The Brief
For Netflix’s first foray into Shelby’s world, they wanted to bring the Peaky Blinders story home. Back to Birmingham, and back to the fans who were at the core of the film’s cultural phenomenon.
The brief was to ignite the existing fandom, pull in lapsed viewers, and get - pretty much the whole world - excited about this much-anticipated new chapter in the Peaky story.
Coming to the city for one night only, the premiere had to feel loyal to the show’s legacy; gritty and rooted in Birmingham. It also needed to drive online chatter across the press and social media. It’s what we do best for public and cultural events!
Creative Concept
Simple concept, standout execution. The experience-led premiere puts fans and talent inside the world of Peaky Blinders before they watched it on the big screen.
The red carpet was built to feel like a set, rather than a backdrop. Crumbling masonry, industrial chains, smoking barrels, antique crates, custom press walk sets… and more Birmingham brick and rubble than we can count. There were plenty of photo ops in situ on the carpet, authentically, ensuring there was no doubt in the online viewer's mind where the photo was taken.
After the film talent and guests were inside Symphony Hall, we reopened the red carpet exclusively for fans. Is this a first for a global premiere? We put the public on the same carpet as the cast, giving them a rare BTS gesture, as a direct thank you to the Peaky Blinders community.
Just beside the red carpet, immersive actors worked the crowd as in-character Shelby associates: running newspaper horse bets, coin flips, reading palms, while a vintage truck pulled up to hand out contraband to fans (popcorn, obvs).
The Delivery
This job required end-to-end event management from our London event team, including the coordination of four city centre venues simultaneously: The Exchange (guest accreditation), Centenary Square (fan zone and red carpet), Symphony Hall (pre-reception and screening), and The Grand Hotel (after party).
The build started in our in-house workshop. Our London creative fabrication team created the key physical elements, including a large-scale photo wall and bespoke set pieces, and welcomed the client into the workshop for a sign-off against the renders. Ending with organising the event logistics to ship the builds from our Bow workshop to B1.
And the day’s real pièce de résistance was a 30-foot title sign with live pyrotechnics.
For a fan zone, our talent agency coordinated the relay screen, immersive actor programming, a giveaway mechanic, and the post-premiere fan carpet experience, all running concurrently with the VIP arrivals and screening next door.
The Impact
The coverage, as Netflix put it, was everywhere. The red carpet and fan zone generated widespread press and social coverage across national and regional outlets, with Birmingham positioned as the rightful home of the Shelby legacy.
The reaction from stakeholders said it better than any metric. Tim Roth's assistant called it the only premiere in 30 years he'd enjoyed and actually stayed for the film. Netflix's own event leads described the carpet as "gorgeous" and said they felt they'd done Birmingham and the Shelbys proud. Birmingham City Council called it out directly as an event that showed the city in a great light. The West Midlands Growth Company noted the positive media talk across the region.
For Netflix, the event delivered exactly what they needed: a launch moment that honoured the show's roots, activated its global fandom, and drove attribution to the platform at a pivotal point… the first time Peaky Blinders wouldn't be on the BBC.
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