BARROW ARTS CHARITY WRITERS BEHIND NEW PEAKY BLINDERS GAME LAUNCH

 Submitted by Kezz Turner 14th March 2023

TWO key team members of a Barrow arts charity are the writing talent behind a new PeakyBlinders Virtual Reality game launched to critical acclaim last week (on 9th March 2023). Signal Film and Media Co-director Kerry Kolbe took up a writing post with London-based games company Maze Theory in 2019 alongside writing partner and Signal Film and Media’s Trustee & tutor Karen Bird. The pair worked remotely to script the game with Maze Theory’s design team throughout the lockdown.

Released last Thursday, Peaky Blinders: The King’s Ransom is a virtual reality adventure that’s been widely celebrated for its authenticity - the pair’s script is approved by show creator Steven Knight and is delivered by lead cast members Cillian Murphy, who plays enigmatic gang leader Tommy Shelby and Paul Anderson, who plays volatile brother Arthur Shelby. The story allows gamers to explore the iconic locations of the criminal underworld of 1920s Birmingham including The Garrison Pub and the Shelby family betting shop. In an immersive quest to earn a membership in the iconic Brummy gang, the player goes in search of Churchill’s stolen red box which contains the identities of Britain’s entire network of spies, and tries to uncover what happened to the previous Shelby associate who was supposed to get it back.

Signal Film and Media Co-Director Kerry lives in Ulverston and leads the Barrow charity Signal Film & Media alongside Co-Director Loren Slater, which is based at Cooke’s Studios on Abbey Road. Kerry's film and TV writing partner in this endeavour is Karen Bird (SHAMELESS, WATERLOO ROAD).

Kerry said: “I was thrilled when Russ from Maze Theory brought me into their

team right at the start of the development process, just after I graduated from my Screenwriting

Masters at the National Film and Television School in 2019. My writing partner Karen joined us during lockdown and we spent the best part of two years working on the script most weeks.”

Signal Film and Media runs workshops for young people aged 8 upwards to gain creative skills, including the BFI Film Academy, a six-month course led by Ms Bird which is designed to prepare wannabe filmmakers and creatives for work in the media industry.

Miss Kolbe stressed the importance of role models for young people in Barrow who, unlike teens who live in cities, do not have the BBC or other creative companies on their doorstep. She said: “(Co-Director) Loren and I set Signal up as local graduates who wanted to work in film but weren’t sure where to start on returning to Cumbria. Particularly coming from working-class backgrounds with not much money and no connections, the idea being a professional artist or filmmaker can feel abstract and unattainable. At Signal we are super approachable and open in talking about how we’ve got to where we are, and we bring back alumni of our past BFI Academies to explain how they’ve progressed in film, TV or games. By sharing with local young people our experience of working on a high-profile project like Peaky Blinders, we can show it’s possible to pursue your creative dreams whatever your background and wherever you’re from.”

Co-writer Karen Bird said: “At Signal I love helping young people come up with ideas, explore their creativity, develop their confidence and get clearer on what direction they might take for a creative career. The BFI Film Academy is a viable route to an industry job, and it’s so fulfilling when I hear that past participants have gone on to exciting things.

With Peaky Blinders it was a fresh challenge for me to write for interactive games - thinking of ways to use objects and actions to embody meaning without dialogue and devise all the different branches that players might choose to take. It was brilliant to be set loose with the rich, complex, compelling characters Steven Knight created and to invent new characters to expand that world.”

The Peaky Blinders game has so far attracted warm reviews - Eurogamer billed it as “A superfan’s dream come true.” The quality of the writing has been particularly singled out. The Metro’s reviewergave it 3.5 stars out of 5, saying: “What Peaky Blinders: The King’s Ransom has in spades isauthenticity.... The King’s Ransom feels rather like an extended episode of the TV show. Anexemplary storyline, utterly in keeping with the TV programme and studded with entertainingcharacters in both Birmingham and London, unfolds. The plot is easily good enough to standalongside the show and is without doubt the game’s strongest point, complete with a clever twist at the end.”

Games Enquirer’s review said: “Maze Theory have done a stellar job with a compelling narrative story.

Unlike other VR shooters on the market, Peaky Blinders has one of the best narrative stories in VR today and when you combine that with being able to pick up and use almost everything from chalk to a dart, the game captures a level of realism I never thought I'd see.”

The game is available on virtual reality formats Metaquest 2 and Pico 4.

Signal Film & Media will be recruiting for a number of youth courses in 2023 inc. for 16-19yr

olds such as Get Digital and the BFI Film Academy, both of which are led by Karen Bird.

Courses cover all aspects of production & involve making a short film. Visit

signalfilmandmedia.com/youth-opportunities to find out more.

Kerry Kolbe