Fans line the red carpet as Peaky Blinders film debuts in its home city
Cillian Murphy was among the stars attending the premiere of the Peaky Blinders film, The Immortal Man, in Birmingham.
Hundreds of fans gathered outside Symphony Hall as the red carpet was rolled out for the event. Many wore flat caps and tweed as they waited to see members of the cast, which includes Rebecca Ferguson and Tim Roth.
The film continues from Steven Knight’s Birmingham-set television series. Murphy reprises his role as gang leader Tommy Shelby. The story is set in Birmingham in 1940 during the Second World War, with Shelby returning to the city after a self-imposed exile.
At Monday’s event, Knight said Birmingham was one of the stars of the film, which was largely shot in the city. Murphy said it was important for the premiere to be held there.
“It’s important for the fans, it’s important for [Steven Knight], I think it was very important,” he said. “Steve has written it from stories he was told by his parents growing up here… it’s huge, you can’t separate the two.”
Knight said the fans had been central to the show’s success. “The fans have been like the energy for the show from the very beginning,” he said. “It was never really pushed or promoted, or advertised much. It was the fans who discovered it and then talked to each other about it.”
The film will be released in cinemas on Friday for two weeks before streaming on Netflix from 20 March. Knight said the cinema release gives audiences a chance to watch the story together rather than at home on their own.
Local celebrities attending the event included Duran Duran’s John Taylor, Karen Carney, and Aston Villa players Jadon Sancho, Ezri Konsa, Tammy Abraham and Morgan Rogers.
Fans travelled to Birmingham for the premiere. Claire White and Albert Laszlo came from Derby and said they hoped to open a Peaky Blinders-themed café and cake bar decorated with signed memorabilia.
Clair McManus, Susan McManus, Lisa Turner and Elisha Guiney attended in early 1900s-inspired costumes. “We’ve come for a good night out and we’re just pleased to be here,” Clair McManus said. Turner added it was their first premiere.
Arthur Cocker, 55, from Birmingham, attended wearing a two-piece suit with a watch and traditional chain. He said the series had helped put the city on the map and that people wanted to be part of the culture and history connected to Peaky Blinders.
Ahead of the premiere, Transport for West Midlands unveiled a specially designed Metro tram with “Home of the Peaky Blinders” written on the side. The tram was shown at the Central Library stop in Centenary Square and renamed Steven Knight.
Ozzy, the mechanical bull inside Birmingham New Street station, was also given a Peaky Blinders makeover with a large flat cap placed between its horns. An interactive photo booth experience was set up nearby for fans.
New additions to the cast include Rebecca Ferguson, Tim Roth and Barry Keoghan, who plays Shelby’s son. Stephen Graham returns to the cast, along with Sophie Rundle as Ada Shelby.
Asked whether she had considered using a Birmingham accent, Ferguson said: “I’m quite uncomfortable with accents in general they kind of hinder me, and I feel quite claustrophobic. Brummie was never a conversation.”