Over six seasons, the British series Peaky Blinders spans the years 1919-1934. Here is a breakdown of Tommy Shelby’s age from start to finish.

Cillian Murphy's Thomas Shelby has been through a lot on the BBC/Netflix series Peaky Blinders, which takes place in between World War I and World War II in Birmingham, England; here's a look at how old the character is throughout the series' run. Peaky Blinders originally premiered on the BBC in 2013, shortly becoming an international sleeper hit thanks to the rise of Netflix and the dawn of streaming. With Peaky Blinders' stellar cast that brought movie stars like Cillian Murphy and Sam Neill to the small screen, the show eventually grew to attract even bigger names while developing its vast and dedicated fan base.

Season 1 of Peaky Blinders takes place in the immediate aftermath of World War I in 1919. Tommy, his brothers Arthur and John, as well as many other members of their working-class Birmingham community have only recently returned from their harrowing time in the British Army. More determined than ever to make something of himself, Tommy and his family embark on illicit business ventures that grow increasingly ambitious with every passing year, leading to his eventual appointment as a Member of Parliament in the late 1920s.

With six seasons spanning almost a decade in real-life to cover roughly 15 years of storytelling, Peaky Blinders hasn't made it too difficult to track the age of its characters. However, with a follow-up movie and a potential spinoff series, it's helpful to lay out the chronology of the show's characters, namely for Thomas Shelby, the show's lead. Here's how old Cillian Murphy's character is from beginning to end of Peaky Blinders.

How Old Tommy Shelby Is At The Beginning Of Peaky Blinders

Thomas Michael Shelby was born in 1890, making him 29 years old at the beginning of Peaky Blinders. Cillian Murphy, who plays Tommy, was in his mid-30s at the time of shooting the first season. Starting out on a small scale as a local bookmaker, Tommy quickly sets bigger plans in motion that lead to his tenuous involvement with various crime rings, gangs, and corrupt organizations over the course of the series. There is usually a gap of a few years between every six-episode season, often with historical moments denoting the change, such as season 5's heavy incorporation of the stock market crash of 1929.

How Old Tommy Shelby Is At The End Of Peaky Blinders

By the end of season 6, the year is 1934. This makes Tommy 44 years old, bringing the character to about the same age as actor Cillian Murphy. Emphasizing the rise of fascism within Europe and the U.K., seasons 5 and 6 set Peaky Blinders on a path to World War II. Though the series wrapped up this year, a Peaky Blinders movie is in the works to bring a true end to the saga of the Shelbys.

The movie will most likely culminate in World War II, which began in 1939. Tommy would be 49 at that point - assuming that he lives that long, of course. Peaky Blinders will then have followed Tommy Shelby throughout most of his adult life, which has been tragically book-ended by two world wars.