With the BBC set to move into the Tea Factory in 2026 and Digbeth Loc Studios offering a premier space for television and film production, Birmingham is set to become a creative media hub for the UK. The following shows were all filmed in and around the city with many helping to launch the careers of local talent both on and off the screen.
1) Peaky Blinders
Arguably the biggest production to come from Birmingham in recent years, Peaky Blinders is responsible for encouraging tourists from all over the world to explore the city’s industrial history.
Despite much of the show being filmed elsewhere in the UK, many key scenes are filmed at the Black Country Living Museum in Dudley. It has also been confirmed that the newly opened Digbeth Loc Studios in Birmingham (around the corner from our ACC Birmingham campus) will act as the production base for the upcoming Peaky Blinders movie. Series creator Steven Knight has teamed up with ‘Kudos Knight’ to offer training schemes to young creatives looking to work in scripted television production.
2) This Town
The latest production from Peaky Blinders creator Steven Knight, This Town tells the story of a group of young musicians as they attempt to navigate the personal and political conflicts of the Midlands in 1981. Set between Birmingham and Coventry, most of the series was shot on location in the city with some key scenes being filmed at Digbeth Loc Studios which is mere minutes from our ACC Birmingham Campus.
3) Line Of Duty
The hit BBC crime drama Line Of Duty was written by Jed Mercurio who was born in Cannock and lived in Birmingham while training to become a doctor. The first few series were filmed in the city and included many recognisable landmarks including The Old Central Fire Station, New Street, Broad Street, and The Municipal Bank where AC12 is based. There have been many Brummie actors featured throughout the show’s 6 seasons including Patrick Baladi as Jimmy Lakewell, Claudia Jessie as Jodie Taylor, Maya Sondhi as Maneet Bindra, and Nigel Boyle as Ian Buckells.
4) Doctors
Doctors was a staple of British daytime TV airing for 24 years until it was cancelled last year. Set in Birmingham’s fictional Mill Health Centre and Campus Surgery, the show has acted as a launch pad for many talented cast and crew members from the Midlands as they embark on their careers in Film and TV. Doctors also featured multiple well-known actors early in their career including Eddie Redmayne, Sheridan Smith, Phoebe Waller-Bridge, and Nicholas Hoult to name just a few. The final episode is set to air in December 2024.
5) Late Night Lycett
Comedian Joe Lycett has been a huge advocate for Birmingham ever since his days performing standup on ‘Live at the Apollo’. Now, he is filming his TV chat show ‘Late Night Lycett’ in the city and uses his platform to promote local talent both in front and behind the camera. Through the Late Night Lycett Production Trainee Programme, Rumpus Media has provided hundreds of talented individuals with the opportunity and experience to launch their careers in television. The show is filmed at The Bond in Digbeth (just a stone’s throw from our ACC Birmingham Campus) and contains a number of local references to areas like Kings Heath and Birmingham’s Gay Village.
6) Hustle
In the second episode of series 7 of the BBC series Hustle, the team visits Birmingham to help an old friend who has been scammed by a merciless loan shark. The episode was filmed across various locations in the city centre including Selfridges, Digbeth, and Gas Street Basin. Production of the series was moved from London to the Midlands with cutaways of famous London landmarks added to disguise the switch.
7) Man Like Mobeen
The hit BBC comedy ‘Man Like Mobeen’ created by Guz Khan and Andy Milligan follows recovering criminal Mobeen as he cares for his 15-year-old sister and attempts to escape his shady past. The show is predominantly filmed in Birmingham around Small Heath and Balsall Heath. Khan has been influential in providing new opportunities for Midlands talent by offering six entry-level trainees a chance to work in Production Design, Costume, Makeup, Camera, Sound, and Production Management through the Man Like Mobeen Trainee Programme.
8) Brum
An early example of Birmingham being featured on screen was in the hit children’s TV show ‘Brum’. Filmed across various locations in Birmingham, each episode would follow the titular Brum as they embarked on wild adventures in ‘The Big City’; helping members of the public and often thwarting the dastardly efforts of recurring antagonists Bubble & Squeak. The series ran from 1991 until 2002 and was produced by Ragdoll Productions who are also known for creating hit children’s TV shows ‘Teletubbies‘, ‘Tots TV‘ and ‘Rosie & Jim’.
9) The Gadget Show
First airing in 2004, The Gadget Show was a prime-time television series that ran for 37 seasons and gave consumer advice while reviewing new tech. The show is produced by North One Television and filmed in Digbeth, Birmingham at The Custard Factory and Progress Works which now makes up part of the Access Creative and Access Sport Birmingham campuses. The show has gone through many iterations including a live world tour and most recently a podcast hosted by the original presenters Jason Bradbury and Suzi Perry.
10) Crossroads
A much beloved British soap opera that lasted 24 years, Crossroads first aired in 1964 and ran until 1988 before a brief revival in 2001. Set in the fictional Crossroads Motel, in the village of Kings Oak near Birmingham, the show helped to pioneer the soap opera format and launch the careers of Russell T Davies and Freema Agyeman. Victoria Wood famously parodied Crossroads’ bad acting and wobbly sets with her comedy sketch series ‘Acorn Antiques’.
Want a media career in Birmingham?
If you love live or scripted television and want to be a part of the growing creative community in Birmingham then our Film, Videography & Photography and Animation & VFX courses will give you the skills you need to start working in the industry. Apply online today and take the first steps towards an exciting career in Film & TV.