Can Birmingham become Britain's Hollywood?

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."

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.