And let the community sort it out.

It was such an epidemic, a really fascinating time. I’m going to deal with it a bit more in the second series, the way that it sort of got worse before it got better. People just didn’t give a shit, they didn’t care, there was a lot of drugs, a lot of alcohol, real hedonism, and the violence came with it. Just people who just really didn’t care about life, because they’d got through the First World War and they were so damaged.

Those at home just had no idea either, in the First World War, of what conditions were like with trench warfare and so on…

No. And they didn’t talk about it, that was the thing. It was a point of principle that the soldiers never spoke about it.

Was it deliberate then, that your industrial backdrops in this are bursting with flames and all this black and orange, to reflect that sort of infernal, hellish sense of the war?

Well it is sort of hell. I mean, Birmingham at the time manufactured more goods than Detroit and Chicago; it was the centre of the world in terms of making things and it’s twenty-four hours. The men who worked there worked in unbelievably hard conditions so they would come out and just drink and drink and drink and drink, just to get the crap out of their systems. So we were trying, within the budget we have, to suggest this landscape of constant industry.

How did you go about recreating 1919 Birmingham? Was that a lot of CGI work down by the docks and in the skylines?

We were lucky, a bit of it was CGI but we were lucky to have Stanley Dock in Liverpool, which is this gigantic abandoned dock with loads of empty warehouse space, so it was like a playground to be honest. The skylines have to be done in CGI. I’m sure it’s going to get cheaper, CGI, but it’s very expensive.

You mentioned the second series, that’s all been confirmed then?

Yeah, I mean as far as the BBC ever do, but yeah, we’re pretty safe. I’ve started writing it and it’ll start in 1922 and take us through that year and see Tommy make his next steps.

How far do you see the series running? You’re a busy man, but what’s your long-term aim?

My hope would be to go to the Second World War, that’s long-term. Three series would be great. But I just want to see Tommy become this huge, respectable businessman and see if he can ever escape. Because it’s also about, if you’re born in that environment, can you get out, ever? Can you actually ever escape? And we’ll see. In terms of social class, can he ever be accepted? Obviously racing is one of those places where you’ll see the aristocracy, will he ever be able to break into that world? You have to look at history, it’s very difficult.

Because of your time period – I know you said you don’t watch much television, but you must be aware of Downton Abbey, which takes place at the same time – it’s a facile comparison to make between that and Peaky Blinders, but that won’t stop people from making it.

I’ve never seen it, but I am aware of it. I’m sure Downton Abbey’s really good, because I mean, look how popular it is, people love it.

They love it for its escapism I think. Do you see any escapism in Peaky Blinders?

Maybe. I think a bit like a Western, I think that when you watch Peakies, you get the feeling of a bit of liberty, freedom. I think the reason people like Westerns is that people can do things, then ride off into the sunset with the freedom to do something else, you don’t get the feeling you’re being looked at. In that society, you get the feeling that men can make a decision and do it – women, not so much because of the period – but people can make things happen in their own little worlds.

Mentioning women, Helen McCrory is great as your Shelby family matriarch, Aunt Polly.

She’s so good.

Tell me about her character.

It was a very common thing for there to be a strong woman in any illegal organisation. My dad had an Aunt Pol, so she’s sort of based on a real character. It was also to reflect the fact that when the soldiers came back from the First World War, they found that things were being run quite nicely by women, and it was a real source of trouble. Somebody like Polly, who ran the business perfectly well – probably better – is an interesting character. Polly will come into her own in the second series because as you’ll see later in this first series, she’s got a back story about children who were taken away from her. With an actress like Helen, it’s easy, she’s so good.

For series two and onwards then, is your cast locked down?

Yeah. All the main players are down for it and really enthusiastic and Sam is like, tweeting all over the place in New Zealand about how he can’t wait. Without giving too much away, there’s going to be two new villains in the second series, we’re going to have some good names, good actors to play those.

And you already have those actors in mind?

In my mind.

But not yet on paper?

Yeah, getting there. Getting there.

Anyone you’ve worked with before?

I don’t know yet, we’ll find out. I’d like to work with Tom Hardy again [Knight recently directed Hardy in Locke], he’s fantastic.

You’ve been quite tight-lipped about details on Locke so far, though I understand you went about filming it in a different way to usual, filming it as a play ten times then cutting the best parts of those together?

Yeah, we shot it as a play with Tom, who’s brilliant, he’s fantastic and it works so well. It’s having an astonishing effect on audiences.

What was the thinking behind doing it that way?

I don’t know, it was taking a look at film-making and thinking well, what is the task here? The task is to get a load of people into a room and turn the lights off and make them look at the screen for ninety minutes; what other ways are there of doing it? How can you get them engrossed? This one’s a particular thing when the lights go up, everybody’s crying, which is really good.

I have to ask. Could there be a part for Jason Statham in Peaky Blinders?

We wanted him in the first series.

As which character?

I can’t say, but it was difficult because obviously he’s so committed elsewhere. I’d love him to be in the second series, he’s such a great, great guy.

You don’t have to tell us that on Den of Geek!

He’s such a good bloke and such a nice bloke, as well as all the stuff that goes with it, he’s a really nice bloke.

And a potential for the second series?

Yeah, if he’s not busy.

Finally, tell me about the title, Peaky Blinders. It’s such an odd phrase to get used to, but perfect really because it’s so attention-grabbing and strange, because people haven’t necessarily heard of the gang. I certainly hadn’t.

No of course, even in Birmingham people haven’t heard of them but they were called Peaky Blinders. First of all, at the turn of the century, young tearaways used to put these razor-blades in their hats and they were called Peaky Blinders.

The gang had a particular uniform didn’t it, with the haircuts and scarves.

Yeah, they had all sorts of things. They were immaculately dressed. After the war, these young kids that were causing trouble became more organised and this particular gang were known as the Peaky Blinders.

Was that always going to be your title?

Yes. There was some question about should we change it because nobody knows what it is, but that’s a good thing. That’s the hook.

Steven Knight, thank you very much!

Peaky Blinders is available to order on DVD from the BBC Shop here, and Blu-ray here.

Peaky Blinders starts on BBC Two on Thursday the 12th of September at 9pm. Read our spoiler-free review of episode one, here.