BBC Releases First Pictures of This Town

5th October 2023

This Town tells the story of an extended family and four young people who are drawn into an explosive and iconic music scene

The BBC has released a gallery of first-look pictures from This Town, the major new drama series from Peaky Blinders and SAS Rogue Heroes creator Steven Knight, starring Michelle Dockery (Downton Abbey, Anatomy of a Scandal), Nicholas Pinnock (Life, Marcella), David Dawson (My Policeman, The Last Kingdom) and more.

BBC Releases First Pictures of This Town — Bardon Quinn (Ben Rose), Gregory Williams (Jordan Bolger), Dante Williams (Levi Brown) (Image: BBC/Banijay Rights/Kudos)

The epic six-part series is produced by Kudos (a Banijay UK company) and Nebulastar for the BBC, co-produced with Mercury Studios, in association with Kudos North, Stigma Films and Nick Angel. It was filmed on location in the Birmingham area, and at Steven Knight’s new Digbeth Loc. Film and TV Studios.

Set in a world of family ties, teenage kicks and the exhilarating music of a generation, This Town tells the story of a band’s formation against a backdrop of violence, capturing how creative genius can emerge from a time of madness.

Led by an exciting cast of rising talent, the six-part series stars Levi Brown (Loss and Return), Jordan Bolger (The Woman King, The Book of Boba Fett), Ben Rose (Line of Duty, The Innocents) and Eve Austin (You, Our Ladies) as its four young leads. Geraldine James (Back To Life, Anne with an E), Peter McDonald (The Batman, Dublin Murders), Freya Parks (The School of Good and Evil, Here We Go), Shyvonne Ahmmad (Annika, Karen Pirie), John Heffernan (Dracula, The Pursuit of Love), Stefan Asante-Boateng (Coronation Street, Suffering), Séainín Brennan (The Fall, Hidden), George Somner (This Is Going To Hurt, Sex Education) and Brendan Gibson (Peaky Blinders, Mr Selfridge) will also feature in the series.

Both a high octane thriller and a family saga, This Town opens in 1981 at a moment of huge social tensions and unrest. Against this backdrop, it tells the story of a group of young people fighting to choose their own paths in life, and each in need of the second chance that music offers.

The series is co-produced with Mercury Studios (part of the Universal Music Group) who will bring in an exciting range of high profile musical artists to help lay the backdrop for Knight’s incredible story. Acclaimed producer Dan Carey, and Brit and Mercury nominated musician, novelist and poet Kae Tempest, have written the songs performed by the band in the series.

This Town is created, written and executive produced by Steven Knight. It is directed by Paul Whittington and produced by Charlotte Surtees and Tim Whitby. Executive Producers are Karen Wilson, Martin Haines and Katie McAleese for Kudos, and Jo McClellan for the BBC. Laura Conway (Kudos North), Matthew James Wilkinson (Stigma Films) and Nick Angel serve as Co-Executive Producers. Banijay Rights will handle international distribution for the series.