Peaky Blinders: The Real Story Historian Carl Chinn has revamped and reworked his nonfiction study of Birmingham gangs to take advantage of the popularity of the BBC show Peaky Blinders. Peaky Blinders: The Real Story is a must-read for fans of the show, or indeed anyone interested in lesser-known elements of British history. Relevant POPSUGAR Reading Challenge Prompts: a book on a subject you know nothing about, a book set in the 1920s.