I am exploring how Birmingham is represented in popular film and television, interrogating aesthetics of the city in its role as both narrative setting and filming location across a range of texts (including Peaky Blinders, Doctors and Man Like Mobeen). Using videographic criticism as a core research methodology, the thesis asks the central question ‘when does Birmingham play itself?’. Comprising both documentary and written components, this research will examine and challenge Birmingham’s on-screen identity.