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It was a night when Birmingham glittered like never before on the silver screen – and when people walked up the red carpet not just to enjoy themselves, but to do business.

The world premiere of the first episode of the second series of the BBC Two drama series Peaky Blinders took place at Cineworld Broad Street last night ahead of its TV launch on October 2.

The audience was made up of stars from the programme, production staff and members of the public who had beaten off the challenge of thousands to acquire tickets.

Stars from the series pressing the flesh on the red carpet included Cillian Murphy (Tommy Shelby), Helen McCrory (Aunty Polly) and Joe Cole (John Shelby).

The Middlesbrough-born actress who plays Tommy’s new love interest was also there – Edge of Tomorrow star Charlotte Riley, real-life partner of series newcomer Tom Hardy , who was unable to attend the premiere and doesn’t feature in the first episode’s shift to London.

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Asked what it was like to peer into Cillian’s famously blue mince pies, she said: “His eyes are incredibly distracting!

“But I didn’t have to learn a Brummie accent as my character has aristocratic blood – she’s posh totty!”

The positive nature of the event put everyone in buoyant mood and on the front foot.

Although he has an international movie career working with directors like Christopher Nolan, Cillian described Peaky Blinders as “a once in a lifetime chance that had to be taken up.”

Helen McCrory added: “What I’ve realised is that series could not have been made without strong women.

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“Watching women on the red carpet organising selfies with the stars and telling their husbands not to put her handbag down has given me ideas for series three.”

Series creator and writer Steven Knight talked of making series three, four and five up to the Second World War.

And he said he hoped to help to create a sound stage in the city where more dramas could be made.

See all the pictures from the premiere below...

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A version of this article appeared on Birmingham Mail