What do Brummies think is most underrated in Birmingham?

National World - LocalTV

Amid closures, cranes, and controversy, we hit the streets of Birmingham to ask one simple question: what’s the city’s most underrated gem? From forgotten green spaces to beloved food joints, Brummies tell us what still makes this place feel like home. This isn’t about glossy brochures or shiny new builds—it’s about identity, memory, and what we risk losing if we stop paying attention.

Transcript

00:01It's easy to find fault with Birmingham. Bins, broken fountains, half-finished

00:06train stations but behind the headlines and neglected budgets there are still

00:10places, people and pockets of brilliance that don't get their fair share of

00:14attention. We're not talking about sponsored attractions or the glossy

00:18stuff on brochures. We're asking Brummies what's real, what's local, what still

00:23matters. Maybe it's a hidden cafe, an old library or just a stretch of canal no one

00:28walks down anymore because if you want to know what's underrated, don't ask a

00:32guidebook, ask the people who actually live here.

00:36Custom factory. Getting back down to Digbeth into the older areas, unfortunately

00:43it's been stripped back but there's some really nice golden nuggets around

00:47there which is all the underground stuff. Brumgib's missing a lot of the stuff it

00:51had back in the 80s where it's all subterranean, all those different little

00:55parts and it's nice to see a bit of an emergence back there as well and

00:58some of the independents coming back. As a Birmingham person I think, I think all

01:02the good places are rated, I think everyone likes them. I think, I think for

01:07people outside of Birmingham, I think all the Birmingham's underrated. I don't

01:12know really, I mean this is a beautiful area and I've been taking photos of the

01:15old and the new buildings and things. So whether a lot of people come here and

01:20visit, whether it's advertised enough as a place to come, there's a lot of people

01:23tend to spend their time in the ball ring and shops. They don't come and look up at

01:27these beautiful buildings. So yeah, maybe places like this need to be pushed a bit

01:31more and say if you come to Birmingham, come here.

01:33The people, I'd have to say. I don't always know that like communities get the credit that

01:38they deserve, especially in big cities like this. Yeah, I'd say Digberth is pretty underrated,

01:43but at the same time, it's not as accessible. I think with the plans to put the tram system

01:49towards the area would make that. For me personally, there's loads of places I want to go to Digberth,

01:54but because of where it is and how to get there, I think I find it difficult.

01:58While some answers might be sentimental, others are more practical. Green spices,

02:03local markets, cultural heritage, things slowly falling off the radar in a city obsessed with

02:09skyscrapers and student flats. For many, what's underrated isn't just physical,

02:13it's the atmosphere, the people, the sense of identity. It raises the question,

02:18has Birmingham lost its character in the chase for redevelopment, or is it simply evolving,

02:24and these overlooked gems are reminders of what we risk forgetting? I don't know. I mean,

02:29I think the Commonwealth Games is brilliant. I really enjoyed that, I think. But there's people

02:34like iTunes Birmingham and stuff on Twitter and stuff, I think that does try to sort of promote

02:43a really positive image and sort of not an over-sterilised one either. I think like a good

02:51a good view of what Birmingham is. But yeah, I think in general, yeah, it's all right.

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