'Peaky Blinders effect is real and here to stay'

"Most people go past Birmingham on the motorway and they don't see the best side of it. But people who actually go to Birmingham, they look around [...] they get to see that there are different parts of the city that are actually really quite beautiful."

The assessment comes from accent coach Mark Byron-Dallas, who grew up in England's second city and now lives in Canada.

He was speaking on the BBC's new Peaky Blinders podcast The Peaky Blinders of Birmingham, and is the latest contributor to suggest a so-called "Peaky effect", in which the city gets a reputational and tourism boost from the international success of the crime drama, for which Brum is the setting.

He said of the show: "I think it's going to keep Birmingham on the map now. What the Peaky Blinders franchise has done for the city {is] it's made it into a historical beast, right? So that people just don't think of Birmingham as just an old factory town that has got nothing to contribute."

Peaky Blinders reached a global audience when it ran for six series from 2013 to 2022, following up on that success with a Netflix film released this month.

The series follows the lives of Birmingham gangsters in the early 20th Century, including Tommy Shelby, played by Cillian Murphy. The film moves things forward a few years, and delves into the exploits of the gang's Second World War and Post-War era.

Birmingham has suffered its share of reputational hits over the last few years, from the council declaring itself effectively bankrupt in 2023 to the city's bin strike, which marked its first anniversary of all-out action this week.

However, guests on the Peaky podcast have spoken of the positive impact the "Peaky effect" is having.

Carl Chinn, the historian of Birmingham, has seen first-hand how Peaky Blinders has rippled across the globe.

"I used to give real Peaky Blinders tours and we had people from all over the world, from Mexico, America, Canada, New Zealand, Australia, Germany, France, all over," he said.

"And there was a real desire for people to find out about the reality and I think that's where the series has been good... it's aroused people's interest in the historical reality."

He even said he had been contacted by young people who thought their granddads had been Peaky Blinders, asking whether Chinn could do some digging to find out.

Patricia Yates, the CEO of Visit Britain and Visit England, told the podcast that she had seen the impact of Peaky Blinders globally.

"It's amazing going around the world because even in countries where they're not supposed to be able to access Peaky Blinders, they are absolute fans," she said.

"I've just come back from a trade mission in China and you walk around the streets and you can see people in Peaky Blinders costumes.

"So I think it's the look and it's the compelling story that it tells and it's what we here do really well. I think we've got a great history and great stories."

Yates added that the spiritual home of the show was "absolutely Birmingham" and that the city's tourism had benefited.

"Birmingham saw a very quick leap up in the initial stages with international visitors, you know up by about 18 or 19%," she said.

"But American visitors in particular - [there was] a 50% increase in international visits from Americans.

"We know that it was a huge boost when [the show] first came out, really telling a different story about Birmingham.

"And we know that people are really excited about coming to see destinations that they've seen on screen.

"And of course, with Peaky Blinders, it's not just the stories, is it? It's the look and the fashion as well."

David Middlemiss is the deputy chief executive of the Black Country Living Museum in Dudley, where many scenes from the show were filmed.

He said the museum was proud to be associated with the show.

"There's no doubt that being a filming location for Peaky Blinders has definitely put us on the map," he said.

"It's really increased our profile both nationally and with international visitors."

Middlemiss said the museum had recently surveyed visitors and found that more than 40% said Peaky Blinders played some kind of role in their decision to visit.

The attraction has even hosted Peaky Blinders events, which attracted more than 62,000 attendees in total.

"[Peaky Blinders] has been hugely important to us," he said.

Follow BBC Wolverhampton & Black Country on BBC Sounds, Facebook, X and Instagram.