Peaky Blinders: Birmingham welcomes stars for world premiere of new season

Cast members rubbed shoulders with celebrity guests on the red carpet ahead of the screening at Birmingham Town Hall.

Helen McCrory who plays Aunt Polly, Sophie Rundle who stars as Ada Shelby and Finn Cole who plays Michael Gray were among those to attend the premiere.

Writer and creator Steven Knight was meet fans of the show, before the exclusive screening of the highly-anticipated first episode of the new series before hosting a question and answer session.

LIVE UPDATES from the premiere:

The actors behind two of the main characters of the popular series Cillian Murphy and Paul Anderson, who play Tommy and Arthur Shelby respectively were not present due to prior commitments.

Also on the red carpet were stars from the region including chef Glynn Purnell, former Villa and Baggies boss 'Big' Ron Atkinson and, fresh from winning the Cricket World Cup with England, bowler Chris Woakes from Great Barr.

The show has captured the imagination of fans across the world - bringing many flocking to the Black Country Living Museum, in Dudley, where several scenes are filmed.

More than 76,000 fans had applied for tickets for the premiere – making the demand for the series the biggest yet, according to BBC bosses.

Speaking ahead of the premiere, creator Mr Knight said: "Birmingham is of course my first choice for the world premiere, the cast and crew love it here. Birmingham is the epicentre for the show and it means so much to me to come back here year after year and start the series with a bang."

Series five of the show finds the world thrown into turmoil by the financial crash of 1929 – opportunity and misfortune are everywhere. When Tommy Shelby MP is approached by a charismatic politician with a bold vision for Britain, he realises that his response will affect not just his family's future but that of the entire nation.

Peaky Blinders season five is to air on BBC One later this year.