Michelle Dockery takes the lead in This Town, the major new BBC drama from Peaky Blinders creator Steven Knight.
It’s official; Steven Knight has another brilliant new BBC drama on the way. And, as you might expect from the creator of Peaky Blinders, it promises to be a high-octane thriller and a compelling family saga.
Already psyched? Us too. Here’s what you need to know, then, about This Town.
What is This Town about?
As per the BBC’s announcement about the epic six-part series, This Town tells the story of “an extended family and four young people who are drawn into the world of ska and two-tone music, which exploded from the grassroots of Coventry and Birmingham in the late 70s and early 80s.”
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Setting the scene even further, the BBC adds that This Town will open 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,” it finishes.
Who stars in This Town?
Downton Abbey’s Michelle Dockery has joined the cast of This Town, alongside Marcella’s Nicholas Pinnock and The Last Kingdom’s David Dawson.
As if that weren’t enough star power, This Town also boasts Levi Brown, Jordan Bolger, Ben Rose and Eve Austin as its four young leads.
Geraldine James, Peter McDonald, Freya Parks, Shyvonne Ahmmad, John Heffernan, Stefan Asante-Boateng, Séainín Brennan, George Somner and Brendan Gibson will also feature in the series.
Who will write the music for This Town?
Mercury Studios (part of the Universal Music Group) are serving on this project as co-producers, and they are set to bring in an exciting range of high-profile musical artists to help lay the backdrop for Knight’s incredible story.
“Expect fierce new music as well as serious homage to classics of the time,” says Alice Webb, aka the CEO and co-president of Mercury Studios.
“It’s going to be unstoppable.”
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Marc Robinson, who serves as co-president alongside Webb, adds: “Music is at the heart of the series, and we are thrilled to be able to creatively engage artists and help tell the story through new and original recordings.”
Meanwhile, acclaimed producer Dan Carey is joining forces with musician, novelist and poet Kae Tempest to write the songs performed by the band in the series.
What are people saying about This Town?
“This is a project very close to my heart,” says Knight of his upcoming BBC drama.
” It’s about an era I lived through and know well and it involves characters who I feel I grew up with. It’s a love letter to Birmingham and Coventry but I hope people from all over the world will relate to it.”
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Karen Wilson, executive producer and MD of Kudos (the production company behind the project), says: “The combination of powerful storytelling, gripping drama and brilliant music will make it a must-watch – audiences are in for a real treat!”
And Jo McClellan, BBC Drama commissioning editor, says: “Steven’s scripts are absolutely brilliant – they capture the wild energy of youth and a pivotal moment in time, all set to a fantastic soundtrack, and we can’t wait to see this incredibly talented cast bring it all to life.”
When can we watch This Town?
This Town is still very much in the production phase at the moment, so we imagine it will be late 2023 at the very earliest that this hits our screens via the BBC.
Honestly, though, we can’t wait. Will you be watching?
Main image: Getty
All other images: Ivan Weiss/BBC
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