Why there’s never been a better time for production in the West Midlands

Netflix’s decision to host the world premiere of Peaky Blinders movie The Immortal Man in Birmingham’s Symphony Hall in March this year was a defining moment, emphasising the West Midlands’ rise as a production powerhouse.

It built on the momentum of the £17bn West Midlands Growth Plan, which is creating 1,000 new jobs, and the BBC’s long-term commitment to the region, having moved MasterChef and Silent Witness to Birmingham’s Tea Factory complex. The BBC has also pledged to almost double its annual spend in the West Midlands to £40m by the end of next year.

Out of the corporation’s second memorandum of understanding with the West Midlands Combined Authority and Create Central, Production Central WM was born.

This new regional production service agency, endorsed by West Midlands Mayor Richard Parker and delivered by the West Midlands Growth Company, opened last November. It aims to capitalise on the growing demand for regional representation and create a sustainable ecosystem and core infrastructure that retains local talent.

“The last four to five years of increased activity from key sector stakeholders, like the BBC, Banijay and BBC Studios, has led to more activity in general, and it’s important for production and industry to know that there’s a streamlined process, and a single port of call to facilitate that journey,” says Production Central WM sector lead Martin Simms.

A former BBC location manager, Simms is vice chair of RTS Midlands and has long championed the region as a home of original storytelling. He stresses that the agency can step in at every stage of a production: “We secure all necessary filming permits and manage the full range of logistics, including road closures, stakeholder coordination, and on-the-ground operational support,” he says.

“We collaborate closely with producers and location teams to conduct exhaustive scouting, identifying prime opportunities and providing the necessary support to source or construct bespoke production spaces.”

Peaky Blinders is based at creator Steven Knight’s Digbeth Loc. Studios, an emerging powerhouse within the blossoming Digbeth Creative Quarter. The drama’s international profile, and Banijay, the BBC and Netflix’s commitment to at least two further series, demonstrates an overarching desire to ensure the industry builds sustainable, long-term partnerships with the West Midlands.

“We don’t just want productions to come in, film, and go,” says Simms. “We are committed to championing our region and inviting the local community to join the journey, particularly people aspiring to build careers within the industry.

“We want to ensure we’re tapped in with the local community and culture, to really engage with the aspirations of those who want to get into the industry, and to drive the potential for those currently in the industry to level up. We want to inspire the next generation that are coming through, especially with such a young and diverse workforce.”

Production Central WM’s sister agency Create Central delivered boot camp training for a young cohort of people who are now working on Peaky Blinders. “That’s the kind of thing we want to do in the region: to give local people a real sense and taste of what production is, and the life-changing opportunities it can create.”

For Simms, it is important that these flagship shows reflect something back of the city and its diverse people.

“Silent Witness specifically moved its stories to Birmingham,” he notes. “We want to show off the diverse range of locations and hear the accents of the different communities that we have and that we’re engaged with.”

At the launch of the West Midlands Growth Plan, Knight reminded attendees of Birmingham’s reputation as the ‘City of a Thousand Trades’ and suggested it had long transcended that illustrious banner. Simms says the regions’ strengths lie in its multiple skillsets, highlighting the ways that fashion, music and ballet have added new dimensions to the Peaky Blinders story.

“From Shakespeare and Tolkien to writers like Knight today, this region has a remarkable legacy of writing and performance – it’s a creative powerhouse, shaped by a melting pot of cultures. Great storytelling does not just happen in the West Midlands – it starts here,” he says.

“We want to redefine how industry partners with the West Midlands. This is not about continuing in the traditional way. It is about being forward-looking and future-focused across workforce development, production, digital, and the games sector.

“It is also not simply about productions coming into the region to film. It is about helping partners tell their story, bringing the region’s communities with them, and creating a strong wraparound programme of activity that engages and inspires.”

International collaboration is a central tenet of this, and Simms says the industry can expect upcoming announcements in the coming months. The agency will also look at how Create Central’s IP content fund can support ideas developed from the region.

“We recognise that there’s a lot of interchangeable skills and pathways between creative areas and we want to take a closer look at how we are helping people create content for the various platforms that are here and emerging,” he says. “We will start to build that out in the next 12 to 18 months. We want the stories that captivate the world to start, grow and thrive right here.”