Murphy, who delighted fans with a walkabout in Centenary Square on his arrival at Symphony Hall, paid tribute to the viewers who helped catapult Peaky Blinders into a worldwide hit.
“I just feel a load of gratitude, immense gratitude to the fans first and foremost for making the show what it was,” he said.
“Because it was a little show on BBC Two on Sunday evenings and then gradually and incrementally it became this global phenomenon that was down to the fans.
“So I feel immense gratitude.”
Paying tribute to Knight, Murphy added: “To have that level of writing for that length of time, you know, it’s a once in a lifetime freak occurrence to meet a writer at the top of his game like that.”