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Arthur Shelby Jr. is one of the main protagonists of the Peaky Blinders. He is the eldest son of Arthur and Mrs Shelby, older brother of Thomas, John, Ada and Finn Shelby, as well as being the father of Billy Shelby. He was married to Linda Shelby and is a tough member of the Peaky Blinders. He is also Deputy Vice President of Shelby Company Limited and a member of the ICA, acting as his brother's right-hand man. Arthur has a drug problem, which gets worse over time.

Character History[]

Background[]

Arthurww1

Arthur during the First World War in 1914.

Arthur Shelby Jr. was born to a Romani and Irish Traveller family. Growing up, Arthur regularly wrestled with his siblings and was known as the strongest. He once got beaten by Tommy, and he also once held off 12 police officers with a boat hook, showing that he let Tommy win. It is implied he had anger issues as a child and got into many fights. During the war in France, Arthur was a Sapper with his brother Thomas, digging very treacherous tunnels to place enormous amounts of explosives under the enemy positions: a tactic used several times in the war to devastating effect at both the Battle of Verdun and the Battle of the Somme. He may have served at Gallipoli through his distaste for Turks and the smell of stagnant water.

Series 1 · 1919[]

Arthur is thirty-two years old. After returning from France, Arthur feels he should head the family business. However, he can't command the necessary authority, and Thomas slowly starts to assume leadership.

When Chief Inspector Campbell comes to Birmingham, Arthur is arrested, beaten and questioned as the assumed leader of the gang, but knows nothing about any stolen machine guns.

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Arthur Shelby and Chief Inspector Campbell

Eventually, Arthur Shelby confronts Thomas, telling him he has no idea what is happening. Thomas tells him that the Peaky Blinders have the stolen guns and takes him to The Garrison Pub, now under Arthur's ownership.

Arthur continues to show his lack of guile when he hints to his barmaid Grace Burgess that Danny Whizz-Bang is alive, allowing her to surmise that Danny's grave is where the Peaky Blinders have hidden the guns.

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Arthur Shelby Sr. and Arthur Shelby Jr.

When his father, Arthur Shelby, comes back to Birmingham, Arthur Jr. takes the opportunity to prove to everyone that he knows business just as well as Thomas. He gives his father money without the permission of Thomas or Aunt Polly but soon realizes that his father is a selfish liar. Arthur tries to confront his father before he leaves for good but becomes intimidated by the man's strength and anger, knowing he won't win in a fight against him.

The events cause Arthur to re-evaluate himself, and as a result, he attempts suicide by hanging himself. The plan fails when the rope tears from the hook.

Arthur and the rest of the Peaky Blinders eventually confront their rival Billy Kimber and help to clean Thomas Shelby's wounds after the shooting.

Series 2 · 1922[]

An increasingly unhinged Arthur continues to struggle with war trauma when he kills a young boy in the boxing ring by beating him to death. He is later confronted in The Garrison Pub by Mrs. Ross, the mother of the boy he killed. She pulls a gun on him, but it misfires and shoots the mirror behind the bar. Arthur lunges toward her, empties the gun of bullets and tells her that she’ll be compensated financially. Broken and furious, she flips over the table and screams, “Somebody has to stop you people”.

Arthur accompanies Thomas and the gang to the auctions to buy a racehorse, thus giving them a credible reason to infiltrate the racecourses dominated by their London rival, Darby Sabini. When assassins try to kill Thomas, the same uncontrollable rage takes over Arthur, who brutally beats one of the assailants.

Ep2 4 Arthur eden

Arthur attacks The Eden Club

In London, Arthur, whose cocaine habit is worrying his younger brother, leads the Blinders in tearing up the Eden Club belonging to Sabini, which they plan to take over quite hostilely.

Later, Arthur and John are drinking in The Garrison Pub when his Aunt Polly's son Michael Gray and Jeremiah Jesus’ son, Isaiah, come in telling them of a scuffle they had in The Marquis of Lorne. Arthur and his brother John burn the pub to the ground with the barman inside to protect the reputation of the Peaky Blinders.

Ep2 5 Arthur Billy

Arthur and Billy Kitchen

When their supposed ally Alfie Solomons invites Arthur and Billy Kitchen over for Passover at the distillery, things escalate rather quickly after Alfie sacrifices the goat named after Thomas. Alfie shoots Billy Kitchen in the head, and his men tie up Arthur to wait for the police to haul him off to jail, blamed for the murder.

In prison, Arthur is beaten badly. He gets a visit from his brother John, who tells him that Thomas has plans to get him released, not before mocking him: "You’ve tried to hang yourself twice, now the king’s going to do it for you”.

Thomas negotiates a deal with Alfie to have the murder charge against Arthur withdrawn just in time to join the Blinders and the Lees heading off to the races.

At the Epsom Derby, Thomas assassinates Field Marshal Henry Russell, which creates the diversion that Arthur and the gang need to hold up Sabini’s bookmakers and burn their licenses, while the police are distracted.

