This Town cast, filming locations and episode guide for new BBC drama

This Town, a new six-part BBC One drama series from Peaky Blinders[1] creator Steven Knight[2], began airing at 9pm on Sunday. The summary accompanying the trailer[3] for the latest series by creator, writer and executive producer Knight, who was also behind the BBC's World War Two drama SAS Rogue Heroes[4], says that This Town "tells the story of an extended family fighting to choose their paths amidst an iconic music scene in '80s Coventry and Birmingham". The series dips into the world of ska and two-tone music, two Jamaican-influenced genres that shot to popularity in the early 1980s.

The Coventry two-tone scene produced bands such as The Specials, who you might know from their iconic hit "Ghost Town". In a BBC interview[5], creator Steven Knight said that he is not trying "to create a show about music or about people who are drawn to a certain type of music". Instead, the creator said he wanted "to create a group of people who have no choice other than to form a band because all the other options are so bleak."

The 1980s were a time of social upheaval in the North and the Midlands as the factories and manufacturing shut down, which led to mass unemployment and violence in some cases. At the same time, creator Steve Knight has said how he wants to avoid overly negative depictions of the area and the period. "I hope 'bleak' isn't a word that people use to describe this, because what I'm trying to do is meet these people living their lives on big, sprawling housing estates in the early '80s and it's beautiful," he said. "The place is beautiful.

The series is not trying to say 'isn't it awful'." Episode one kicks off with Birmingham-born poet Dante, stumbling into the 1981 Handsworth riots. After escaping from a police chase, he finds himself hiding outside the toilet with young musician Jeannie, played by Eve Austin, kicking off a spontaneous friendship.

Who is in the 'This Town' cast?

Jordan Bolger

Jordan Bolger was born and bred in the Radford suburb of Conventry.

He is probably best known for his previous collaborations with Steven Knight. The actor had 13 separate appearances as the character Isaiah Jesus in Peaky Blinders between 2013 and 2017. But Bolger has had plenty of appearances in Hollywoood productions: he played a minor role as Malik in the 2022 historical drama The Woman King, which picked up several awards last year for its costume design, as well as nominations at the Baftas and Golden Globes.

(The Woman King, The Book of Boba Fett) as Gregory Williams

This Town,First Look,Bardon Quinn (BEN ROSE); Gregory Williams (JORDAN BOLGER); Dante Williams (LEVI BROWN),Banijay Rights, Kudos,Robert Viglasky TV Still BBCBen Rose as Bardon Quinn, Jordan Bolger as Gregory Williams, and Levi Brown as Dante Williams (Photo: BBC/Banijay Rights, Kudos)

Levi Brown

Levi Brown is another familiar face on the British small screen. You might recognise him from Channel 4 comedy I Hate You, which chronicles the love-hate relationship of two London flatmates Charlie and Becca. He also had a starring role in Invasion, an American science fiction series that premiered back in October 2021.

EMBARGOED TO 0001 TUESDAY MARCH 26 Undated BBC Handout Photo from This Town. /p pPictured: Levi Brown as Dante Williams. PA Feature SHOWBIZ TV This Town. WARNING: This picture must only be used to accompany PA??Feature SHOWBIZ TV This Town. /p pPA Photo. Picture credit should read: BBC/Banijay Rights/Kudos/Robert Viglasky. NOTE TO EDITORS: This picture must only be used to accompany PA Feature SHOWBIZ TV This Town. /p pWARNING: Image embargoed until Tuesday, March 26. Use of this copyright image is subject to the terms of use of BBC Pictures' BBC Digital Picture Service. In particular, this image may only be published in print for editorial use during the publicity period (the weeks immediately leading up to and including the transmission week of the relevant programme or event and three review weeks following) for the purpose of publicising the programme, person or service pictured and provided the BBC and the copyright holder in the caption are credited. /p pAny use of this image on the internet and other online communication services will require a separate prior agreement with BBC Pictures. For any other purpose whatsoever, including advertising and commercial prior written approval from the copyright holder will be required.Levi Brown as Dante Williams in This Town (Photo: BBC/Banijay Rights/Kudos/Robert Viglasky)

Ben Rose

Ben Rose divides his time between acting and music and has played backing guitar for Miles Kane. But he's also previously picked up some starring TV roles in Line of Duty and Doctors.

