What’s Made of Brum on iPlayer and BBC Sounds?
The BBC is celebrating homegrown storytelling from Birmingham as part of the nationwide Made Of Here campaign
The BBC is celebrating homegrown storytelling from Birmingham with more than 100 digital screens and billboards located across the city, as part of the nationwide Made Of Here campaign.
The billboards, featuring Peaky Blinders, Man Like Mobeen and Sharon & Ozzy Osbourne: Coming Home, come as the BBC prepares to relocate its regional Midlands HQ to The Tea Factory in Digbeth and follows a second memorandum of understanding with the West Midlands Combined Authority and Create Central.
Scroll down for a taste of just some of the content available on BBC iPlayer and Sounds that’s made of Birmingham, to add to your must watch or listen lists.
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BBC iPlayer
Sharon & Ozzy Osbourne: Coming Home
This intimate film shot over three years with Ozzy Osbourne, his wife Sharon and their children Kelly and Jack, as well as their close friends, follows the final chapter of Ozzy’s life.
Ozzy and Sharon prepare to come back to Britain after 20 years overseas and return home to the English country house in Buckinghamshire where they once brought up their family. But before he retires completely, he’s also determined to perform one last time for his army of fans.
Ozzy and Sharon face a monumental battle. As well as a diagnosis of Parkinson’s, Ozzy has had a succession of back surgeries following a fall, which have left him in extreme pain, frequently struggling to walk. So, that means lots more time spent at home surrounded by a growing army of grandchildren, as well as his pack of dogs, all 11 of whom get to share Sharon and Ozzy’s bed. For a man who has always questioned why go out at all when you have a house, this isn’t all bad.
Sharon & Ozzy Osbourne: Coming Home is a candid and moving portrait of Birmingham’s favourite son, his remarkable relationship with Sharon - to which he attributed his success - and of the family that adore and support him through his last performance and the final chapter of his life.
Peaky Blinders
Series 1 – 6
Steven Knight’s epic, gangster drama Peaky Blinders set in the lawless streets of post-war Birmingham on the cusp of the 1920s is legendary – discover anew or watch again on BBC iPlayer.
Series 1
Britain in 1919 is a tumultuous mix of despair and hedonism, a nation cleaned out by the extravagances of the Great War. Returning soldiers, newly minted revolutionaries and criminal gangs all fight for survival in an industrial landscape gripped by economic upheaval.
Thomas Shelby and his family run the most feared and powerful local gang, the Peaky Blinders. Tommy’s ambitions go beyond running the lawless streets of Birmingham, and when a crate of guns goes missing from an arms factory and a fierce pursuit of the weapons ensues, he recognises an opportunity to move up in the world and carve out an empire for himself and his family. The Shelbys are a family to be reckoned with.
Coming Soon...
Much-loved series Peaky Blinders will return with a bang to the BBC and Netflix, telling the story of a new generation of Shelbys, from writer and creator Steven Knight.
The two new series, produced by Kudos (SAS Rogue Heroes, House of Guinness, Grantchester) and Garrison Drama (Peaky Blinders series 1-6, the Peaky Blinders film) for BBC iPlayer and BBC One, will be filmed at Digbeth Loc. Studios in Birmingham, and will be set in the city.
Britain, 1953. After being heavily bombed in WWII, Birmingham is building a better future out of concrete and steel. In a new era of Steven Knight’s Peaky Blinders, the race to own Birmingham’s massive reconstruction project becomes a brutal contest of mythical dimensions. This is a city of unprecedented opportunity and danger: with the Shelby family right at its blood-soaked heart.
Production for the two new series of Peaky Blinders is supported by the West Midlands Combined Authority (WMCA) and is the first commission following the new BBC partnership agreement with the WMCA and Create Central to expand BBC and partner production investment in the West Midlands.
- Watch Peaky Blinders on BBC iPlayer
- Read more: BBC announces the return of Peaky Blinders with two new series
Peaky Blinders: Rambert’s The Redemption of Thomas Shelby
Rambert’s thrilling stage adaptation The Redemption of Thomas Shelby, written by Peaky Blinders creator Steven Knight, with direction and choreography by Rambert’s artistic director Benoit Swan Pouffer.
