Peaky Blinders creator Steven Knight has developed a new BBC One series titled This Town. The show is described as a gritty drama set in 1980s Birmingham at the height of the grass music scene. The story follows “an extended family and four young people who are drawn into the world of ska and two-tone music,” which was a popular scene in Birmingham and Coventry born in the late ‘70s. We have our first look at the series to share with you today.
This is actually pretty interesting to me because I was very much into Ska when I was in high school. The title for the series is in reference to the 1971 song ‘Ghost Town’ by The Specials. The song details the dark and depressive era that was Margaret Thatcher’s Britain, deep in recession and social unrest. The lyrics read “This town, is coming like a ghost town, all the clubs have been closed down….Bands won’t play no more, too much fighting on the dance floor.”
The description also says that the series is set in a “moment of huge social tensions and unrest,” which fits right in with the kind of stories that Knight likes to make.
The BBC also says that the music will be at the heart of the show. Universal Music Group’s Mercury Studios will provide the soundtrack, and ita co-president Marc Robinson told the BBC: “We are thrilled to be able to creatively engage artists and help tell the story through new and original recordings.”
This Town will be directed by Paul Whittington and the cast includes Levi Brown, Jordan Bolger, Ben Rose, and Eve Austin . They are joined by Michelle Dockery (Downtown Abbey and The Gentlemen), and The Policeman star David Dawson.
There’s no released date yet, but we can expect it to premiere in 2024.
