Desert Island Discs: What happened when Peaky Blinders creator had a beer with Snoop Dogg

Mr Knight said he began writing poetry around the age of 10. His first job after university was writing commercials for local Birmingham radio before he moved to work in radio and production in London.

It was in London where he and two colleagues created Who Wants to be a Millionaire?, the game show that became globally successful.

He also wrote the film Dirty Pretty Things, which was nominated for an Oscar for best original screenplay in 2004, and three novels.

Mr Knight is now writing a Star Wars script and recently opened a TV and film studio in Birmingham called Digbeth Loc, where the Peaky Blinders film will be shot.

“It’s a fitting end to this part of the story, and we’ve got an absolutely fantastic cast,” the writer said. “I want it to be a sort of legacy for Birmingham, but also a place where people come who want to do different stuff, brave stuff, bold stuff.”

He also started a scheme financing courses for local people to get trained in film industry trades.

“We want this to be absolutely part of the community and for local people to be walking to work,” he said.

Mr Knight said that growing up working class “you have no expectation of yourself” and it took him until he was 35 to think “I can actually do this”.

Now, whenever he gives talks, such as one recently at his old school, he says: “You’ve got to understand you are as good as someone else, you just haven’t had the same guidance.”

Steven Knight is on Desert Island Discs at 10:00 BST on Sunday 11 August and is available afterwards on BBC Sounds.