THIS TOWN, THE GENTLEMEN review. Writer Steven Knight’s Peaky Blinders was a phenomenally successful, Birmingham-set crime saga that ran for six series between 2013 and 2022. When it was announced that Knight’s next project, This Town, would be set in politically raw, early 1980s Birmingham, married to a soundtrack of ska, reggae and songs from the 2-Tone record label, there was considerable excitement and media interest. I was very excited: I remember 2-Tone well – the energy of the gigs, the sharp-suited fashions, the socially observant lyrics and the volatile political background the bands like the Specials and The Selecter drew from. I think it may well have been 2-Tone that introduced me to racial issues. I don’t remember any of awareness of it before that. I still believe in the label’s principles of racial integration to this day. This Town starts in fine style, as you'd expect from Knight. A Molotov cocktail hurtles at the viewer and the camera pulls back to reveal a
