What Is An OBE? The Peaky Blinders Term Explained
Tommy Shelby is granted many boons by the Crown and government but what is an OBE, the award Tommy is given at the start of Peaky Blinders season 4?
Summary
- Thomas Shelby's clever machinations lead the Peaky Blinders from low-level criminals to influential figures in society.
- The end goal for Tommy and the Blinders is legitimacy, with Tommy striving to become legitimate in both business and personal affairs.
- Tommy's OBE, obtained through blackmail, launches his political career and gives him access and respect from England's upper class.
Thomas Shelby winds his way so deftly and quickly through British politics and the law that even characters in the show may join with the audience in wondering what is an OBE in Peaky Blinders. In Peaky Blinders, Tommy is the de facto boss of the titular crime gang, who starts off the series as a low-level group of racketeers. Over the course of Peaky Blinders' six seasons, the Peaky Blinders rose from the mud of Birmingham to being influential components of the House of Parliament. Much of this success is due to Tommy's clever machinations.
Peaky Blinders blends history with fiction to tell its violent, triumphant, and stylized story. One of the ways the show creators manage to do this is by making the end goal of Tommy and the Blinders be legitimacy. It's a word frequently tossed around and some members of the family are often at odds with this goal, believing it takes them away from their criminal roots. Tommy tries everything he can to become legitimate in England with his business and own personal affairs, and that includes acquiring a legal betting license, an import/export license, and to people's surprise in season 4, an OBE.
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After an explosive season 6 filled with trauma and loss, Peaky Blinders final episode ending with a shocking reveal. Here's what it all meant.OBE Means "Order Of The British Empire"
The OBE that Tommy requests and receives stands for "Order of the British Empire". This is a real-life British order of chivalry that is awarded to anyone who is a British national or a citizen of the Commonwealth who has significantly contributed to the United Kingdom outside civil service, meaning that this is not an award for military actions or those taken on behalf of the government.
There are five levels of the Order, from highest to lowest: Knight Grand Cross or Dame Grand Cross (GBE), Knight Commander or Dame Commander (KBE or DBE), Commander of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire (CBE), Officer of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire (OBE), and Member of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire (MBE) (via Honours). No matter the level, any one of these awards is a life-affirming honor.
Tommy receives the OBE in a perfectly Peaky Blinders manner: via blackmail. Thanks to his work alongside the Russians, Tommy has evidence that Winston Churchill ordered him to perform assassinations and more importantly, correspondence between King George and the White Russians that implicates the King as working against the Soviets, a serious charge. Tommy promises to burn all this if his family is pardoned and if the King awards him the OBE. It's not just another example of Tommy's cheekiness; it's one more step in his plan to have his businesses be considered "legitimate" and have his family escape their low-class origins.
Tommy's OBE Launched His Political Career
In one of Tommy Shelby's wildest schemes, he manages to obtain his OBE, and Peaky Blinders cuts to a year later. This OBE gives Tommy legitimacy in the eyes of England's upper class, giving him access that had been kept from him his entire life — he even wears spectacles. It's from this position of power that Tommy is able to negotiate real power for himself and his family. His companies are legitimate, his wealth is staggering, and the respect he receives is from all rungs of the social ladder.
At the end of Peaky Blinders season 4, it's his OBE that no doubt helps him get his name on a ballot to run for Labour MP for the Birmingham South Constituency. The look on his family members' faces as they vote is a symbol of how even they can't believe just how far their bookmaker has come in Peaky Blinders.
