BRADFORD’S historic City Hall provided the “perfect” backdrop for the cast and crew of one of the BBC’s most popular dramas as the Peaky Blinders has rolled into town.

Filming is taking place for series four of the gangster family epic, set in the streets of post-war Birmingham on the verge of the 1920s.

Production crews were camped outside City Hall throughout Monday and Tuesday with the main entrance to the building also being prepped for exterior shots.

In an external scene being filmed on Tuesday, City Hall doubled for the Midland Hotel and was decked out with wreaths for the festive season, complete with a choir of carol singers, a brass band, smoke machines and fake snow to complete the effect. This clip, taken from our T&A Facebook Live video, shows final preparations for the scene, which also featured three vintage cars.

SEE MORE: Our Facebook Live video from outside City Hall during filming

David Wilson, director of Bradford UNESCO City of Film, said it was the second time the city had been chosen to appear in the drama, having also been used for locations in series one, which aired in 2014.

He said the visit was the latest in a long string of films and TV dramas using Yorkshire as a backdrop, including Maxine Peake in Funny Cow in December, and Kit Harington in Gunpowder, which has been filming in Bradford and Keighley for the past 15 weeks.

“Bradford has a long history of providing great locations for film and TV,” he said.

“In recent years the Bradford Film Office has worked with a range of agencies and businesses to ensure that we live up to our film friendly credentials, and that is why we are enjoying many repeat visits.

“The city has some stunning period locations and the team behind Peaky Blinders has been brilliant to work with.

“The series now has a worldwide following and it’s great that Bradford as the world’s first UNESCO City of Film is able to play a small role in the show’s ongoing success.”

Joe Donaldson, who is acting as producer on the latest series, created by Steven Knight, added: “Bradford has some fantastic period buildings and locations that lend themselves perfectly to our filming needs. We are grateful to the city and to David Wilson and Film Council for welcoming the Peaky Blinders’ cast and crew.”

At the start of the new series, gang leader Thomas Shelby receives a mysterious letter on Christmas Eve and realises that the Peaky Blinders are in danger of annihilation.

As the enemy closes in, Shelby flees his country house and returns to the streets of Small Heath, Birmingham, where a desperate fight for survival begins.

Last month, it was announced that the multi-award winning show’s cast, which includes Cillian Murphy and Tom Hardy, would be boosted by the addition of academy award winner Adrien Brody, alongside Aidan Gillen and Charlie Murphy.