Since its release in 2013, Peaky Blinders has risen to the status of cultural juggernaut. Widely considered one of the greatest television shows of all-time, audiences have enjoyed watching Thomas Shelby evolve from a young gang leader, to a massively important political figure, to most recently a societal outcast, with the conclusion to Tommy’s story coming in Peaky Blinders: The Immortal Man. The franchise has produced some of the most memorable characters in recent TV history. Our writers compiled personal lists and aggregated them to create a comprehensive top 10 Peaky Blinders characters rankings.
Ranking the Top 10 Peaky Blinders Characters
#10: Luca Changretta
Blake Krass: Luca Changretta is the main villain of Peaky Blinders Season 4. He is portrayed by Oscar-winning actor Adrien Brody in extraordinary fashion. Changretta’s first appearance in the opening episode of that season immediately sets the tone for how intense that season would be. Changretta is an Italian-American mobster from New York whose father and brother were murdered by the Peaky Blinders earlier in the series. They decided to spare the life of his mother, which ends up being a mistake, as she launches the vendetta against the Shelby family.
There is no complicated politics or turf war that brings Luca Changretta to the Shelby’s doorstep. This is a simple revenge story, with Changretta’s entire goal being revenge for the death of his father and brother. His goal is to murder every member of the Shelby family. Adrien Brody does a great job of making Changretta a menacing and evil character, who you also find yourself rooting for at times. Changretta’s men kill John Shelby in one of the most important moments of the series. Ultimately, Tommy and the Peaky Blinders’ eventual victory over Changretta makes for one of the great season finales in the show’s history.
#9: Michael Gray
Nick Friar: By far, the most infuriating “member” of the Peaky Blinders.
The Shelby family should’ve known that from the moment Michael Gray deserted his adoptive family. They led a normal life, and he could not have jumped ship quicker once he found out the truth of his lineage.
But what makes Michael terrible is also what makes him such a great character.
A thorn in Tommy Shelby’s side. A headache for his own mother, which was particularly problematic given she also happened to be the show’s moral compass. Michael Gray is infuriating.
And yet, he was a shot in the arm for the show and an additional source of chaos.
#8: Johnny Dogs
Sam Connon: The Peaky Blinders are synonymous with the Shelby family, and for good reason. But the gang wouldn’t be what it is without the cast of supporting characters constantly ready to check in off the bench. Jeremiah and Isiah Jesus, Charlie Strong and Curly each have their moments, but Johnny Dogs stands above them all.
Johnny is Tommy’s right hand man, giving him guidance and going into battle with him. He is quick with his one-liners and never shy to issue a complaint, regularly calling Tommy out when necessary. Johnny may not seem like a critical character to Peaky Blinders on the surface, but he is key to the show’s tone, which is part of what made it such a smash hit to begin with.
#7: Lizzie Shelby
Nick Friar: Lots of people affiliated with the Shelby family climbed the social ladder in Peaky Blinders, but no one made moves quite like Lizzie Shelby.
But even when she finally settled in as Queen of the Shelby empire, her frustrations did not cease. They just took on a new form.
Like her sister-in-law, Ada Thorne, Lizzie evolves into a voice of reason throughout the show. However, where Ada finds ways to remove herself from the Peaky Blinder madness in an attempt to carve her own path, Lizzie had to hitch her wagon to the Shelby’s — causing her opinion to be underappreciated far too often.
#6: Inspector Campbell
Jeff Pratt: Inspector Campbell isn’t just the best true villain in Peaky Blinders, he’s one of the best villains in television history, period. Campbell is almost never discussed among those circles due to his relatively short run in the series compared to other iconic villains, but Sam Neill’s performance drives shivers down my spine every time I rewatch the series.
While other, later Peaky Blinders villains are almost supernatural, larger-than-life personas, Campbell is so… human. His motives, his reactions to obstacles, his many, abhorrent faults. Campbell is grounded, benefiting from the early, down-to-earth stages of the show. The Inspector’s actions are so vile and irredeemable that it makes his ultimate demise the most satisfying death of the entire series.
