“Peaky Blinders” may have given closely clipped back and sides haircuts a new lease of life, but it’s now helped a region of the U.K. land official backing as a center for high-end productions.
The British Film Commission has announced that the West Midlands, home to the city of Birmingham and where “Peaky Blinders” is set and shot, has been named the U.K.’s eighth official regional production hub for scripted inward investment for film and high-end TV.
According to the Commission, having served as production base for “Peaky Blinders,” the feature film “The Immortal Man” and the as-yet untitled “Peaky Blinders” spin-off series, the region has now fulfilled the criteria needed to receive official hub status.
The West Midlands joins South-West England (Bristol); North-West England (Manchester and Liverpool); Yorkshire (Leeds); Northern Ireland (Belfast); Scotland (Glasgow and Edinburgh); Wales (Cardiff); and London & South-East England as an official production hub, lending its strength to a UK-wide offer which contributed £5.8 billion ($7.8 billion) to the UK economy in 2025.
“As Tommy Shelby of the Peaky Blinders once said, ‘when you plan something well, there’s no need to rush.’ The growing success of the West Midlands as a U.K. 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,” said Adrian Wootton, Chief Executive of the British Film Commission.
“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 U.K.: 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.”
The two upcoming “Peaky Blinders” spin-off series are being film at the recently opened in Birmingham’s Digbeth Loc. Studios, which was founded by show creator Steven Knight.
“I’m thrilled that the West Midlands has been recognised as a fantastic place to make film and TV,” said Knight. 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.”
In addition to the region’s new hub status, the BBC previously announced plans to establish its future regional headquarters in The Tea Factory in Digbeth .
