He’s done it again, he’s done it again! Okay, hands up, who hasn’t seen This Town yet? Stop what you’re doing right now and go watch it on iPlayer, the Birmingham-based BBC drama is a blast! On the surface, it’s the story of four young friends drawn into the world of ska music in Birmingham but tackles such diverse topics as racial discrimination, The Troubles and life in 1980s England.
While This Town isn’t based on a true story, it takes inspiration from many real-world issues and events. It’s as close to a true reflection of the West Midlands in this era as we’ve seen. Many real-world filming locations were used in the production of This Town, but did you recognise them all?
Birmingham
Bromford
If you’ve seen This Town, you’ll remember the scene where our beloved characters walk under the M6 motorway at Bromford. This bit of the motorway is near Bromford Residents Club where filming also happened.
Digbeth
The biggest chunk of filming was probably done at Steven Knight’s Digbeth Loc Studios. The new state-of-the-art studio (which will also be used for the highly anticipated Peaky Blinders movie) opened last year and was a likely location for many scenes in This Town.
Druids Heath
The flats in Chelmsley Wood – where one of This Town’s main characters lives – were knocked down years ago. So standing in for them are the tower blocks in Druids Heath. Stephen Knight loved them so much, apparently, that he pays special attention to them early on in the first episode.
Gravelly Hill Interchange
AKA Spaghetti Junction. It wouldn’t be Birmingham without it, would it? Some might’ve struggled with recognising it, however, as we’re shown it from underneath in the show.
Heartlands Parkway
You can spot the distinctive diamond bricks of Heartlands Parkway in Nechells when Dante carries a spaceman along the road.
South Aston Church
South Aston Church, on Upper Sutton Street, opened its doors in 1973 – perfect timing for a 1980s set drama needing an authentic Birmingham look.
Elsewhere in the West Midlands
Coventry
Beyond Birmingham, a big chunk of the show is also set in Coventry. So it makes sense that filming took place here too. Areas used for filming were Hillside – where they recreated a pub called The Gate Hangs Well – Coventry Cathedral, the M6, and suburbs like Bell Green and Spon End.
Stoke-on-Trent
Many might remember the real-life riot that took place in Handsworth in 1981. The area doesn’t look like that now, but the terraced houses of Stoke-on-Trent do! Streets like Lyndhurst Street easily pass as being from another time.
Walsall
That scene where Dante and Jeannie are shouting from a busy junction? That’s where the M5 and M6 meet in Walsall.
West Bromwich
The Coach and Horses pub in West Bromwich was turned into Chelmsley Wood’s now-closed The Happy Trooper.