This Town is an upcoming six-part British television series for BBC One. It is written and created by Steven Knight and directed by Paul Whittington. It is produced by Kudos and Nebulastar and co-produced by Universal Music Group’s Mercury Studios. Music is written for the series by Dan Carey and Kae Tempest. Cast members include Michelle Dockery, Geraldine James, David Dawson, Jordan Bolger and Nicholas Pinnock.

Synopsis

In 1981 ska and two-tone music is uniting some black, white and Asian youths in the streets and estates of the West Midlands where an extended family and four young people are drawn into the world of music through the context of ongoing social unrest.[1]

Cast

Production

Development

Knight and producer Nick Angel began working in November 2020 with the production companies Kudos and Stigma on a project set during the early 1980s UK music scene.[2] A six-part series was commissioned by BBC One in April 2022.[3]

The series was previously under the working title Two Tone.[4] Knight has said the title This Town is a reference to the song Ghost Town by The Specials which spent three weeks at number one in the UK singles chart in 1981. For Knight, it is a project he has said is more personal work to him than his previous West Midlands based television series Peaky Blinders , with Knight describing This Town as his “love letter” to the area he grew up in and “an era I loved through and know well and [involving] characters who I feel I grew up with.”[5]

Casting

Michelle Dockery, David Dawson and Nicholas Pinnock were announced to be cast in November 2022, it was also revealed that original music would be written specifically for the series by Dan Carey and Kae Tempest.[6] That same month Séainín Brennan was added to the cast.[7] It was later reported that the main roles in the series would be played by Levi Brown, Jordan Bolger, Ben Rose and Eve Austin.[8]

Filming

Principal photography started in Birmingham in November 2022 on location in the city and at Knight’s Loc. Film and TV Studios.[9] Filming locations also included Wolverhampton where a reported race riot was filmed.[10] A casting call for extras to play skinheads was put in the local media[11] and music press.[12] In March 2023, filming took place in Burslem, Stoke-on-Trent.[13]

References

  1. ^ "BBC This Town cast and filming locations for Steven Knight's new drama". Birmingham Mail. 3 February 2023.
  2. ^ "'Peaky Blinders' Creator Steven Knight Teams With Kudos, Stigma & Nick Angel For Series About UK's Two Tone Music Scene". Deadline. 12 November 2020.
  3. ^ "BBC1 Orders Ska And Two-Tone Music Drama From 'Peaky Blinders' Creator Steven Knight". Deadline. 29 April 2022.
  4. ^ "Downton Abbey' Star Michelle Dockery To Lead Steven Knight BBC Drama 'This Town'". Deadline. 24 November 2022.
  5. ^ "Peaky Blinders creator Steven Knight continues his Birmingham chronicles with ska series This Town". GQ Magazine. 18 January 2023.
  6. ^ "Michelle Dockery, Nicholas Pinnock and David Dawson announced for This Town, Steven Knight's original new drama series for the BBC". BBC.com.
  7. ^ "This Town: Belfast actor cast in new BBC drama written by Peaky Blinders creator". Belfast Live. 26 November 2022.
  8. ^ "TV crews spotted 'filming for new Steven Knight drama' as Wolverhampton turned into '80s riot scene'". Birmingham Mail. 23 January 2023.
  9. ^ "Steven Knight's new BBC drama This Town starts filming in Birmingham". Birminghammail.co.uk. 24 November 2022.
  10. ^ "TV crews spotted 'filming for new Steven Knight drama' as Wolverhampton turned into '80s riot scene". Birmingham Mail. 23 January 2023.
  11. ^ "'Skinheads' asked to appear in BBC drama This Town inspired by two-tone and ska bands like The Specials". Coventry Telegraph. 25 January 2023.
  12. ^ "Peaky Blinders' creator wants skinheads for new BBC drama 'This Town'". NME.com. 29 January 2023.
  13. ^ Knapper, Dave; Andrews, Rob (21 March 2023). "Film crews descend on Burslem to film new BBC drama by Peaky Blinders writer". Stoke Sentinel. Retrieved 21 March 2023.

External links