This Town

The new BBC One drama This Town opens with the streets of Birmingham ablaze with violence during the Handsworth riots of 1981, before the action moves to council estates.

But its creator, Steven Knight, wants to make it clear that his working-class tale is not bleak or tragic, but set in a vibrant world full of energy and promise. He even manages to make tower blocks and Spaghetti Junction look beautiful.

The Last of Us

Sky Atlantic

January

Across six parts, This Town tells the story of an extended family and four young people who are drawn into the world of ska and two-tone music. The genre grew out of Coventry and Brimingham in the late 1970s and early 1980s, uniting the young people of the black, white and Asian communities.

The BBC has announced that Michelle Dockery of Downtown Abbey fame will star, alongside Nicholas Pinnock (Life) and David Dawson (The Last Kingdom).