‘We live on the Birmingham housing estate where This Town was filmed & it’s rougher than the BBC 80s drama’

Residents living on the Birmingham housing estate where This Town was filmed say the reality of city life is even rougher and more violent than the hit BBC drama portrays. 

The gritty series is set against a backdrop of political and social unrest in 1980s Birmingham and Coventry amid the emergence of the ska/two-tone music scene. 

Written by Peaky Blinders creator Steven Knight, the show features scenes of riots, pub scraps, knife fights, IRA bombings and the general struggles of working class life at the time. Knight said he wanted to give the programme an authentic feel and filmed on site around Birmingham, Coventry and the Black Country. 

One of the main locations include the Druids Heath high rises of Saxelby House, Kingswood House and Barratts House - now lying empty and neglected. Knight said: "These blocks are beautiful when pigeons are flying at them and if you live in them, the view is amazing and you can see the curve of the earth."

But those living in the community say life is far less romantic as the show makes out and described the creator's comments as 'a bit of an insult'.  Residents say the suburb on the outskirts of Birmingham can be a no-go area after dark - even since the 1980s when the series is set - which is still rife with problems. 

In 2018, two cats were thrown to their deaths from Kingswood House while a taxi driver was filmed being battered by a passenger outside the flats in 2020. And locals living nearby say the estate has continued to be troubled by crime while This Town 'almost glamorises' the poverty they have to live in - even 40 years on. 

Hotel porter David Palmer, 49, said: "The show hits the nail on the head in some regards but doesn't scratch the surface of working class life in others. I think it's rougher here than the show makes out to be honest and has been since the 80s. 

"People here were left to suffer and crime has been rife for as long as I've known. You do feel quite exploited when your area is used for entertainment. I believe it is a fair reflection of the city though, it doesn't try to sugar-coat the problems of the day, and it feels authentic in some parts.

"But to almost glamorise the issues we've had and that doesn't quite sit right with me. I like how it highlights the multicultural relationships that developed and how working class communities pull together in tough times. Its got that bang on. 

"You get both the best and the worst of people in these places - and every possible character in between. But the violence is tame is comparison to what I've seen on these streets on an almost weekly basis. 

"Again I suppose its a TV show on the BBC so can't be too gratuitous. But for Knight to say its beautiful for the people who live there is a bit of an insult. It's good he is advocating for the city but if he still lived amongst it instead of being a big-shot movie maker, I think he would feel different. I've seen it go from fist fights in the pubs, to then knives and guns being used - that's the reality of living in these parts of Birmingham these days I'm afraid."

Meanwhile, fans of the show and Youtube urban explorers have been flocking to the site to get selfies inside and out the derelict tower blocks. Another resident added: "I think it paints a fair picture of the time and place. I remember the Handsworth riots and the Zulus running the doors up town. 

"Racism isn't as widespread as it was back then but there's new problems now with knife crime and gangs. The ska/two-tone music scene was more of a Coventry thing but the racial and political tensions that existed struck a chord with people my age and ethnicity. 

"But you wouldn't be walking around canals and motorway bridges around here after dark, that's for sure. Certain parts were, and still are, no-go zones at night. That hasn't stopped fans coming to take selfies in the day and urban explorers have been going into the blocks at night with their cameras." 

Dad-of-four Ezekiel Hermon, 49, lived in Saxelby House,- which features in many skyline shots as the home of Dante Williams (Levi Brown) - for 27 years.  He said: "It was always a place where people looked out for each other, a great sense of community spirit despite having many problems. 

"The crime was quite bad but it was usually those who had come from other areas to cause trouble.  So the tensions of the early 80s ring true to me. I remember being called names. It was a divisive time but I was still young. They will obviously glamorise certain parts for dramatic effect. I think the average person might find it an eye-opening place still." 

But Pete Felton, 60, a storeman at the University of Birmingham, who has lived in Druids Heath for 54 years, says he enjoys living in the area. He said: "You get issues like fly-tipping and some antisocial behaviour like kids going around on their scramblers.

"I remember when all the film crews turned up and everyone wondered what the hell was going on. I personally don't think the area is as rough and ready as the show makes out. It's fairly quiet around here nowadays.

"There's a decent community spirit here and everyone looks out for everyone. Sure, it's had its problems but what area doesn't? It was a bit different around here in the early 80s, I remember it was quite divided and tensions were high so maybe the programme reflects that quite well.  I remember the Handsworth Riots too. The tower blocks are empty now. We're in need of regeneration but nobody knows whats happening with it really."

Elsewhere, locals at the Coach and Horses pub in West Bromwich, which doubled as the Happy Trooper in the show, said the boozer was generally friendly but not without its problems either. One local, Martina Beardsley, 49, said: "I've been to family charity days here but also seen fights and people doing cocaine off the tables. 

"All in all, despite the coke heads, it's a decent place though. They used to have live bands on in the 80s and it was really popular. There's certainly not any scraps in the car park between skinheads and the black community like in the show. My nan and grandad used to drink here.

"It's a pretty chilled out place to be honest and was a Wetherspoons for a while. The part where he fights the skinhead in the show used to be the restaurant. It was mad seeing our little local on screen where is used to be 99p a pint."  

This Town, starring Levi Brown, Jordan Bolger, Ben Rose, Eve Austin and Michelle Dockery is on BBC One at 9pm on Sundays. You can also watch the whole series on BBC iplayer.