Opening in the trenches of Flanders, a personal story unfolds in postwar industrial Birmingham as the Shelby family navigate the decisions that determine their fate, and Tommy is intoxicated by mysterious newcomer Grace. While Tommy is building his empire, Grace is operating as an undercover agent for Special Branch on a mission to get close to the heart of Tommy’s gang. As the story unfolds, hearts are broken, and revenge is sought.
A live onstage band accompanies the drama with specially commissioned music by Roman GianArthur and iconic Peaky tracks from Nick Cave and The Bad Seeds, Radiohead, Anna Calvi, The Last Shadow Puppets, Frank Carter & The Rattlesnakes and Black Rebel Motorcycle Club.
Key points of the story are illuminated by narrator Benjamin Zephaniah (Jeremiah in the TV series).
Movies with Ali Plumb - Becoming…Tommy Shelby: A Peaky Blinders Special
Cillian Murphy reveals all about taking on the iconic character Thomas Shelby in Peaky Blinders - from outrageous haircuts to Tommy never eating!
imagine... Lenny Henry: Young, Gifted and Black
From a kid from Dudley to one of Britain’s most celebrated black performers, BBC Arts explores the life of Lenny Henry.
Alan Yentob follows one of our best loved performers as he releases his first autobiography charting his early years in show business. In this revealing and poignant film Sir Lenny Henry meets up with his closest friends, family and colleagues to remember his sudden rise to fame aged 16 on TV talent show, New Faces, which catapulted him from working-class kid from Dudley to one of Britain’s most celebrated black performers. imagine... also explores Lenny’s other early television breakthrough roles on Tiswas and Three Of A Kind as well as five troubling years as the only black performer in The Black & White Minstrel Show. Alongside his early achievements, Lenny Henry also discusses his recent career reinvention as a serious actor of stage and screen and his work as a political activist campaigning for greater diversity in the entertainment and broadcasting industry.
This Town
Set in a world of family ties, teenage kicks and the exhilarating music of a generation, This Town tells the story of a band’s formation against a backdrop of violence, capturing how creative genius can emerge from a time of madness. Both a high-octane thriller and a family saga, This Town opens in 1981 at a moment of huge social tensions and unrest. Against this backdrop, it tells the story of a group of young people fighting to choose their own paths in life and each in need of the second chance that music offers.
Man Like Mobeen
Series 1 – 5
Man Like Mobeen, which aired its fifth and final series this year on BBC Three and iPlayer, is a BAFTA-nominated comedy written, co-created by and starring Guz Khan. Mobeen Deen (Guz) is the notorious lead character – a former drug dealer from Small Heath in Birmingham who is attempting to turn over a new leaf. Mobeen is trying to raise his younger sister, Aqsa, while keeping him and his best mates out of trouble. But can he do this with his murky past always chasing him? The series was one of BBC Three’s most watched comedies last year, watch all five series on BBC iPlayer now.
Citizen Khan
Series 1 – 5
Citizen Khan follows the trials and tribulations of big-hearted, loud-mouthed, tight-fisted, self-appointed community leader Mr Khan (Adil Ray) and his long-suffering family – wife Mrs Khan (Shobu Kapoor) and daughters Shazia (Maya Sondhi) and Alia (Bhavna Limbachia).
Ambulance
Bafta Award-winning, raw, real, and deeply moving - Ambulance takes you behind the sirens with the West Midlands Ambulance Service. This compelling series follows the frontline heroes of Brum as they respond to life-or-death emergencies, offering a powerful glimpse into the human stories behind every call. With compassion, courage, and split-second decisions, it’s a gripping portrait of West Midlands Ambulance Service in action.
