The who’s who of Birmingham was out last night (Monday, March 2) to celebrate the world premiere of ‘Peaky Blinders: The Immortal Man’ at Symphony Hall—including Birmingham’s favourite son (and TV writer extraordinaire) Steven Knight, who also had a West Midlands Metro tram named in his honour to further mark the occasion.
In recognition of the ‘Peaky Blinders’ creator’s commitment to championing Birmingham and the West Midlands on screen, Steven revealed his name on the newly-branded tram. The tram also features an iconic image of Cillian Murphy as Tommy Shelby alongside the message ‘Home of the Peaky Blinders’.
The acclaimed filmmaker and native Brummie—the man behind TV shows like ‘Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?’, ‘SAS: Rogue Heroes’, ‘This Town’, ‘House of Guinness’, and many more— said he was ‘deeply proud’ to receive the honour, especially on the day that stars and die-hard fans were coming together for the premiere.
“This is a great honour for me, on a day when the world’s gaze is on my home city, Birmingham, for the world premiere of ‘Peaky Blinders: The Immortal Man’,” he said. “I am immensely proud of where I am from, and everything that goes on in this great city and look forward to help develop the cultural growth of the West Midlands as a whole.”
Steven Knight joins other well-known West Midlands natives, including Ozzy Osborne, Jasper Carrott and Cyrille Regis, in having a tram named in their honour. Keep an eye out for tram 58 and its striking ‘Peaky Blinders’ images, as it travels around the West Midlands Metro network.
The expansion of the Metro network will see the tram later this year passing the Black Country Living Museum, a key outdoor location for ‘Peaky Blinders’, while the Eastside extension, currently under construction, will bring the Metro close to Steven Knight’s Digbeth Loc Studios.
Following the tram naming ceremony and the film premiere, Metro Managing Director, Sophie Allison, commented: “This was a fantastic day for the city, and we were proud to have played a leading role in celebrations to mark the return of the Peaky Blinders!
“Like the film, we’re sure the eye-catching tram will prove a huge hit with fans and the wider travelling public, and having Steven’s name on the side of tram 58 will act as a permanent reminder of the creative talent to be found in the communities we serve.”
‘Peaky Blinders: The Immortal Man’ is in cinemas from March 6, and on Netflix from March 20.