Steven Knight is known for his work creating and writing on many a show, but perhaps none has struck quite as much of a chord with viewers as Peaky Blinders.
Advertisement
It's therefore unsurprising that, with Knight's new drama This Town airing this Sunday (31st March), fans of the Cillian Murphy-starring show are wondering how this new series will compare - and one of its stars, Ben Rose, has now explained.
Speaking exclusively with RadioTimes.com, Rose laid out the similarities between the two series, saying: "It’s just the writing. Steven Knight, the writer, he has a really incredible sort of voice, I think, and he's able to create really grounded, naturalistic characters who all speak in poetry, and all have a heightened sense of reality within this really gritty, very earthly world.
"His language is sort of otherworldly. And the way Peaky uses contemporary popular music to contrast with the era, our show kind of has the opposite, because it's using music of the time, of the era, to make you feel even more immersed in that world."
This Town. BBC
Like Peaky Blinders, This Town is set in Birmingham and the Midlands and encompasses thriller aspects - but, unlike that show, it takes place in the 1980s, charting the lives of a family and those surrounding them during the era of ska and two-tone music.
Speaking in this week's issue of Radio Times magazine, Knight explained the ways in which this era of music is central to the show, saying: "If you’re doing period television, then ask what was actually happening then.
"I remember, in Birmingham, you’d go into a pub and be looking around for a plastic bag that might have been left; it was all a bit edgy.
"My sister was there on the night of the Birmingham pub bombings [in 1974]. There were no mobile phones then, and we were all sitting at home wondering if she was caught up in it. It was just part of life.
"Equally, you’d go into a pub and the collecting tin [for the IRA] would go round and the Irish music was there. That’s the other thing - the music is so central to that struggle."
This Town will be available to stream on BBC iPlayer from 6am on Sunday 31st March, while the first episode will air on BBC One at 9pm.
Try Radio Times magazine today and get 10 issues for only £10 – subscribe now. For more from the biggest stars in TV, listen to The Radio Times Podcast.
James Hibbs is a Drama Writer for Radio Times, covering programmes across both streaming platforms and linear channels. He previously worked in PR, first for a B2B agency and subsequently for international TV production company Fremantle. He possesses a BA in English and Theatre Studies and an NCTJ Level 5 Diploma in Journalism.
