Winston Churchill is the overarching protagonist of Peaky Blinders. He was the Secretary of State for the Colonies between 1921 and 1922.
Character History[]
Series 1 · 1919[]
Churchill first appears on a Pullman carriage that has been converted into a luxurious office. He sends Inspector Campbell to Birmingham with the mission to retrieve his stolen machine guns, seeing him as an amusing man yet a good candidate for the job. Despite failing to bring the Peaky Blinders to justice, Campbell manages to retrieve the stolen guns, and assures Churchill that the Peaky Blinders will be punished for their actions.
Series 2 · 1922[]
Churchill allows Inspector Campbell to select select Thomas Shelby to carry out an assassination on behalf of the Crown, although he is aware of the Inspector's hatred for Thomas. Campbell assures Churchill that once Thomas has assassinated Field Marshal Henry Russell, he will be hanged for his theft of the weapons in 1919. In exchange for carrying out this assassination, Churchill grants Thomas a number of his requests (which are amusing to Churchill): He asked that the Colonial Office grant him an Empire export license, covering India, Malay Peninsula, Canada and Russia. Churchill provides him with this temporarily while he carries out his service for the Crown.
After Shelby completes the assassination and is taken to be shot by Red Right Hand militants, Churchill uses his connections to intervene and save the life of Thomas, and sends him a message that he will have another job for Thomas in the future.
Series 3 · 1924[]
It is revealed that two years after the death of Inspector Campbell, Churchill is still making deals with Thomas Shelby that benefit the both of them: Churchill continues to get Thomas to carry out assassinations on behalf of the Crown in exchange for very large sums of money, which help expand the profits of the Shelby family business.
Series 5 · 1929[]
Churchill is not involved much in the events of 1929, but admits to Thomas that he has heard of his friendship with Mosley and has discovered that Tommy was spying on Mosley for the British Government. Churchill has no involvement, but urges Tommy to do whatever it takes to take Mosley down and to contact him if he needs help.
Series 6 · 1934[]
Thomas’ secret alliance with Churchill to bring down the fascists is discovered by Oswald Mosley, however Mosley appears to believe Thomas when he lies that he is sabotaging Churchill.
Relationships[]
Thomas Shelby[]
The relationship between Churchill and Thomas is a complicated and ominous one. Initially, Churchill is behind Inspector Campbell's orders to have Thomas kill people for the crown. He grants Thomas export licenses, with the intention to revoke them and betray him after his efforts.
However, the relationship becomes more complex, particularly after Churchill orders one of the members of the Ulster Volunteer Force sent by Campbell to kill Tommy to spare his life, requesting that Thomas continues his work for the Crown in the near future.
After Thomas is elected to the House of Commons, he and Churchill form a more amicable relationship, with the latter requesting dinner with the Shelby family, and offering support in Thomas’ efforts against Mosley.
Inspector Campbell
Churchill initially sends Inspector Campbell to Birmingham in 1919 to find and retrieve the stolen guns. Despite having faith in Campbell, he notes the inspector’s absence from wartime service and warns him not to use methods from Ireland which would be inappropriate in England. He later pressures Campbell to conduct his mission faster.
Churchill ultimately decides to betray Campbell and save Thomas Shelby from the UDF in 1922, unbeknownst to him that Campbell has been murdered by Polly Grey. Later, when Thomas becomes an MP, Churchill is gratified over Campbell’s death and talks about arranging dinner with the Shelby family.
Quotes[]
- Winston Churchill (to Inspector Campbell): “This is England, not Belfast. Bodies thrown in the rivers wash up in the papers here. We must keep the existence of these stolen guns out of the news, otherwise we are simply advertising them for sale. If there are bodies to be buried, dig holes. And dig them deep.”
Appearances[]
| Series 1 Appearances | |||||
| Episode 1.1 | Episode 1.2 | Episode 1.6 | |||
| Series 2 Appearances | |||||
| Episode 2.1 | Episode 2.2 | ||||
| Series 5 Appearances | |||||
| The Loop | Mr Jones | ||||
