Peaky Blinders creator Steven Knight’s BBC series This Town has been cancelled after just one season.
The six-episode show starring Downton Abbey’s Michelle Dockery, Levi Brown and Ben Rose was set in Birmingham in the 1980s, exploring the burgeoning music scene against the backdrop of social unrest.
Initially coming out in April 2024 on BBC iPlayer and across six-weeks on BBC One, the show garnered over three million viewers, but this declined over the course of its run, with some viewers criticising the Brummie accents on display.
Some critics called it ‘a frustrating muddle’ while others called it ‘rushed’ and ‘unfinished’.
There was plenty of love for the show, however, with its jukebox soundtrack and promising cast of young actors creating a ‘highly ambitious television’.
The audience score on Rotten Tomatoes sits at an impressive 83% with some one user Martin D praising it for its ‘Excellent acting, great casting and rich characters.’
‘This is original, edgy, explores strange and sometimes difficult places and has a brilliant cast,’ Robert E echoed at the time.
What’s more, it also landed the Royal Television Society Award for Limited Series and Single Drama earlier this year.
Sadly, no one is going to see a return for these characters, as it has been confirmed there will be no season two.
In a statement, a BBC spokesperson said: ‘We’re hugely grateful to Steven Knight and the cast and crew for bringing This Town to life – in no small part due to Steven’s passion for the West Midlands.
‘We look forward to working with him on new projects in the future and we’re in talks about what’s next.’
An insider told The Sun that the shock cancellation was not down to either Dockery’s or his busy schedule.
In fact, when the show came out, Knight shared his thoughts on future seasons, saying: ‘I certainly have enough ideas for more episodes going forward.
‘I hope we are with these characters for a long time to come.’
Although This Town won’t be returning, the acclaimed screenwriter is certainly not short of hit projects.
His Disney+ series A Thousand Blows, starring Erin Doherty and Stephen Graham, will be returning for a second season.
Meanwhile, he was recently announced as the new writer behind the next James Bond after Amazon took over the franchise in full.
Not to mention, he is co-creating a 10-episode World War Two drama, Roads to Freedom, with Ridley Scott.
The Peaky Blinders movie is coming out on Netflix imminently (although a release date is yet to be confirmed), and he is already working on another historical drama for the streamer, House of Guinness about ‘one of Europe’s most famous and enduring dynasties’.
In April, he even teased that the door had been left open for a Peaky spin-off.
‘I think we’ve got the best British actors in one place…no-one will be disappointed. It’s a very fitting way to end this part of the Peaky story,’ he said on BBC Breakfast, explaining his wording was done ‘deliberately’.
‘It’s not over. Let’s just put it that way. I’m not allowed to announce it, but I’m just saying that the world of Peaky will continue.’
So, despite this blow for fans of the beloved showrunner, there’s no shortage of projects to look forward to.
This Town season one is available to stream on BBC iPlayer.
Got a story?
If you’ve got a celebrity story, video or pictures get in touch with the Metro.co.uk entertainment team by emailing us celebtips@metro.co.uk, calling 020 3615 2145 or by visiting our Submit Stuff page – we’d love to hear from you.