Series 3 · 1924[]

Ep-3

Arthur and Alfie Solomons

Arthur meets a woman. Due to Linda's family background, he finds faith in God (Old Testament). It shows that Linda is pregnant with his child, who is later named Billy Shelby.

He and Linda envision a life in California, away from their strained life in Small Heath. After becoming increasingly religious, he is shown to be much more compassionate and calm; this leads to him seeming weaker than the rest of the Peaky Blinders and is often picked on by John Shelby and Thomas Shelby. He looks embarrassed about this, and as shown in Episode 2, he did participate in the fight outside one of the bars; however, he washed his hands and went straight home; he was then shouted at and mocked by John Shelby. Despite his passionate love for Linda and her beliefs, he engages in infidelity and drug abuse.

Due to John's fight with the Changretta family and Tommy's encouragement to war, Arthur and John capture Vincente Changretta. Just as Tommy is going to kill him slowly, Arthur pulls the trigger to make his death less painful, an action that really shows Arthur's development. Like the rest of the Shelbys, besides Tommy, Arthur is arrested by the police and taken away at the end of season 3, unable to escape to California with Linda.

Series 4 · 1925-1926[]

As the whole Shelby family is preparing to be hanged, Arthur is tense but calm about the situation. In order of Tommy's deal with the British government, they are all saved from death in the last second. Arthur returns to working for the Shelby Company when the whole Shelby family receives a Black Hand from Luca Changretta, whose alliance is the New York mafia, in retaliation for the murder of his father. As the war begins between the Italians and the Blinders, John is mortally wounded on Christmas morning, 1925, by Italian gunmen.

Arthur is very moved by the death of his brother and feels guilty. He swears to be the one to kill Luca Changretta, but Linda and his faith in God stop him from it, leaving the task to Tommy. As Arthur is running one of the Shelby Company business buildings, two Italian men sneak in and attempt to kill him, but Arthur luckily survives. As the Shelby Company invests in a Gypsy boxing talent (the son of the ally, Bonnie Gold), Arthur gets suspicious about a man at an important boxing match against Solomon's fighter. When the man leaves the fighting arena, Arthur follows him and is seemingly mortally wounded.

At his funeral, Thomas is approached by the mother of the Changretta family, who demands all enterprises of the Shelby Company handed over to Luca. When the deal is about to be made, Thomas has outrun Luca by making a deal with the other New York mafia families, specifically Alphonse Capone. All of Luca's blood-related men have been killed in Birmingham, so the rest of his men agree to let Luca's bell toll. As Luca realizes he has lost the vendetta, he attacks Tommy, only to see Arthur walk in and shoot him. With many believing Arthur is dead, he can pursue a new identity.

But Arthur chooses to stay in Birmingham and remain a Shelby Company LM partner.

Series 5 · 1929[]

The series begins following the Wall Street Crash on Tuesday, October 29, 1929. Arthur has assumed the position of Chairman of the Board following Tommy's leave of absence and convenes a meeting when he hears of the Crash. Arthur tries to preside over the meeting, but — much to Linda's dismay — Polly suggests they should wait for Tommy's return before making any decisions. Arthur is happy that the company has not lost as it diversified its portfolio and made investments worldwide. After Michael returns to Birmingham following the Wall Street crash with his new wife, Gina, Michael has a tense standoff in the street. Arthur insults Michael and calls him a smelly dog because he believes Michael is a traitor.

As the year goes on, Arthur and Linda begin to have relationship trouble, mainly because Linda does not believe Arthur is leading the company correctly and fears losing control of the finances. Despite this, Arthur warns Linda to be a good wife and lets him deal with everything else, essentially silencing her. This leads to Linda looking for a way to divorce Arthur. However, she is shocked that nobody in Birmingham will divorce Shelby and seeks out Lizzie for advice. Lizzie admits that she must go to London to divorce a Shelby.

Things between the two become more strained when Mosley reveals that he has heard news that Linda has been spotted with another man while married. This angers Arthur, who hunts down the man and slashes his face, seemingly leaving him for dead. He is later confronted by Linda, who is angry as all she did was talk to the man. Linda pulls a gun on Arthur but is shot by Polly Gray before she has a chance to pull the trigger. After the bullet is removed, Arthur pleads with Linda to leave Peaky's life behind and run away with him. However, she declines, admitting that she is thankful she didn't kill him as death would be too good for him.

Forgetting about Linda, Arthur witnesses Michael's plan to restructure the company with his wife Gina, who is in charge of him, and the rest of the family, all but retiring. Michael says he can be the man Linda wants him to be. Still, Arthur says fuck Lina' after Tommy angrily rejects Michael's proposal and banishes him and Gina from the family. Arthur leaves growling angrily at Michael, who has a smirk on his face telling him, 'fuck the Americans'. Arthur is privy to the plan to assassinate Oswald Mosley, playing a key role in arming Alfie Solomons' men. He also ensures Barney is in a position with a clear line of fire at Mosley, reiterating the plan to shoot Mosley after Tommy gives the go-ahead. When the plan fails, however, Arthur takes Tommy home, expressing his concern that Tommy is slowly losing his mind.