#5: Ada Thorne
Sam Connon: Throughout the entire series, Ada has had to deal with the push and pull of her family’s criminal activities. She started out as a rebel, intentionally distancing herself from the Peaky Blinders by getting with Freddie Thorne. Over time, though, Ada starts to become interested in running the Peaky Blinders as a legitimate operation.
Ada is eventually burdened by the deaths of not only John and Polly, but also her two lovers. She is left to raise her first son, Karl, without Freddie. Then, Ben Younger gets caught in the crossfire and Ada has to raise their daughter, Elizabeth, alone as well. While Ada’s story usually takes a back seat to the crime plots for most of the show, she is critical to the series’ balance. She serves as Tommy’s moral compass as well as a no-nonsense freedom fighter, despite all the hardships she has faced over the years.
#4: Alfie Solomons
Blake Krass: Alfie Solomons is an incredible character. He toes the line of good and evil in a way that only Tommy Shelby can among the other great characters on the show. Solomons is first introduced in Season 2 of Peaky Blinders. He is the head of a Jewish gang in London and ends up being a recurring character in the series. At times, he is at war with Tommy Shelby and the Peaky Blinders, but also works alongside them at times.
Solomons is a great character because he holds a mirror up to Tommy Shelby in a way that no other character does. We all root for Tommy Shelby because he is our protagonist. However, he does some terrible things throughout the series. Solomons is much more brash and honest about his wickedness, so he comes off less likable than Shelby. However, in one of the great scenes in the series, Solomons tells Shelby “If you pull that trigger, right, you pull that trigger for a [expletive] honorable reason. LIKE AN HONORABLE MAN! Not like some [expletive] civilian, that does not understand the wicked way of our world, mate.”
Alfie Solomons is brilliantly portrayed by the great Tom Hardy. He is a great character, but it is also some of the best acting in the series. Solomons is simultaneously a terrifying character and great comic relief. He is the perfect foil to Tommy Shelby, making him one of the best characters in the series.
#3: Arthur Shelby
Nick Friar: There are some messy characters on this show. Some are power-crazed. Some are impulsive. Some are both.
But there is no one like the eldest Shelby brother.
Arthur Shelby can easily be boiled down to one word: primal. He is a physical force of nature that’s fueled by emotion. He’s not a man meant for the quiet life, despite his wife Linda’s best efforts. To her credit (and as much as it annoyed me), she was one of maybe three characters who could truly calm Arthur. Though even she wound up losing control.
That’s because, in his truest form, Arthur Shelby is rage personified.
Far from the person you want at the head of the family, but the ideal right-hand man.
#2: Polly Gray
Jeff Pratt: The matriarch of the Shelby crime family. If the legendary Helen McRory had lived to see out the conclusion of the series, not only would the final season be completely different, but she likely would have had a case as the best character from the entire franchise. No disrespect to the iconic Thomas Shelby, that’s just how impactful Aunt Polly was.
Gray was the only character truly able to get inside of Tommy’s mind, understand his perspective and give him meaningful guidance. Despite being an outlier as a female crime family leader, she ran circles around the men constantly. Her IQ and decision-making were unmatched at times, serving as a nice contrast to Tommy. Following her untimely death, the show never fully rebounded.
#1: Thomas Shelby
Sam Connon: Was anyone else ever going to top this list? Tommy Shelby is arguably the defining role of Cillian Murphy’s career, despite him playing an iconic Batman villain and winning an Oscar for Oppenheimer. And for better or worse, the entire show revolves around Tommy himself.
Tommy is brave, yet traumatized. He is cunning and methodical, but can routinely get in over his head. There are always consequences to Tommy’s actions, and those consequences always play into the main conflict at the center of each season. Tommy makes good on the audience’s thirst for vengeance, only to demonstrate the pitfalls of his violent nature. He is a bad father, a bad husband, a bad brother and a bad politician, but his end goal is always a relatable one. The show doesn’t shy away from how much of a hypocrite Tommy is, and we still root for him anyways. Murphy brings so much gravitas to what could have otherwise been a standard gangster role, and fans will always commend him for his efforts.
Those are our writers’ best Peaky Blinders characters, ranked! Who are your best Peaky Blinders characters?
