Peaky has spawned official festivals, video games, beers, escape room experiences, grooming products and Monopoly boards, as well as less official club nights, merchandise and vintage clothing lines. There are no royalties in haircuts but Mandabach now commands a branding juggernaut. The American TV producer moved to the UK 15 years ago after producing US comedies including Roseanne and The Cosby Show, and her eponymous UK production company owns and produces Peaky Blinders. “I wish I could have a dime for every Peaky haircut I see here in Soho,” says Caryn Mandabach from her office in London. But what is striking is the extent to which it has penetrated and shaped the culture way beyond the West Midlands. Netflix picked up the show in 2014, turning it into a global success. The fifth series premiered in 2019, in its first prime-time BBC One slot, reaching a total audience of 6.2 million. Since it landed on BBC Two in 2013, Peaky Blinders has become a huge popular hit while somehow retaining cult appeal. “But when I’ve got the gear on, I get that swagger, that walk. “Even my nieces call me Uncle Arthur, it’s crazy,” he says. He has even turned up to work on building sites in his outfits, while also doing turns as a lookalike. He has the haircut and a dozen baker boy caps, albeit without the razor blades that, the myth goes (it’s not true), a real Birmingham gang of the same name used to weaponise their headgear. He started as a fan of the show – and of Arthur – but was soon throwing out most of his modern clothes and picking up 1920s suits in vintage shops. “Most days I’m dressed as Arthur,” Milligan says, returning to his Kent accent. If the cap fits … Shane Milligan dressed up as Arthur Shelby from Peaky Blinders.
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