Peaky Blinders film shot in Birmingham as Steven Knight backs city investment
Creator says filming at Digbeth Loc Studios is part of his “legacy” for the West Midlands
The new Peaky Blinders film has been shot in Birmingham, with creator Steven Knight saying bringing production back to the city is both a creative and personal mission.
The feature-length continuation of Peaky Blinders — which will stream on Netflix — filmed at Digbeth Loc Studios, including Montague Street Studio, as part of a wider push to base major productions in the West Midlands.
Speaking to us in October at Digbeth Loc Studios during the Investment Summit, Knight said the timing was crucial for Birmingham.
“It’s been a fantastic day for Birmingham, a couple of days actually. We’ve got some really influential, powerful people from national government who do control the purse strings,” he said.
“When the summit happens in Birmingham — I think it’s the first time it’s happened outside of London — we’ve got to strike while the iron’s hot. We’ve got to do whatever we can to showcase the city and the region.”
Knight said investment in the West Midlands should not be seen as charity, but smart economics.
“Money invested here isn’t money given as a gift. It’s an investment that will actually reap rewards and will create more income for the country.”
The film marks a major milestone for the franchise, with Cillian Murphy returning as Tommy Shelby. Production has also committed to using Birmingham and West Midlands crew wherever possible.
Knight told us that filming the Peaky Blinders movie in the city felt long overdue.
“We shot the Peaky film there behind me in Montague Street Studio. We’re going to be shooting two series — Netflix and BBC — here in Birmingham, using wherever possible Birmingham crew, West Midlands crew.”
When asked what drives him to keep production rooted in the city, his answer was simple.
“It’s a good question, but I love it. I actually love it here. My dad used to work here, funnily enough, when it was a corporation yard.”
He revealed his father had worked on the very ground now home to the studios.
“He was a blacksmith and a farrier and he used to shoe West Midlands Police horses here.”
Knight said that when Peaky Blinders first took off, much of it was filmed in Manchester and Leeds — something he always wanted to change.
“I thought, well, why can’t we do it here where it should be? It’s taken a long time, but we managed to shoot the film here. A lot of locations were here. It’s just something that I want to get done. It’s like a legacy, I suppose.”
For the creator, every new development in Digbeth feels personal.
“Every time you see it and it’s improved and something new is happening, it’s wonderful.”
The new Peaky Blinders film is expected to move the story beyond the 1930s political turmoil that ended the television series, potentially into the Second World War era — bringing the Shelby saga onto an even bigger stage, but firmly rooted in the city that inspired it.