THE FOUNDER of a popular Peaky Blinders group has officially been named the best Tommy Shelby look alike.

Derek Brennan was what judges called the “clear winner” of the Tommy Shelby look alike competition that took place in Birmingham City Centre last weekend.

The 66-year-old from Oldbury walked away with the grand prize of a £500 shopping spree but said his win was a happy accident.

Mr Brennan said: “I was only there to support another member of our group.

He plans to do something special with his winningsHe plans to do something special with his winnings (Image: Derek Brennan) “I joined in to get the ball rolling and encourage other people in the crowd to sign up to get numbers up.

“When they were announcing the winner, I was waiting for them to call my friend’s name.

“When they called mine, I turned around and went ‘me, really?'

“I was shocked”

Mr Brennan said it was his overall energy and impersonation of Cillian Murphy’s iconic Brummie hard man character that earned him the win, with the judges making special note of his perfect Tommy Shelby-esque walk at the contest on Saturday, November 23.

He is the founder of the West Midlands Peaky Blinder Group, which he started in 2017 as a space where fans of the hit BBC show could come together, have fun and give back to their local communities.

The group used to be based in the Office Bar and Restaurant in Dudley before its closure and can now be found at the Big Bull’s Head in Digbeth.

The West Midlands Peaky Blinders group are well known across the regionThe West Midlands Peaky Blinders group are well known across the region (Image: Derek Brennan) On the fourth Sunday of every month, the group get together embarking on pub crawls in full 1920s style, taking photos with members of the public and sometimes doing a little re-enactment of scenes from the show.

Their ethos is routed in community, with the members who range in age from six to 80, making appearances at weddings, parties and charity events as well as having fun together in the pub.

Mr Brennan now wishes to use his win to give back to the group, saying in turn for the Bulling shopping voucher, he will give £500 of his own money to charities and projects the group are involved in.

He said: “I’m a big personality and a guy who loves bringing people together

“It’s been lovely making all these friends in the group.

“I want to share [the money] with people and give back to the group.

“We’re a big family and we’re all winners, not just me.”