economy with money and they succeeded to an extent whereby the Bank of England withdrew 10 pound notes in the middle of the war,” he explained. The forged cash was deliberately funneled to black marketeers and gangsters—precisely the underworld Tommy Shelby navigated. By centering the film on this obscure historical pivot, Knight eschews the Churchill and Mosley cameos of the series for a grittier, more clandestine conflict that plays to the show’s core themes of survival and opportunity amidst chaos.
Personal Sacrifice: The BSA Bombing and a Family Legacy
The film’s opening minutes plunge viewers into the harrowing reality of the Birmingham Blitz, specifically the 1940 bombing of the Birmingham Small Arms (BSA) factory. This was not just a set piece but a profound personal tribute. Knight’s mother worked at BSA loading explosives into artillery shells; she was not on duty that night, but the stories of those who were—and who chose to continue working despite air raid warnings—left an indelible mark. “The people who were killed were offered the chance to go to the shelters, but they decided to carry on working because they wanted to help the war,” Knight reflected. The resulting dedication in the film honors these real workers, transforming a historical event into an intimate acknowledgment of familial and civic sacrifice [Town & Country].
This blend of macro-history and micro-legacy defines Knight’s approach. The BSA bombing serves as the catalyst for Tommy’s involvement, but it also roots the film in the tangible human cost of war. Knight’s decision to start the film in a concentration camp further emphasizes this reality: “I wanted to emphasize that this story is real,” he stated, ensuring that the audience never loses sight of the atrocities underpinning the fictional drama.
A Standalone Epic with Western Soul
Despite deep ties to six seasons of television, Knight engineered The Immortal Man to welcome newcomers. “I didn’t want to start explaining stuff in words to an audience that maybe haven’t watched it, because I think that kills it dead for everybody,” he said. The film’s structure, which uses Tommy’s psychological tunnels as a metaphor for trauma, provides intrinsic context without exposition. Early reactions confirm success: “There are people who I’ve spoken to who said, ‘I’ve never even watched [the show],’ who loved the film.” This accessibility broadens the film’s impact, proving that a strong historical anchor and emotional core can transcend franchise requirements.
Visually, the film embraces a striking Western sensibility, most evident in the iconic scene where Tommy rides his horse through bombed Birmingham—a deliberate callback to his first appearance in the series. Knight described the original Nick Cave theme as “too confident,” prompting a re-recording that imbues the music with the weight of time and loss. This aesthetic choice aligns The Immortal Man with the Western genre’s themes of isolated heroism and rugged landscapes, a connection explored in depth by Esquire’s canon of great Westerns. The post-apocalyptic vibe of the Blitz ruins further cements this vibe, creating a unique fusion of British gangster lore and American frontier myth.
Why This Matters for Fans and Historians Alike
For longtime viewers, the film delivers a satisfying, if somber, conclusion to Tommy’s arc, resolving questions about his role as an MP and his psychological burdens. The callbacks—from the horse scene to the recurring tunnels—serve as emotional punctuation, rewarding series veterans without alienating newcomers. More broadly, Knight’s commitment to “secret history” challenges audiences to reconsider what they know about WWII. Operation Bernhard, once a buried footnote, now stands as a testament to how economic warfare can shape national destinies, a lesson as relevant today as in 1940.
The film also underscores the power of personal history. Knight’s dedication to the BSA workers transforms a historical drama into a memorial, illustrating how art can honor real sacrifices often lost in grand narratives. Meanwhile, the Western framing elevates Tommy’s story to archetypal proportions, positioning him among cinema’s iconic lone figures confronting vast, hostile forces.
In an entertainment landscape saturated with sequels and reboots, Peaky Blinders: The Immortal Man distinguishes itself by digging deeper into the archives. It proves that the most compelling fiction grows from the most overlooked facts, and that honoring a legacy sometimes means looking beyond the well-trodden paths of history.
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