BBC confirms two new dramas to be filmed and produced in West Midlands - here's everything you need to know
The BBC has confirmed that two new dramas are set to be filmed and produced in the West Midlands as it looks to continue investing in the region.
The two new dramas are The Hairdresser Mysteries and The Detection Club, with both drama commissions acting as replacements for Doctors, which was cancelled in 2023 after two decades on daytime television.
The BBC said the commissions demonstrate the BBC’s commitment to re-investing all of the Doctors spend into new scripted programming in the West Midlands, with both dramas providing new opportunities to support skills and boost talent in the region to grow authentic voices and stories.
The corporation said it is actively working with partners in the Midlands, including the West Midlands Combined Authority and Create Central to grow its investment in the region over the coming years and increase its economic impact further as part of the BBC’s Across the UK strategy.
BBC Studios Drama Productions, who produce titles including Father Brown, Silent Witness and Shakespeare and Hathaway have also recently opened Portland House, a regional hub and post-production facility in Digbeth where the Detection Club and The Hairdresser Mysteries will both be produced.
The Detection Club, set in 1930’s London, sees the mysterious society of the three most famous crime writers of the time Agatha Christie, Dorothy L. Sayers and G.K. Chesterton, join forces to solve real-life murders.
The series follows the trio as they work together to crack cases, all to the despair of D.I. Greenway a young, rookie, real-life detective, and will be filmed in 2026 and backed by BBC Studios, who are handling global sales.
The Hairdresser Mysteries is an original, homegrown drama which is a nostalgic nod to the 70’s and sees a high-end hairdresser, Lily Petal, played by Sally Phillips, opt out of the competitive city scene to buy a small village hairdressers at the top of a cobbled street.
Through getting to know everyone in the small village, Lily is soon at the hub of her new village’s secrets and revelations, and with her own brand of uncannily highly developed, hairdressing intuitive empathy and understanding, solves the village mysteries.
Helen Munson, Commissioning Editor for BBC Daytime, said: “The BBC made a commitment to reinvest in new programming from the West Midlands, and these two new dramas are a result of this.
"The West Midlands has so much home-grown talent in the drama sector both on and off screen, commissioning the Detection Club and The Hairdresser Mysteries will offer more jobs to the region and showcase what the area has to offer.
"I’m excited to be working on these mysterious crime dramas which be enjoyed by all ages of audiences at any time of the day.”
BBC primetime programming such as Silent Witness and MasterChef have gone into pre-production from new bases in Digbeth, while BBC Radio 1Xtra has relocated shows and BBC Asian Network has begun consolidating the network entirely in the city.
