Tommy Shelby in Peaky Blinders and The Immortal Man
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Peaky Blinders series 6 ending explained and everyone who died before The Immortal Man

The Peaky Blinders movie arrives on Netflix this weekend

Peaky Blinders: The Immortal Man picks up after the explosive ending of the main series — so you’ll probably need a quick recap of what happened (and who died) in series 6 before hitting play on Netflix.

It’s been almost four years since Tommy Shelby’s story seemingly came to an end. Now, Peaky Blinders: The Immortal Man continues his journey, throwing him into a new chapter involving war, fascism, and unfinished business.

So, how did Peaky Blinders actually end — and who didn’t make it out alive?

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***Warning: spoilers for Peaky Blinders ahead***

Tommy Shelby looking at a burning wagon in Peaky Blinders
Peaky Blinders had a fiery ending (Credit: BBC)

How did Peaky Blinders series 6 end?

Series 6 ends with Tommy Shelby riding away alone as his wagon burns behind him. To everyone else, he’s effectively dead — and that’s exactly how he wants it.

Before disappearing, Tommy ties up loose ends: he eliminates Michael, hands control of the business to Ada, brings Duke into the fold, and sets plans in motion to leave his old life behind.

Crucially, he also discovers the truth about his supposed terminal illness.

Tommy had been told he was dying from tuberculoma — but a final clue from Ruby leads him to realise it was all a lie. His doctor was working with Oswald Mosley and deliberately misled him.

Tommy confronts the doctor but ultimately spares his life. However, the damage is already done. His caravan is set on fire, giving Tommy the perfect opportunity to vanish and start over.

Who died in Peaky Blinders series 6?

Here are the major deaths you need to remember before Peaky Blinders: The Immortal Man.

Helen McCrory as Polly Gray in Peaky Blinders
Polly Gray is one of the most heartbreaking deaths in Peaky Blinders (Credit: BBC)

Polly Gray

Polly is killed by the IRA as a punishment to Tommy after his failed attempt to assassinate Oswald Mosley.

Her death hangs over the entire season and drives Michael’s revenge arc against Tommy.

Michael Gray in Peaky Blinders
Michael had it coming (Credit: BBC)

Michael Gray

Michael attempts to kill Tommy with a car bomb — but the plan backfires.

Tommy survives and shoots Michael, fulfilling Polly’s prophecy that one of them would die.

Ruby Shelby in Peaky Blinders
Ruby’s death is one of the most shocking moments of series 6 (Credit: BBC)

Ruby Shelby

Tommy’s daughter dies early in the season after falling seriously ill.

She’s unwell early on, and after a brief recovery, she badly falls ill from “consumption” caused by pulmonary tuberculosis. Despite doctors’ efforts to treat her with gold (a highly toxic, widely discredited approach), she passes away.

There’s another cause, too. Following Grace’s death, Tommy gave away her sapphire, believing it was cursed.

It ended up in the possession of Evadne Barwell, who gave it to her daughter, Connie – and she died the next day. According to Esme, Evadne placed a curse on Tommy that would cause the loss of his daughter when she turned seven.

Laura McKee in Peaky Blinders
Arthur executed ‘Captain Swing’ (Credit: BBC)

Laura McKee

Also known as Captain Swing, she is killed by Arthur in gunfight outside the Garrison.

Emmett Scanlan as Billy Grade in Peaky Blinders
Billy was a traitor (Credit: BBC)

Billy Grade

After foiling the plot to assassinate Mosley, Billy Grade gets his comeuppance in the Peaky Blinders series 6 finale.

By this point, he’s acting as an informant for Nelson, too. His arc comes to a brutal end in the last episode when he turns up drink at Arrow House with Finn (Harry Kirton).

When Finn refuses to do the honours, Duke executes Billy.

What happened to Finn?

Finn is banished from the Shelby family after not only refusing to kill Billy, but turning the gun on Isiaah (Daryl McCormack).

Considering his actions led to the deaths of Polly, Aberama Gold (Aidan Gillen), and Barney (Cosmo Jarvis), he should have been happy to do it.

However, Finn and Billy are close friends by the end of series 6. So, when Duke tells Finn to shoot Barney, he points the gun at Isaiah instead.

Fortunately, Duke had emptied the first two chambers, saving Isaiah’s life and illustrating Finn’s misplaced allegiances. Duke tells Billy he’s out of the family for good, “by order of the Peaky [bleep] Blinders”.

Sam Claflin as Oswald Mosley in Peaky Blinders
Oswald Mosley was the one villain Tommy couldn’t beat (Credit: BBC)

Peaky Blinders recap: What about Oswald Mosley?

After surviving the Peaky Blinders’ assassination attempt, Oswald Mosley becomes an even more powerful figure in the United Kingdom.

He’s in full “Heil Hitler” mode in series 6, saying things like “perish Judah” and rallying support for fascism wherever he goes.

He also puts more pressure on Tommy, warning him that Lizzie (Natasha O’Keeffe) will be an unsuitable partner if he climbs the political ranks.

By the end of the series, he’s alive and continuing to spread the British Union of Fascists’ message. He escapes the Peaky Blinders’ wrath, much to the ire of fans.

However, it’s important to remember that he isn’t a fictional character. He was a real man, so the series has to follow his actual history (to an extent).

Paul Anderson in Peaky Blinders
Arthur gets a bleak ending in Peaky Blinders (Credit: BBC)

Does Arthur die in Peaky Blinders?

By the end of Peaky Blinders series 6, Arthur is still alive… but things don’t look good for him.

He struggles with opioid addiction throughout the sixth series; when Ruby dies, the toll of withdrawal is so much that he can’t speak.

As Tommy prepares to part ways with the family, Arthur is nowhere to be seen.

“Where you’re going Tommy, there will I be. Very soon. Love Arthur,” he wrote in a note to his brother.

The clear implication is that Arthur planned to take his own life, or he was acutely aware of the inevitability of his death, be it from drugs or Peaky-related violence.

Lizzie in Peaky Blinders
Lizzie finally stands up to Tommy (Credit: BBC)

What happened to Lizzie?

Lizzie leaves Tommy by the end of Peaky Blinders series 6, and she takes Charles with her.

While she has several reasons, Tommy crosses a line when he sleeps with Mosley’s wife-to-be, Diana (Amber Anderson).

Charles tells his mum that he’d rather go with her, and to Lizzie’s surprise, Tommy agrees. Whether or not she’ll be seen or mentioned in The Immortal Man remains to be seen.

How Peaky Blinders series 6 sets up The Immortal Man

We know Peaky Blinders: The Immortal Man will be set during the Second World War, involve the Nazis in some way, and feature Duke.

Duke was destined to become the highest-ranking Peaky Blinder, and given the lingering fascism that looms (and sometimes howls) over series 6, the Nazis were the obvious next step.

“It’s a mysterious process,” Knight told HuffPost when asked how he came up with the idea for the film.

“I tend to just start writing before doing the research sometimes… I started writing, ‘Tommy Shelby lives alone…’, that was before any thoughts of anything that’d come next.”

Speaking to Mashable, Knight said he always wanted to finish “this part of the Peaky story” during the Second World War.

Read more: Cillian Murphy’s behind-the-scenes Peaky Blinders secret that allowed him to smoke over 3,000 cigarettes

Peaky Blinders: The Immortal Man arrives on Netflix on March 20.

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Cameron Frew
TV Guides Editor

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