Series 6 · 1934[]

He attends Thomas' farewell meal on the grounds of the now demolished Arrow House.

Personality[]

Arthur is a multifaceted character whose unwavering loyalty to his family drives him to commit brutal and vicious acts. Despite his deep remorse over many of these actions, he often struggles to control his impulses. His short temper and tendency to become easily aggravated, particularly when he perceives an attack on his or his family's pride, further complicate his internal struggles.

Throughout the series, Arthur's vulnerability becomes apparent in various situations, all of which stem from the actions of those he loves or cares about. His father's betrayal and his wife's departure are prime examples of events that expose his emotional fragility.

Relationships[]

Thomas Shelby[]

Thomas is Arthur's younger brother, and they share a complex yet close relationship. Despite being the eldest of the Shelby brothers, Arthur does not lead the Peaky Blinders, a fact that often creates tension between the two siblings, with Arthur frequently striving to prove himself to Tommy. Nevertheless, Tommy demonstrates his trust in Arthur by purchasing their local pub, the Garrison, and placing him in charge of its operations.

However, the relationship between Thomas and Arthur becomes strained when Arthur attempts to commit suicide on multiple occasions, driven by his belief that he is a failure. While Tommy shows concern for his brother's well-being, he responds to Arthur's failed suicide attempts with laughter, sardonically advising him to do it properly the next time.

Arthur Shelby Sr.[]

Arthur and his father initially shared a close yet similarly complex relationship. Among the Shelby family and the Peaky Blinders as a whole after he had abandoned them as children, leaving them under the care of their aunt. While Tommy and Polly are hesitant to accept him, Arthur is one of the few who welcome his father back but finds himself entangled in his father's schemes to siphon money from the Peaky Blinders for his personal gain. Arthur Sr. deceived his son into believing they would establish a casino business together, only to abscond with the £500 (equivalent to approximately £6,500 in present-day value).

Linda Shelby[]

Ep3 1 Arthur Linda

Arthur and his wife Linda

Sometime between 1922 and 1924, Arthur meets religious Linda, a devoted Quaker, and they marry. She helps Arthur put his life back together and deal with his mental health issues, firstly by helping him stay sober as much as she can.

Grace Shelby[]

Arthur is seen having a soft spot for Grace in the first series and often asks her for help with business calculations when he is having trouble. He accidentally slips out family business information to Grace but informs Thomas that Grace has been asking questions about how the family runs their business. In the third series, when Grace marries Thomas, Arthur casually refers to her as his 'sister', indicating that he has welcomed her into the family despite her history with the Shelbys.

Michael Gray[]

When Arthur first meets him, he tells Michael that he already knew him when he was a child: “I used to throw you out the window so John could catch you.” Just like John, Arthur treats Michael like a brother and keeps an eye out for his safety. Since Michael lost most of the money while in America and was suspected of betraying them, Arthur and Tommy act aggressively and mistrustfully toward Michael.

Finn Shelby[]

Arthur and John initially looked after Finn during a night out; however, once John dies, Arthur needs a right-hand man. Finn is the only option as he is his brother, but when Finn implies that he's unable to kill, even when Arthur is under gunpoint, Arthur states that "In the end, it is God who pulls that fucking trigger anyway." This illustrates that he doesn't necessarily care about that but rather having his brother with him.

Prostitutes[]

Arthur is known to see women two at a time on occasion, sometimes four, but always multiples of two. This is seen at the beginning of the first series, where he goes to the movies with two girls and receives sexual favours from both. It is unknown if these women are prostitutes. He also sleeps with the girls who work in The Eden Club while he runs it.

Quotes[]

"We're kings! Kings of the fucking world!"''"


"This place is under new management...by order of the Peaky Blinders!"


"I heard the blackbird sing."


"I'm emotional, I just don't know what fucking emotion it is."


"In the end, it's God who pulls that fucking trigger anyway. We don't get to decide who lives and who dies."


"Dick is Dick."


Appearances[]

Series 1 Appearances
Episode 1.1 Episode 1.2 Episode 1.3 Episode 1.4 Episode 1.5 Episode 1.6
Series 2 Appearances
Episode 2.1 Episode 2.2 Episode 2.3 Episode 2.4 Episode 2.5 Episode 2.6
Series 3 Appearances
Episode 3.1 Episode 3.2 Episode 3.3 Episode 3.4 Episode 3.5 Episode 3.6
Series 4 Appearances
The Noose Heathens Blackbird Dangerous The Duel The Company
Series 5 Appearances
Black Tuesday Black Cats Strategy The Loop The Shock Mr Jones
Series 6 Appearances
Black Day Black Shirt Gold Sapphire The Road to Hell Lock and Key

Image Gallery[]

Promotional Images[]

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