How Peaky Blinders has transformed West Midlands tourism

It’s a series that has become synonymous with flat caps, waistcoats and tweed suits, but 12 years since Peaky Blinders was first broadcast its influence continues to spread across the West Midlands.

BBC’s hit seriesAiring across six series from 2013 to 2022, it reached a global audience and helped transform the image of Birmingham, boosting tourism and spawning countless events, fan groups and street art.

The series follows the lives of 20th-century Birmingham gangsters, including Tommy Shelby, played by Cillian Murphy.

Following an upcoming Netflix movie, the movie is scheduled to return to TV for two new seasons. BBC recently announcedFollowing the adventures of the gang in its new era in 1953.

Filmed on location across the UK, including parts of Merseyside, Yorkshire and Staffordshire, Peaky Blinders was first broadcast on BBC Two in September 2013 and moved to BBC One for its fifth series in 2019.

a global phenomenon “peak effect” It has also inspired a number of tours, with large numbers of tourists flocking to visit local attractions and filming locations.

According to the national tourism agency visit britain7 in 10 visitors to the UK have been to a film or TV venue during a UK holiday trip.

For many fans of the series, this is as much about the community it fosters as it is about the story itself.

West Midlands Peaky Blinder GroupMembership has reached 44,000 since it was founded in 2018, which organizes monthly meet-ups and pub crawls for showgoers.

The group regularly shares photos and content related to the show and attends events wearing period costumes.

Founder Derek Brennan, 67, from Dublin, was inspired to set up the group after being mistaken for a pointy blunt.

“I was dressed like an old-fashioned Irish man, which looked a bit like pointy blinders, and someone called me pointy blinders and I said: ‘What is that?'” he explained.

Mr. Brennan, winner of the Thomas Shelby award similar competition He said last year that people in Birmingham loved the show and he was “very proud”.

“If you talk about Liverpool, you talk about the Beatles, right? If you talk about Manchester, it’s Oasis,” he said.

“They say we have Peaky Blinders.”

Mr Brennan said they were like “one big happy family” and went to meet other fan groups across the country.

“One of the biggest things we did was we went to Worcester and met the Worcester Peaky Blinders,” he said.

One of the group’s directors, Finlay Payne from Birmingham, was inspired to enter the world of Peaky Blinders after taking part in performing arts at school.

The 21-year-old actor, who appeared as an extra in the series, praised its creator.

“Steven Knight created this masterpiece as a TV show,” he said.

“It’s amazing how we’ve come together as a community.”

Edward Gostick, 23, began running Peaky Blinders walking and drinking tours around Birmingham in April 2022, taking visitors to key sites of the city and local pubs.

His Slogging Gangs Walking TourThe event, which starts outside the West Midlands Police Museum, attracts around 30-60 people each week.

Thanks to his popularity, Mr. Gostick, who dresses as Edward Shelby when leading groups around the city, has been able to turn his bespoke tours into a full-time job.

He told the BBC that the walking tour had attracted fans from all over the world, including places as far away as Kazakhstan and Uruguay.

“I took the tour to over 60 different countries,” he said.

“A lot of Australians are coming, Americans are coming… a lot of people are coming from the Netherlands, Europe in general and of course Ireland.”

Interestingly, Mr. Gostick said about a quarter of visitors had never watched the drama.

“My hope is that Peaky Blinders will do to Birmingham what Robin Hood did to Nottingham or what Shakespeare did to Stratford-upon-Avon,” he added.

“It’s much better than the Birmingham reputation, I think Peaky Blinders helps a lot.”

Some scenes from the series It was filmed at the Museum of Black Country Life, 12 miles from Birmingham, including the boat dock that became Charlie Strong’s Yard.

The open-air museum in Dudley boasts reconstructed shops and houses; creator Knight has previously described it as the “heart” of the programme.

Deputy general manager David Middlemiss said the series had put the museum “on the map” and attracted many international tourists.

He said that its popularity is increasing every year and that it is riveting. Peaky Blinders at night Up to 2,500 people attend the museum at a time.

“We often have visitors come to the museum as a direct result of seeing us in the exhibit,” he said.

Mr Middlemiss said the museum was part of a “wider hospitality ecosystem” alongside hotels and restaurants that could benefit from the influence of Peaky Blinders.

“For us, because we’re the Black Country… It’s a really important route into the region and the stories people will find beyond Peaky Blinders when they come here,” he said.

“We’re glad people are visiting here thanks to Peaky Blinders and then finding out about all the rest.”