A NORTH Yorkshire stately home is about to find a whole new audience – as a key location for an epic new TV drama series.

The makers of Peaky Blinders, which premieres on BBC2 tomorrow night, (September 12), turned to Newby Hall near Ripon to help recreate the Britain of 1919.

Most of the six-part gangster series is set in the lawless slum neighbourhoods of post-war Birmingham, much of which was recreated in Leeds.

But for some of the more up-market locations Tiger Aspect Productions travelled to Newby Hall along with stars Sam Neill, of Jurassic Park fame, and Cillian Murphy, whose credits include the Dark Knight trilogy of Batman movies.

Filming took place in the billiard room and one of the hall’s bedrooms was turned into that of Winston Churchill.

The tapestry room became an upmarket tea-room in Oxford while the statue gallery became Birmingham Art Gallery.

Even the cellars were pressed into use – being turned into the weighing room of Cheltenham race course.

The hall hosted the film-makers for a few days last winter and staff there are now keen to see the finished result.

“We really enjoyed having the Tiger Aspect Productions team here and most of the lead actors,” said a spokesman.

“Peaky Blinders looks like it will a huge success and are really proud to have been part of it.

“Hopefully our regular visitors will spot some of the locations that were used.”

Peaky Blinders was the first production to secure investment from Screen Yorkshire’s Yorkshire Content Fund, ensuring the bulk of the production was shot in Yorkshire.

Created by Steven Knight - Eastern Promises, Dirty Pretty Things – and directed by Otto Bathurst, the series takes its name from a feared and powerful Brummie gang, members of which sewed razor blades into the peak of their caps.

With Communists, rival gangs and a crate of stolen guns mixed into the volatile brew, Winston Churchill dispatches a brutal Belfast policeman to bring order at any cost.

The series is expected to be a global money-spinner with “exceptional” interest being shown by overseas broadcasters – and a second series is already in the pipeline.