The real-life gangster who appears in season 2 of Peaky Blinders is Darby Sabini. In the series, he is played by Noah Taylor and portrayed as a powerful Italian gang leader controlling criminal interests and racecourse betting in London.
Sabini was based on Charles “Darby” Sabini, a British-Italian underworld figure who became prominent during the interwar period. His gang operated from London, particularly around Clerkenwell and Camden, and competed with other criminal organisations for control of gambling and racecourses.
Season 2 moves Tommy Shelby’s ambitions beyond Birmingham and brings him into conflict with Sabini and Alfie Solomons. That storyline draws on real rivalries between Birmingham and London gangs, although the Shelby family and its direct dealings with Sabini are fictionalised for television.
Viewers sometimes confuse Sabini with Billy Kimber, another historical gangster featured in the series. Kimber led the Birmingham Boys, while Sabini was associated with London’s Italian criminal network and became a major rival in the show’s second season.