Birmingham canal and towpath closures as Peaky Blinders filming takes place

Filming of a new feature film spin-off from a popular Birmingham crime drama is underway with a prominent canal and towpath shut off to the public. Cast and crew of Peaky Blinders have descended on the city centre, with leading actor Cillian Murphy, aka Tommy Shelby, and the show’s creator and director among the stars spotted in Cornwall Street today, Monday, October 21.

And now a section of the city centre’s canal network has also been shut off with boats 'dressed’ in period fashion seen moored outside the Verve bar on a stretch of canal, which runs between the Mailbox and Brindleyplace, off Gas Street.

Boats with names including Thomas Coathupe & Sons Ltd – 1893 as well as W.G.E. Wyrely & Essington were seen on the stretch of canal, as shooting of the Netflix film spin-off from the hugely-successful Birmingham-based TV show started in earnest.

READ MORE: Inside new Peaky Blinders film as Cillian Murphy returns as Tommy Shelby

Closures were in place at the heart of Birmingham’s canal network tonight, October 21. During the filming, there will be no mooring of narrowboats allowed outside of the Tap & Spile pub, with all navigations suspended from 4pm until 1am on Tuesday, October 22. The towpath itself will be closed until 6pm on Tuesday. A road closure will also be in place on Gas Street until 2am.

Jo Becket, location manager for film production company Oblik, said in a letter to Westside businesses: “Our filming will be taking place for one evening on 21 October. A full towpath closure will be in place on Birmingham city centre path/immediate area around Gas Street Basin from 8am 20 October 20 until 6pm 22 October 22, so we can put temporary set dressing in to facilitate filming and for the safety of our crew and public whilst working near the water.

“This will be facilitated and approved by Canal and River Trust and Film Birmingham. A road closure will also be in place on Gas Street from 3pm 21 October to 2am 22 October. During the preparation and filming period, parking suspensions are in place in several city centre roads including Berkley Street, Gas Street, Holliday Street and Bridge Street. Please be assured that we will try hard to minimise any disruption to residents and businesses during our hours of operation.”

TV and filmmaker, Steven Knight, who hails from Streetly, has stuck to his promise to bring filming to Birmingham after much of the TV series was shot in Liverpool, Manchester, Leeds and the Black Country Living Museum in Dudley.

The film version of Peaky Blinders - codenamed The Immortal Man – sees Murphy reprise his lead role. But this time the Oppenheimer Best Actor Oscar winner is joined by other stars from the big screen including Tim Roth (Reservoir Dogs), Rebecca Ferguson (Mission: Impossible) and Saltburn star Barry Keoghan.

Brian Hughes, chairman of Westside BID, said: “The canals around here create fantastic backdrops that really fit the historic scenes needed for Peaky Blinders and we're thrilled to have the film crew and actors here.”