Rose also helped co-star Levi Rose learn guitar for the series according to one interview.[6]

This Town,First Look,Bardon Quinn (BEN ROSE); Fiona (FREYA PARKS); Dante Williams (LEVI BROWN); Jeannie Keefe (EVE AUSTIN),Banijay Rights, Kudos,Robert Viglasky TV Still BBCThis Town cast from left: Bardon Quinn (BEN ROSE); Fiona (FREYA PARKS); Dante Williams (LEVI BROWN); Jeannie Keefe (EVE AUSTIN) (Photo: Robert Viglasky/BBC/Banijay Rights/Kudos)

Eve Austin

Eve Austin had a breakout high profile role as stalker Penn Bradley's obsessive love interest in the fourth season of psychological thriller You. Austin also had a starring role in Our Ladies, a 2019 coming of age drama set in the Scottish highlands where is played Kay.

This Town,31-03-2024,1,Jeannie Keefe (EVE AUSTIN),Banijay Rights/Kudos,Robert Viglasky TV still BBCJeannie Keefe in This Town (Photo: Robert Viglasky/BBC/Banijay Rights/Kudos)
  • Nicholas Pinnock (Life, Marcella) as Deuce Williams
  • David Dawson (My Policeman, The Last Kingdom) as Robbie Carmen
  • Michelle Dockery (Downtown Abbey, Anatomy of a Scandal) as Estella
  • Freya Parks (The School of Good and Evil, Here We Go) as Fiona
  • Shyvonne Ahmmad (Annika, Karen Pirie) as Matty
  • Geraldine James (Back To Life, Anne with an E) as Marie
  • Peter McDonald (The Batman, Dublin Murders) as Eamonn Quinn
  • John Heffernan (Dracula, The Pursuit of Love) as Commander Bentley
  • Stefan Asante-Boateng (Coronation Street, Suffering) as Wire
  • Seainin Brennan (The Fall, Hidden) as Mrs Porter
  • George Somner (This Is Going To Hurt, Sex Education) as Tyro
  • Brendan Gibson (Peaky Blinders, Mr Selfridge) as TB

Where was This Town filmed?

This Town was filmed on location in the Birmingham area, as well as at Knight's new Digbeth Loc. Film and TV Studios.

The show's producers used many real locations throughout Birmingham for the filming, including well-known Birmingham landmarks such as Spaghetti Junction. The show also includes scenes shot at Heartlands Parkway near Star City in the Nechells areas, which thousands of people drive past every day as leads to the Fort Shopping Centre, one of the largest in the UK. In many instances, the producers recreated locations that have been destroyed since the 1980s.

For example, the show's producers reproduced The Happy Trooper pub in Chelmsley Wood, which according to Birmingham Live had been knocked down years ago. The producers then recreated the pub on the site of the Horse and Coaches pub in Kesteven Road, Hateley Heath, West Bromwich. The motorways of Birmingham serve as key touchpoints in the storyline of the new series.

Walshall, a junction between the busy M5 and M6 motorways, is one of the areas where Dante and Jeannie first connect in the drama. Writer Steven Knight has discussed how and why some of the iconic Birmingham sites where used in the series, telling Biringham Live about the dramatic purpose behind one council estate block of flats used in the new series. "These blocks are beautiful when pigeons are flying at them and if you live in them, the view is amazing and you can see the curve of the earth.

I wanted to reflect working-class life as it is lived and not perceived by other people." But not all of the Birmingham scenes were even filmed in Birmingham itself, producers used rows of terraced houses in Stoke-on-Trent to portray the Handsworth area of Birminghamas it was in the early 1980s. "It's a love letter to Birmingham and Coventry, but I hope people from all over the world will relate to it."

How many episodes are there?

There are six episodes of This Town, the first of which aired on BBC One on Sunday.

The second episode is set to air on Monday 1 April at 9pm, with subsequent episodes arriving on television weekly on Sunday nights at 9pm until the finale on 28 April.

All episodes will be available on BBC iPlayer from 6am on 31 March.

References

  1. ^ Peaky Blinders (inews.co.uk)
  2. ^ Steven Knight (inews.co.uk)
  3. ^ trailer (www.youtube.com)
  4. ^ SAS Rogue Heroes (inews.co.uk)
  5. ^ a BBC interview (www.bbc.co.uk)
  6. ^ one interview. (www.hellomagazine.com)

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