Peaky Blinders

University Challenge

BBC Two

Monday, 8.30pm

The grand finale of the 49th edition of University Challenge promises a clash of the titans between Cambridge’s Corpus Christi College and Imperial College London.

Line of Duty 

BBC iPlayer​

Line of Duty has become a national institution, with series six still to come.

In a whole new spin on the police procedural, Line of Duty puts the coppers themselves under the microscope, as the series follows the anti-corruption investigations of AC Unit 12.

Creator Gareth Evans (of The Raid franchise) will bring his trademark cinematic action to the small screen in this gang feud saga set in modern, multicultural London.

The series features Joe Cole of Peaky Blinders, trading in his Shelby colours for those of the Wallace family. As Sean Wallace, he takes over the reins of the most powerful crime family in London after patriarch Finn Wallace (Colm Meaney) is killed by an unknown assassin.

The early December event – organised by BBC Birmingham in partnership with RTS Midlands – celebrated the writer’s latest project, a three-part adaptation of A Christmas Carol, a highlight of BBC One’s festive schedule.

The Dickens classic has been adapted countless times, which is why Knight said he undertook a detailed study of the original text in search of a fresh take on a familiar story.

Over recent weeks, many column inches have been written concerning the success of the Birmingham-inspired TV series Peaky Blinders.

Its move from BBC Two to BBC One has been seamless. More people watch it in the Midlands than anywhere else in the country.

Peakys has undoubtedly put Birmingham firmly back on the national and global map, but the city’s reputation struggles to shake off some outdated prejudices.

The screenwriter about to become a studio mogul; the boardgame inventor whose next drama will launch Apple’s foray into television; the Who Wants To Be a Millionaire? creator nominated for an Oscar – there are many ways to paraphrase the extraordinary career of Steven Knight. Let’s start, however, with the blacksmith’s son who launched a million haircuts.

The six-part series of the same name will delve into the origins of the world’s most esteemed Special Forces unit, the Special Air Services.

Set during the darkest days of the Second World War, a maverick military group revolutionise a new form of warfare in the deserts of North Africa.

Operating as small squads of parachute trained soldiers, the troops deploy behind enemy lines for reconnaissance missions, to raid supply lines, attack reinforcement routes and sabotage enemy aircraft weaponry to help the war effort.

Tommy Shelby (Cillian Murphy) is now MP for Birmingham South following the defeat of the Italian Changretta family at the end of season four.  

Series five sees the world thrown into turmoil by the 1929 financial crash and the rise of fascism in Birmingham and beyond.

Life for Shelby and his family is far from smooth sailing, as Shelby’s mental state starts to deteriorate further and he enters the murky waters of politics.

Timewasters has charmed critics and attracted healthy audiences with its mix of jazz, time travel and good jokes. Notably, it also has an all-black leading cast but, according to its creator, Daniel Lawrence Taylor, it is, “first and foremost”, a comedy.

The West Midlands is my home and I bloody love it. So why do I barely see it on the big old telly? Don’t get me wrong, I know everyone from the Spaghetti Junction to Bolivia loves Peaky Blinders – it’s a great show – but it hardly feels like it’s created here.

I enjoy some gangster shizz set in my neck of the woods as much as the next former criminal but, as soon as some of the characters open their mouths, I’m hearing accents that sound like a Welsh guy who has spent considerable time in Berlin, not Small Heath.