Peaky Blinder – a “west midlands success story” says West Midlands Growth Company bosses.
The BBC period drama, starring Cillian Murphy, tells the story of Tommy Shelby as an early 20th-century gang boss and the Shelby family. The show takes inspiration from a real-life Birmingham gang that was active between the 1880s to 1910s.
The show’s creator and writer Steven Knight, has told the BBC that the show’s feature film will shoot in Digbeth at his Digbeth Loc studios, with a potential release date in Spring 2024.
It was reported recently by The Sun that a Peaky Blinders Theme Park was also on the cards. They quoted a TV insider saying: “This may sound like a crazy idea but Peaky Blinder was such as phenomenon and it’s reaped huge rewards for Britain. Although the show was ultra-violet, it also showcased our industrial past, not to mention a whole new wave of fashion and haircuts. So it’s actually a no-brainer for tourism chiefs keen to get the maximum draw and make the most of a TV show that was an international hit.”
They also reported that the canals around Digbeth would ideally be its centrepiece.
However, West Midlands Growth Company have since squashed rumours that a Peaky Blinders Theme Park is definitely on the cards. Speaking with Birmingham Live, it didn’t write off the idea of a ‘new experience or attraction’ for the city.
There has already been a Peaky Blinder Festival held for the show in Digbeth and it was confirmed that it would be a ‘no brainer’ to consider a ‘more permanent’ option to celebrate this in the city. They have also launched a ‘feasibility study’ to judge what this could look like.
Chief executive of the West Midlands Growth Company, Neil Rami, said: “Peaky Blinders is a West Midlands success story, putting Birmingham and the Black Country on the map.” He also said that they are ‘working extensively on a campaign focusing on the impact of the hit series and the West Midlands’ screen tourism sector.”
In any case, it’s an exciting prospect for the area and we look forward to hearing more and following how the plans develop.