Richard Parker, Mayor of the West Midlands, has launched a new Content Production Fund to help producers and directors get their cameras rolling on more TV dramas and big screen blockbusters.
The homecoming of global phenomenon Peaky Blinders, the relocation of long-running Silent Witness and filming of Bollywood blockbusters all contributed to a £15.5m economic boost for the area in the first quarter of 2026.
According to Filming in England figures, that was almost 40 per cent of the industry’s total spend country-wide during that time.
And there is more to come with filming having just wrapped on The Cadburys, a new six-part TV drama which tells the story of the famous chocolate-making family, whose ambition, innovation and values helped shape 19th-century Birmingham and its industrial identity.
The new series of Peaky Blinders was filmed in the West Midlands as a direct result of support from Production Central WM, while also enabling The Cadburys to film in Birmingham.
The Mayor said: “This is a really exciting time to be working in our creative industries. The proof is in these latest industry figures which, alongside our new regional hub status from the British Film Commission, show that our screen sector is absolutely flying.
“It doesn’t surprise me because we’ve got some of the biggest names in the business based here, working alongside some fantastic up-and-coming talent. I’ve been on set at Peaky Blinders and The Cadburys and seen for myself the positive impact our investment in this sector is already having. I’ve met local people in their first jobs and others working here for the first time in their careers.
“These are our stories and it’s thanks to our new film and TV office that we’re telling them. With these new funds I’m announcing today more people will get the opportunities they need to build an exciting career in the West Midlands rather than having to leave.”
Culture Secretary Lisa Nandy said: “Some of the best stories in Britain are still waiting to be told. They are rooted in the communities, people and places that make our country what it is.
“The West Midlands has shown the world the strength of its creative talent. Building on the global success of Peaky Blinders, this £100 million investment will give new writers, producers and creatives the backing to bring their ideas to life, putting the region at the forefront of Britain’s thriving creative industries.”
The Content Production Fund, alongside a third round of the IP Content Fund, will build on the success of Production Central, which in its first year has brought a number of filming projects to the region, and with them hundreds of jobs.
The IP Content Fund, run in partnership with Creative UK, has already supported the development of 25 new TV, film and digital projects over the past two years.
Among them are a 21st century reboot of children’s classic Bagpuss by Birmingham-based Threewise Entertainment and the recently aired BBC cosy crime drama The Hairdresser Mysteries, devised, written and filmed by Mill Bay Media, also based in Birmingham.
Tens of thousands more jobs in the visitor economy are supported by a steady increase of domestic and international tourists credited to ‘set-jetting’ – where people travel to locations they’ve seen on screen.
The Mayor has brought together regional partners to unlock £100m into the creative industries to create jobs, improve skills and build more studio space and homes – all anchored by the transformation of Digbeth in Birmingham into a leading UK destination for the creative industries.
This includes the BBC almost doubling its production spend here, and new funding through the West Midlands Local Innovation Partnerships Fund’s Creative Industries Scale-Up Lab, and CreaTech Frontiers programme to develop new immersive technologies, products, and multi-platform content.
In addition, the BBC will relocate to its new HQ at the Tea Factory in Birmingham next year and the region now has its first major studios at Digbeth Loc.
Expressions of interest to the Content Production Fund can be made on the Production Central WM website.