Forensics: The Real CSI
Step inside the world of real-life crime solving in Birmingham with Forensics: The Real CSI. With exclusive access to West Midlands Police, this fascinating series follows major investigations and reveals how cutting-edge forensic science helps crack complex cases. From DNA breakthroughs to digital evidence, discover the vital role investigators play in bringing criminals to justice; one clue at a time.
I Was There
A night out turns to horror. Victims and first responders reflect on 50 years since deadly terrorist bombs rocked Birmingham and set in motion a chain of events that led to a miscarriage of justice and Britain’s biggest unsolved mass murder. Twenty-one people were killed and 220 others injured when two bombs destroyed the Mulberry Bush and Tavern in the Town pubs in November 1974.
A Picture of Birmingham, by Benjamin Zephaniah
Originally broadcast in 2005, the late Benjamin Zephaniah revisits the place of his birth, Birmingham, on a mission to compose a new poem, which he then read out on the streets.
Birmingham 2022 Festival
A collection of films from the celebration of creativity and culture around the Commonwealth Games.
BBC Local from Birmingham
Stay in the know with BBC Local news and information on TV with BBC Midlands Today, on BBC Radio WM, online and social; there’s news, sport, weather and stories that matter across the West Midlands. Broadcasting live from Birmingham, the team brings you sharp reporting, familiar faces and a fresh look at life in the region. From breaking headlines to uplifting community features, Midlands Today, Radio WM and our online teams keep you connected to your corner of the UK.
BBC Sounds
Hidden Birmingham
Explore fascinating stories from Birmingham in this seven-part podcast: The White Lady, The Panto King, The Doorman’s Ghost, The Ghost Behind You, The Death Of Arthur Lowe, The Last Victim Of Smallpox and The Lunar Society.
Birmingham: The City They Couldn’t Kill
When London politicians wanted to slow down Birmingham’s growth the city said "no". Hear how it fought back against the odds.
Birmingham City FC
Get closer to the action with BBC Radio WM Sport’s exclusive Birmingham City FC coverage. With 50 episodes of post-match interviews, expert analysis and passionate discussion, fans can relive every high and low of the Blues’ journey. Whether it’s breaking down the big moments or hearing directly from the players and managers, Radio WM brings you inside the dressing room and onto the pitch; keeping the Birmingham City faithful informed, engaged and always part of the conversation.
Aston Villa FC
All the coverage of the Aston Villa matches, with 46 episodes of post-match interviews, expert analysis and discussion. Relive every moment, ball by ball on BBC Radio WM.
History of TV in the West Midlands
Explore decades of television entertainment from across the West Midlands in this 25-part series.
The Lively Life of Lindsey Santoro
Welcome to the life of the most beautiful princess in all of Birmingham and its surrounding areas. This week Lindsey Santoro has started a diary. But she’s not 13 years old daydreaming about her latest crush and sleepover plans. She’s a 37-year-old no-nonsense Brummie whose days are more likely to involve thrush cream and a bargy with a bus driver. You are cordially invited to step into her world and learn lessons from her lively life.
Gangster – The Burger Bar Boys
This series of the hit BBC podcast Gangster tells the story of Birmingham's notorious Burger Bar Boys - a gang born out of the Handsworth riots in 1985.
Named after the fast-food joint where they met, they were described as more ruthless than the Jamaican Yardies. They fought a bitter and bloody war with their rivals the Johnson Crew for control of the crack cocaine trade in the West Midlands. They controlled their turf in the suburb of Handsworth with threats, intimidation and sub machine guns. But when they killed two innocent girls in a drive-by shooting, they were brought down by their own community and a team of fearless detectives determined to stem the body count.
Brum Britain
As Birmingham prepares to host the Commonwealth Games, comedian Darren Harriott is joined by a legion of Brummie legends to argue that a new Global Britain needs a new centre of power and that this should clearly be Birmingham. Is it time for the UK's Second City to become its First City?
The Birmingham accent is still mocked and hated and so many of the city's achievements remain underplayed. Brummies have always been the bridesmaids and never the bride.
