The British Film Commission has named the West Midlands the United Kingdom’s eighth official regional production hub for scripted inward investment film and high-end TV, citing the region’s studio space and infrastructure, its skilled local crew base, and its record of accommodating major scripted titles including Peaky Blinders.
Hub status is determined by three criteria: studio or stage space and infrastructure capable of supporting a film and scripted high-end TV show, access to a skilled local crew base, and evidence of successfully accommodating a major scripted title. The West Midlands has been the production base for Peaky Blinders, the feature film Peaky Blinders: The Immortal Man, and an as-yet untitled sequel series.
The Immortal Man, directed by Tom Harper, had a two-week theatrical run from March 6 before reaching Netflix on March 20, where it drew 25.3 million views in its first three days. The untitled sequel, co-commissioned by the BBC and Netflix as a two-season order of six hour-long episodes each, is produced by Banijay UK labels Kudos and Garrison Drama and stars Jamie Bell as Duke Shelby.
The region joins South-West England (Bristol); North-West England (Manchester and Liverpool); Yorkshire (Leeds); Northern Ireland (Belfast); Scotland (Glasgow and Edinburgh); Wales (Cardiff); and London and South-East England. The West Midlands is also England’s fifth regional production hub.
Inward investment accounted for £5.8 billion of UK film and high-end TV production spend in 2025 — 85 percent of a £6.8 billion total, itself up 22 percent on 2024.
“As Tommy Shelby of the Peaky Blinders once said, ‘when you plan something well, there’s no need to rush,’” Adrian Wootton OBE, chief executive of the British Film Commission, said. “The growing success of the West Midlands as a UK production hub certainly bears this out. Over the course of nearly 15 years, the region has steadily grown in strength and stature, building skills, infrastructure and reputation.”
Wootton, who was born and raised in the West Midlands and began his career in the region, added, “With the West Midlands becoming an official regional production hub, our offer to the global film and TV industry now spans the length and breadth of the UK: wherever you base your production, you’re within a stone’s throw of world-class facilities, crew and talent, with access to one-of-a-kind locations and some of the world’s most stable, transparent and generous tax incentives.”
“I’m thrilled that the West Midlands has been recognized as a fantastic place to make film and TV,” Steven Knight, writer, director, and creator of Peaky Blinders, said. “The opening of Digbeth Loc. Studios is an important part of that ambition, providing a home for world-class film and television production in the heart of Birmingham. We are at the beginning of a journey, and we’ve got off to a great start. The West Midlands is always ambitious, and we believe we will create a global content making industry in our neighborhood.”
Digbeth Loc. Studios, which Knight co-founded with Piers Read of TIME+SPACE, opened in 2023 in a set of converted Victorian warehouses in Birmingham’s creative quarter, backed by £1.3 million of City Deal investment from Birmingham City Council and landowner Homes England.
Kudos Managing Director Martin Haines said: “Making Peaky Blinders in the West Midlands has been a fantastic experience and the area is fast becoming a center of excellence for the TV industry. With a state-of-the-art studio space in Digbeth Loc, highly engaged local partners and policy makers and a rapidly growing talent base, boosted by the work and investment by Kudos Knight, I am delighted that the West Midlands has been recognized as a UK production hub.”
Richard Parker, mayor of the West Midlands, said, “This is a real gamechanger because it gives the TV and film industry the confidence that we can provide the workforce, incredible locations and facilities for productions of every scale. The BBC is already doubling its production spend and Netflix did not hesitate to bring the Shelbys home. We’ve also recently provided the backdrop for Yash Raj’s latest Bollywood blockbuster.”
Hayley Armstrong, head of production services for Filming in England at Creative England, called the designation a significant milestone and the result of years of investment, collaboration, and ambition across the screen sector, and said hub status will help accelerate growth by attracting new investment, creating skilled jobs, and opening up opportunities for local businesses and communities. She said Filming in England looked forward to working with Production Central WM and partners across the region.
Production Central WM, the region’s dedicated production services agency, is backed by the West Midlands Combined Authority and partnered with Create Central.
“The West Midlands has a rich storytelling heritage and a wealth of creative talent, and this recognition helps to cement its place as a world-class center for film and TV production,” Jason Horton, chief operating officer for BBC Nations, said, adding that the broadcaster has already brought major productions to the region.
The BBC previously announced plans to establish its future regional headquarters in The Tea Factory in Digbeth. BBC-commissioned analysis forecasts that its recent investment in Digbeth and the West Midlands will generate £282 million in economic benefit by 2031. BBC Studioworks, a commercial subsidiary of the BBC, manages Digbeth Loc. Studios Limited, providing operational services to productions filming in the West Midlands.
BBC Studioworks and Digbeth Loc. Studios entered a new commercial and operational agreement on September 11, 2025, the same day the BBC and the West Midlands Combined Authority signed a memorandum of understanding under which the broadcaster committed to raise network TV production spend in the region from £24 million to £40 million a year by the end of 2027.
The British Film Commission is the UK government’s national organization responsible for international film and television production in the UK, funded by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport, the Department for Business and Trade, and the BFI. It is the national division of Film London.
Source: British Film Commission
Dan Sarto is Publisher and Editor-in-Chief of Animation World Network.
