Peaky Blinders creator thrilled as West Midlands becomes official production hub
The region has become the UK's eight official production hub
Last updated 3rd Aug 2026
Peaky Blinders creator Steven Knight has said he is “thrilled” after the West Midlands was recognised as an official production hub, following the success of the franchise.
The British Film Commission (BFC) announced on Monday that the region, specifically Birmingham, became the UK’s eighth official hub for its ability to deliver high-end film and TV projects.
Production for the crime franchise, including its recently released feature film, Peaky Blinders: The Immortal Man, was based in the region, helping it gain the recognition by meeting three key criteria; suitable studio or stage space and infrastructure for a high-end TV show, access to skilled local crew and evidence of successfully accommodating a major scripted title.
Knight, 66, who also founded the Birmingham-based TV and film studio, Digbeth Loc Studios, said: “I’m thrilled that the West Midlands has been recognised as a fantastic place to make film and TV.
“The opening of Digbeth Loc Studios is an important part of that ambition, providing a home for world-class film and television production in the heart of Birmingham.
“We are at the beginning of a journey, and we’ve got off to a great start.
“The West Midlands is always ambitious, and we believe we will create a global content making industry in our neighbourhood.”
Launched in 2013, the hit historical drama ran for six series until 2022 and starred Cillian Murphy as notorious gang leader, Tommy Shelby, who sets out to carve out an empire for himself and his family in Birmingham in 1919.
It was followed by the feature-length film, Peaky Blinders: The Immortal Man, which was released earlier this year and saw Murphy reprise his role as the crime boss alongside Saltburn actor Barry Keoghan as Duke.
A spin-off series of the show is currently in the works and will follow Shelby’s family a decade after the events of the film as they navigate the aftermath of the Second World War.
Set in 1950s Birmingham, the upcoming series stars Halfman actor Jamie Bell and Stranger Things star Charlie Heaton as Duke and Charles Shelby as they find themselves in a race to rebuild the city while it is full of unprecedented opportunity and jeopardy.
Mayor of the West Midlands, Richard Parker, described the recognition as “real gamechanger” for giving the film and TV industry a sense of “confidence” in the region.
BFC chief executive Adrian Wootton said: “The growing success of the West Midlands as a UK production hub certainly bears this out.
“Over the course of nearly 15 years, the region has steadily grown in strength and stature, building skills, infrastructure and reputation.
“With the West Midlands becoming an official regional production hub, our offer to the global film and TV industry now spans the length and breadth of the UK: wherever you base your production, you’re within a stone’s throw of world-class facilities, crew and talent, with access to one-of-a-kind locations and some of the world’s most stable, transparent and generous tax incentives.
“As a born-and-bred West Midlander who started his career in the region I take great pleasure and pride in this exciting and welcome development.
“It is a major win for the region’s creative community, the UK and a win for the global industry as a whole.”
The West Midlands joins the BFC official production hubs including in South West England (Bristol), North West England (Manchester and Liverpool), Yorkshire (Leeds), Northern Ireland (Belfast), Scotland (Glasgow and Edinburgh), Wales (Cardiff) as well as London and South East England.