Can Birmingham become Britain's Hollywood?

Nautical soap Howards Way, set on the south coast, was a BBC Birmingham production with interior shots filmed at Pebble Mill

Peaky Blinders creator Steven Knight has a bold vision for Birmingham - to put the city back on the map as a global hub for TV and film production.

Speaking at the launch of his new Digbeth Loc Studios, Knight declared: "We're going to bring Hollywood to Birmingham. We're going to change the world of TV - not just British TV."

The opening came as the BBC announced an almost doubling of its investment in the region, moving flagship shows to the city and commissioning new dramas.

As Birmingham hosts its annual Square Eyes TV Festival, celebrating the region's rich television heritage, the question is being asked: can it reclaim its status as a production powerhouse?

Pebble Mill at One was broadcast live on weekdays from the BBC's studios in Birmingham

The city was once synonymous with groundbreaking television.

Its innovative BBC drama department produced Play for Today, tackling social issues with bold storytelling.

Birmingham-based entertainment shows included darts-based gameshow Bullseye, Spitting Image, Telly Addicts and anarchic children's show Tiswas.

Millions tuned in nightly to watch the ATV soap Crossroads, as well as the BBC's weekday Pebble Mill At One.

Midlands Today presenter Nick Owen said working at the BBC studios in its heyday was "just brilliant".

"So many dramas came out of there... Pebble Mill was an absolute hub of activity in broadcasting, both in gameshows, dramas and documentaries" he said.

He had worked at ATV, which later became Central, before moving to the BBC co-hosting national show Good Morning with Anne and Nick.

Interior scenes for nautical soap Howard's Way and All Creatures Great and Small, though set in coastal and rural locations respectively, were also filmed at Pebble Mill.

Millions tuned in to Birmingham-based soap Crossroads, produced in the city by ATV

David Baldwin, programmer of the TV festival, based at the Midlands Arts Centre (MAC) said dramas produced in the city had been "amazing," with an incredible legacy.

Dramatists such as Mike Leigh, David Hare and Alan Bleasdale had all been supported by the BBC drama department, headed by producer David Rose.

"He was well known for protecting all of his artists from the BBC executives, making sure they weren't meddled with," said Mr Baldwin.

He believes the city should further embrace its legacy.

"We're not so good in Birmingham at celebrating ourselves, but I really think we should," he said.

BBC drama productions included innovative series Gangsters, set in the criminal underworld of Birmingham

The festival will feature a mixture of TV and film rarities as well as classic series, and a celebration of its archive in the annual Brum on the Box show.

Comedian and author Christopher Beanland, who fronts the show, describes it as a "love letter" to regional television.

He will be joined by city comics Nathan Cassidy and Sam Nicoresti, who will share their memories of growing up watching TV in the Midlands.

"I think Birmingham is the weirdest, funniest and most interesting city in Britain," he said.

He added he had researched his novel, The Wall in the Head, set in the city "by watching all the local archive clips I could find".

"So many of them were really wacky and wonderful like Cliff Richard hovercrafting along a canal under Spaghetti Junction and Telly Savalas's promotional film of the city."

But as well as looking back, he said he had been heartened by a resurgence in the local industry.

"I love what Stephen Knight and [Birmingham comedian] Joe Lycett have done bringing more productions to the city," he said.

"This Town is such a great document of the rise of the Two-Tone scene in Coventry and shows Druids Heath, Bromford and The Jewellery Quarter as heroes in the story too.

"The thing about Stephen Knight, is he puts his money where his mouth is," added Mr Baldwin.

"He's very committed to rebuilding the TV industry in the Midlands."

Peaky Blinders creator Stephen Knight says he wants to put Birmingham back on the TV production map

Knight's ambition is clear - he wants filmmakers from across the globe to see Birmingham as a base for creating world-class entertainment.

"I really want to make sure that people making film and television from anywhere in the world have Birmingham as an option," he said.

A Peaky Blinders film is in production, with two new series of the show also announced.

A new facility, Production Central WM, has been designed to attract international directors and has the potential to be better than Salford's Media City, the West Midlands Mayor has said.

As Knight puts it: "Some of the best programmes across entertainment and drama were made in this region. It's time to do it again."

Square Eyes TV Festival runs from 7 to 16 November at Midlands Arts Centre in Birmingham. Brum on the Box is on 8 November.