I visited ‘amazing’ Peaky Blinders mural in Birmingham but left confused

Just before the Peaky Blinders movie began filming in Birmingham this week a new mural of Tommy Shelby popped up in Digbeth. Located at the Digbeth Loc film studio, the lifelike mural features protoganist Tommy Shelby as chaos unfolds around him.

Speaking for myself, I’m by no means an art expert. I can barely draw a circle, but I love it when the city embraces its history and culture through art.

Murals of local heroes Ozzy Osbourne and Mike Skinner are already located in the nearby Custard Factory - and now the city’s favourite fictional character is in the area.

The worldwide success of Peaky Blinders has brought a new generation of eyes to the city, so it’s only right that we celebrate it at the perfect time.

Read More:Moment Peaky Blinders starts filming in Birmingham

Here I was looking at the face of Tommy Shelby while the real Tommy Shelby was plodding through the streets of Birmingham on his horse for the Peaky Blinders movie. Maybe Cillian Murphy will soon be staring back at himself when he visits Digbeth next month to film in the studios set up by Steven Knight.

The mural was painted by Daniel Russell-Ahern, also known as Mr Mural. It has been a busy period for the Brummie who recently flew out to Los Angeles to design singer Jason Derulo’s basketball court.

For the Sutton Coldfield artist, Daniel’s newest design is a lot closer to home. With Digbeth Loc film studio a primary location for the upcoming movie, the location is perfect.

The reason why I went myself was down to the support shown by Brummies. You don’t have to be a professor of modern art to appreciate the stunning work and skill that went into the commission.

It was getting a lot of love on social channels. Among the supporters was Paul Morgan, who wrote: “If graffiti was like that everywhere, no one would mind. Looks amazing, artwork at its best, fantastic job.”

Ray added: "Amazing. Love to see people sharing their craft and skills, well done.

Claire added: “Really stunning piece of artwork. Love Tommy Shelby, you have done him justice.”

When I came face to face with the mural myself, I was a bit confused. What do the letters on the flatcap mean?A hidden message? A code for diehard fans? An impromptu game of scrabble? It turns out that it was a guide that artist Daniel used to paint the lifelike mural.

The letters have been covered up by the iconic face of Cillian Murphy, but the remaining letters helps add another layer to the piece. After six seasons, and now a movie, the wrinkles and creases of the middle-aged gangster appeared lifelike, a testament to Daniel’s talent.

Seeing the positive reaction to the mural made me full of optimism and hope for Digbeth’s future. The area has had its share of ups and downs in recent memory but things are looking up again with the new studio and more openings in the pipeline.

In a social media post, Daniel addressed the positive feedback and said: “I just wanted to say a huge thank you to everybody shouting nice things from their cars and also taking the time to park up and chat while I’m painting. I don’t paint outside often but its been really special hearing all of the comments."