The very best TV dramas transport you to another time and place, whether that’s post-world-war Europe in acclaimed series or three decades of murder in America in . But just as a medium will tell you that you need to be receptive to the spirit world for best results, it’s important to get yourself into the milieu of any given program before you start watching. In this case, we’re getting ready to visit that most magical of locales: Birmingham in 1981, for This Town.
The six-part series from Peaky Blinders and Rogue Heroes creator Stephen Knight dives into a turbulent time in the city, following the formation of a band amid Birmingham's developing music scene, against a backdrop of political unrest.
What are we dancing to?
Obviously the best song about the city is , but that’s too early and Antipodean for our needs. Instead, we’re filling our ears with the likes of Duran Duran, house band at New Romantic mecca The Rum Runner, where you could easily run into the likes of Boy George or Midge Ure in the early 80s, while Duran Duran played on stage. More in the This Town zone, we’re getting really into The Specials, and not just because they’ve given this series its name.
There’s also a Specials special coming to SBS VICELAND and SBS On Demand on 20 May, so you should totally watch that. It’s called The Specials: A Message to You.
Feel the 80s vibe: Bardon Quinn played by Ben Rose. Credit: Robert Viglasky / Banijay / Kudos
What else is happening?
Let’s immerse ourselves in the sociopolitical climate of the time. Don’t worry – we’re not going deep into what historian Dominic Sandbrook calls “the Punch-and-Judy Thatcher-versus-the miners view of the decade”. Instead, let’s talk about Windrush and the Handsworth riots. The very fact we’ve mentioned both those things in one sentence makes us sound like the tabloid press of the time, with its topless page-3 girls and propensity to blame immigrants for the nation’s woes.
The Empire Windrush was a ship that arrived in Essex in 1948, bringing hundreds of migrants from around the Caribbean to fill labour shortages. It wasn’t the only vessel to do this, of course, but lent its name to what has become known as the Windrush Generation. The Handsworth riots took place across three days in 1981, and you’ll get a sense of them from the opening scene of This Town – fed-up black youths with bricks versus racist coppers with batons and shields, and everything is on fire. , “The most common reasons for the riots reported by participants were unemployment, boredom and the imitation of events elsewhere.”
Dante Williams (Levi Brown) finds purpose in music amid the turmoil. Credit: Robert Viglasky / Banijay /Kudos
Meanwhile, things in Ireland are on a war footing, as English tanks roll through Belfast and Irish youths take to the streets in violent protest about the death of Bobby Sands, an IRA leader who starved himself to death in a 66-day hunger strike. Again, that’s a ridiculously truncated picture of a very complex political situation. If you’d like to know more, you can watch on SBS On Demand (but be quick - it's only there until 26 May).
(Oh, and Prince Charles and Lady Di got married in 1981, too. Not in Birmingham, but they definitely put out some bunting up there.)
What are we wearing?
Black-and-white-checkered everything, obvs, because we’re going deep into ska. Otherwise you can pop on a donkey jacket, pinstriped trousers, raccoon-level eyeliner, really sharp winklepickers and a porkpie hat that nicely frames your stiff cheeky fringe. Probably not all at once.
Tyro played by George Somner and Jeannie Keefe played by Eve Austin. Credit: Robert Viglasky / Banijay / Kudos
Is there a poltergeist causing mischief?
Yes. Yes, there is. In 1981, rocks were being thrown at windows and on roofs, causing damage… and local residents couldn’t find the source of these mischevious attacks. Even the police, using the latest in night-vision technology and whatnot, couldn’t apprehend a living culprit, leading to rumours of The Thornton Road Poltergeist. Of course, fun-ruiners later claimed the stones may have been launched from afar via home-made catapult, which is a frankly ridiculous theory and we refuse to give it any more air-time.
What are we consuming?
Aside from the tabloids with the page-3 girls and confected outrage? You can start by reading The Secret Diary of Adrian Mole, Aged 13¾, which isn’t technically set in Birmingham but does give a great overview of the events and attitudes of Middle England in 1981/2. On telly, Tom Baker’s leaving Doctor Who to be replaced by Peter Davison, Buck’s Fizz are winning Eurovision for England and Open All Hours has come back for a second season after five years. In short, a cultural golden age is upon us.
No, what are we CONSUMING?
Ohhhhh, right. For breakfast, let’s go for the Full English: bacon, eggs, sausage, buttered beans and half a tomato with toast in a greasy spoon café with a cup of tea. Lunch is a pork pie with a cup of tea, and tea is probably fish and chips served in yesterday’s newspaper with a pint of lager… or a cup of tea if you’re a straight-edge poet who’s obsessed with Leonard Cohen.
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New episodes of This Town premiere weekly (Wednesdays) on SBS and SBS On Demand. The Specials: A Message To You is also now streaming at SBS On Demand.
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This Town
series • drama
MA15+
series • drama
MA15+
Stream free On Demand
The Specials: A Message To You
