Billy Grade is an Irish retired professional footballer who becomes a singer in the Garrison Pub. He becomes a bookmaker for the Peaky Blinders.
Character History[]
Background[]
Billy had to retire from football due to a leg injury. He maintains his contacts with the sport.
Series 5 · 1929[]
Billy is befriended by Finn Shelby. The two fall into sloppy habits while running the betting shop. They do cocaine and drink regularly while on the job and womanizing together. The Shelbys, minus Finn, recognize Billy is an informant. Finn foolishly blabs the plan to assassinate Oswald Mosley to Billy, who tips off the IRA.
Series 6 · 1934[]
Jack Nelson violently forces Billy to act as his informant on the Peaky Blinders so he can have Arthur Shelby killed. Nelson most likely got Billy Grade's name from Laura McKee of the IRA.
Billy and Finn arrive drunk, as usual, to Arrow House, believing they are there to recover vital documents and dig up bodies. Unlike the other Peaky Blinders, they treat the situation as a party, a chance to drink expensive wine and invite girls instead of as business. Duke Shelby and Isiah Jesus beat up Billy on Thomas' orders. They reveal that Thomas has informed them that Finn is to shoot Billy. If he doesn’t, Finn can “walk away from the family for good.” A shaken Finn shows his true colors by furiously insulting Duke’s mother and turning the gun on Isiah. When he tries to shoot it, the gun only clicks. As advised by Charlie Strong, Duke had emptied the first two chambers, thus allowing him and Isiah to witness Finn’s betrayal while remaining unscathed. And so, Finn’s fate is sealed. Duke executes Billy and tells Finn he is out of the Shelby family, “by order of the Peaky fucking Blinders.”
Trivia[]
- Billy is the "Black Cat" Thomas dreamt about.