UCL English alumnus Steven Knight CBE is a screenwriter, producer, and director for film and television, best known for his widely acclaimed, genre-defining period crime drama Peaky Blinders.

Set in his home city of Birmingham, the BBC TV series was a breakout hit and has become a global sensation. Going strong for six seasons and spawning a feature film, Peaky Blinders: The Immortal Man, the series has been greenlit for two further sequels and is credited with bringing a cultural, economic and tourism boost to the West Midlands, a phenomenon known as the ‘Peaky effect.’ 

Further notable work from Steven includes SAS: Rogue Heroes, Who Wants to be a Millionaire and, more recently, the hit Netflix series House of Guinness, cementing his place at the forefront of British popular culture.

Born the youngest of seven children, Steven was the first in his family to go to university, coming to UCL in 1980 to study English. Upon graduating, he initially found work writing radio commercials, before working for Capital Radio. He then moved into TV and film, where his screenplays for Dirty Pretty Things and Eastern Promises received critical acclaim.  

Steven believes his UCL education has served him well throughout his prolific TV and film career.

Studying at UCL has given me the foundations of confidence and self-belief and taught me that I could aspire high.

He was made an Honorary Fellow of UCL in 2019 and received a Royal Television Society Fellowship in 2024. 

In 2020, he was also awarded a CBE for his services to drama, entertainment and to the Birmingham community. He founded Digbeth Loc. Studios in 2023, close to central Birmingham, a project he is “very proud of… and [hopes] will make a real impact on the community in a really challenged part of my hometown”. The Peaky Blinders sequels are currently in production at Digbeth Loc Studios. 

Steven shows no signs of slowing down. He remains busy with creative projects and has been confirmed as the creator of a new feature documentary film, following another cultural icon - legendary Britpop band Oasis.  

If there’s one thing he wants people to remember, it’s this: 

That you can confound expectations and do what you really want to do and make a living from it.

Top photo: (c) Kate Hollingsworth Photography