Mayor of West Midlands Visits Set of 'Peaky Blinders,' Highlighting Netflix’s Significant Investment in the UK Creative Industries

On Thursday 14th November, the Mayor of West Midlands, visited the set of Peaky Blinders at Digbeth Loc. Studios, as part of Netflix's wider investment in the region.

Mayor of the West Midlands, Richard Parker said : "The impact Peaky Blinders has had on audiences at home and abroad has been incredible and it has put our region on the international stage. So Netflix's commitment to the show and the West Midlands is not only a vote of confidence in Steven Knight's new studios but also in the talent of local people working in our TV and film sector.

I want to build on that by working with Steven, Netflix, the BBC and others to make the West Midlands the beating heart of the UK creative economy. That vision means unleashing the talent of our communities which is why we are giving them, and especially our young people, the skills that will open doors to an exciting new career in this industry."

Steven Knight, Writer, Creator and Producer of Peaky Blinders said: "I am so thrilled to be welcoming the Peaky Blinders home to Birmingham and my own Digbeth Loc. Studios. The Peaky movie is being shot in the heart of Digbeth, which was the stomping ground of the real Peakies a hundred years ago. Netflix has embraced our City and together we are committed to bringing the Birmingham people into our industry. This is just the beginning and our plan is to plant TV and film industry in Midlands soil and watch it grow. The world will watch the Peaky movie and the world will know that it was made in Brum."

Culture Secretary Lisa Nandy said: "Film and TV offer so many great job opportunities, but while talent is everywhere, opportunity is not. This government is determined to work with the industry to change this. That's why I am so supportive of the work at Digbeth Loc. Studios in Birmingham, which will create hundreds of jobs recruited from some of the most deprived areas around the studio, and drive millions of pounds worth of investment into the region.

Netflix's vote of confidence in these studios will enable more shows like Peaky Blinders to come to life, driven by the creativity, skills and talent of people who have been written out of our national story for too long."

Anne Mensah, VP of Content, UK at Netflix said: "We're thrilled to be able to film parts of Peaky Blinders, an iconic story in the heart of Birmingham at Digbeth Loc. Studios and across the West Midlands. Steven Knight is nothing short of a creative genius, his ability to tell such compelling stories whilst staying true to his Birmingham roots is what makes this next chapter of Peaky Blinders so exciting for our members. The impact of filming across the regions and working with incredible talent like Steven, is not just about bringing much-loved British stories to screen, but providing opportunities to local communities empowering them to tell their own stories."

Over the last 5 years, a number of Netflix shows have been filmed in the Midlands including Christmas on Mistletoe Farm , BBC co-production Champion , parts of The Crown (Stamford and Burghley House in Lincolnshire, Belvoir Castle in Leicestershire and Loughborough's Great Central Railway station) and Season 3 of Black Mirror . Beyond filming in the region, Netflix is committed to developing the next generation of local talent through IGNITE Your Creativity, a free programme that will be coming to the West Midlands in early 2025 and will offer young people the skills, networks, and confidence to pursue careers in the creative industries, helping to nurture the next generation of UK talent.

This is part of Netflix's bigger investment in the UK, its second biggest production hub globally. Netflix invests almost $1.5 billion every year in UK-made shows and works with over 10,000 cast and crew each year. This investment is right across the nations and regions, with the majority of Netflix's UK scripted series launching next year filmed outside London.

Notes to Editors

About Netflix:

Netflix is one of the world's leading entertainment services, with 283 million paid memberships in over 190 countries enjoying TV series, films, and games across a wide variety of genres and languages. Members can play, pause and resume watching, as much as they want, anytime, anywhere, and can change their plans at any time.

About Digbeth Loc. Studios:

Digbeth Loc. is a new creative hub growing fast among the abandoned factories and warehouses of Birmingham's industrial heartland. Among canals, wharfs and locks our beautiful Victorian buildings have been repurposed to become film and TV studios, recording studios, post production facilities, artists' workshops and hot desk office spaces. In our first year 'Masterchef' (the BBC's biggest international TV franchise) has made its new home in one of our canal side warehouses, and the Peaky Blinders Netflix movie is right now shooting on our lot . International music artists UB40 have built their new recording studio here and are recording their new album alongside a dance school, a theatre school, special effects companies and set builders. 'Build it and they will come' they say. We are building it…and man are they coming.

About the IGNITE Your Creativity Programme:

The National Youth Theatre and Netflix have partnered for the second year of IGNITE Your Creativity. The free programme helps break down barriers for young people by equipping them with the knowledge, skills and connections within the creative industry to help them build networks and confidence. The programme offers free practical workshops that map and explore the wide-range of creative roles available, including information on starting salaries and progression opportunities to counter the narrative that creative careers are poorly paid and unstable. IGNITE also connects young people with set and backstage visits, work experience opportunities and panels with industry experts sharing their creative career journeys. This year the programme will focus on helping students in the West Midlands, North East and London. Last year IGNITE supported 1,000 young people. This year the aim is to increase this by 50%.

About the PEAKY BLINDERS film:

Production commenced on the film on September 30th.

It is an epic continuation of the multi-award-winning gangster saga, set in the lawless streets of Birmingham in the 1900s, written by the show's creator, Steven Knight, who produces alongside Patrick Holland, Cillian Murphy and Guy Heeley, and made in association with BBC Film.

Cast: Academy Award® winner Cillian Murphy (Oppenheimer, A Quiet Place Part II); Rebecca Ferguson (Dune, Mission Impossible); Academy Award® nominee Tim Roth (Reservoir Dogs, The Hateful Eight), Stephen Graham (Matilda, Boiling Point), Sophie Rundle (After the Flood, Gentleman Jack), Ned Dennehy (Culprits, The Peripheral), Packy Lee (Blue Lights), Ian Peck (His Dark Materials, Robin Hood), Jay Lycurgo (Steve, Half Bad: The Bastard Son & The Devil Himself) and BAFTA winner Barry Keoghan (Saltburn, The Banshees of Inisherin)

Director: Tom Harper (Heart of Stone, Wild Rose)

Writer: Steven Knight (Dirty Pretty Things, Locke)

Producers: Steven Knight, Patrick Holland, Cillian Murphy and Guy Heeley

Executive Producers Include: Tom Harper, David Kosse, Caryn Mandabach, Jamie Glazebrook, and Andrew Warren

Publicity contact: [email protected]

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