But to prove the city’s worthiness to take control of the country, Darren offers comedic insight into Brum's rich history and its movers and shakers - from the experimentalists of the Lunar Society such as Erasmus Darwin, Josiah Wedgwood, Matthew Boulton and James Watt (who changed the world but inadvertently kick-started Climate Change) to Ozzy Osbourne, Tony Hancock, Lenny Henry, Jasper Carrot, Julie Walters, Joe Lycett, Stewart Lee, Shazia Mirza, Benjamin Zephaniah, Kit De Waal and Steven Knight.
Through archive and fresh commentary, Darren explores the lasting legacy of Birmingham’s culture from Tolkien and Heavy Metal (Black Sabbath, Judas Priest, Led Zeppelin) to Duran Duran, Steel Pulse, UB40, Bhangra, Balti’s, The Streets and Peaky Blinders.
To help an understanding of the city today, Darren takes a tour. He walks the streets of Birmingham, talking with social historian Professor Carl Chinn, Peaky Blinders creator Steven Knight, Steel Pulse founder Basil Gabbidon, and writer Kit De Waal about how this huge city in the middle of England is always evolving and re-inventing itself. Surely it’s ready to step up and take control!
A Child of Rover
As a child, Nathalie Olah would ask for toy garages and racing tracks for Christmas. Every person in her family drove a Rover car. Most of them worked at the vast car plant at Longbridge, south west of Birmingham, at the foot of the Lickey Hills where Tolkien had been inspired to write The Lord of the Rings. Cars, to her, were just as fantastical.
Nathalie revisits the story of Britain's leading volume car producer, from its origins in 1904 to the iconic Mini, the much-derided Austin Allegro and the suped-up 'boy racer' models of the Phoenix Four, through years of industrial disruption, nationalisation, foreign ownership and bankruptcy.
Made of Brum Storytellers on BBC Sounds
BBC Asian Network
Broadcasting from the heart of Birmingham, BBC Asian Network is the home for British Asian music, culture and stories. As the number one national Asian music radio station, Asian Network champions British Asian Identity, celebrates underrepresented voices and provides a platform for both emerging and established British Asian artists to be heard nationally, playing everything from Bhangra, Bollywood, R&B and hip hop, reflecting the rich diversity of British Asian music genre.
BBC Asian Network moved to its new home in Birmingham in April 2025 and now broadcasts entirely from the city, working with local suppliers, including Audio Always, Glenvale Media, True Thought Production, Resonate Agency and VoxWave, all based in Birmingham and the West Midlands.
Tune into shows like Asian Network Breakfast with Nikita Kanda (Monday to Friday, 7am-11am) and Haroon Rashid (Monday to Thursday, 11am-2pm), broadcasting live from the BBC Mailbox, where their infectious energy and relatable storytelling bring mornings to life. Whether you're commuting, chilling, or catching up on BBC Sounds, Nikita, Haroon and the Asian Network family are now closer than ever.
BBC Radio 1Xtra
BBC Radio 1Xtra celebrates and explores Black British identity, culture and music and provides a national platform for both recognised and new artists, playing everything from R&B, HipHop, Afrobeats and Dancehall.
Birmingham is buzzing with talent and BBC Radio 1Xtra continually taps into this vibrant energy. Broadcasting directly from the heart of the city every weekday, Birmingham locals DJ Day Day (Monday to Friday, 10am-1pm) and Kaylee Gold (1pm 4pm) continue to champion local voices and bring an authentic Brummie flavour to the national stage.
1Xtra also provides a platform for new talent on BBC Introducing on 1Xtra (Sunday, 10pm-12am), with Theo Johnson playing the best new and under the radar music live from the BBC Mailbox studio.
BBC Radio WM and BBC Radio WM Sport
BBC Radio WM and BBC Radio WM Sport are your go-to stations for everything happening across the West Midlands. From breaking local news to in-depth sports coverage, they keep listeners connected to the stories and teams that matter most. Whether it’s match-day commentary, community updates, or lively conversation, BBC Radio WM delivers trusted, relatable content that reflects the heart of the region; every day, live and local.
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