Steve McQueen’s Small Axe start date confirmed for November on BBC One

The BBC has announced the TV premiere date of Mangrove, the first film in Steve McQueen’s Small Axe anthology.

The first of the five original films, which explore stories within London’s West Indian community, will air on BBC One on Sunday November 15.

Academy Award, BAFTA and Golden Globe-winning filmmaker McQueen’s new series of films are set from the late 1960’s to the mid-1980s and look at how West Indians in London are shaped by their own force of will, despite rampant racism and discrimination. And despite the films being set firmly in a past era, McQueen feels that Small Axe will still feel timely and relevant to today’s audience.

Speaking about the films, McQueen explained: “The seed of Small Axe was sown 11 years ago. Initially, I had conceived of it as a TV series, but I realised these stories had to stand alone as original films yet at the same time be part of a collective.

“The anthology, anchored in the West Indian experience in London, is a celebration of all that that community has succeeded in achieving against the odds.

He continued: “Although all five films take place between the late 60s and mid-80s, they are just as much a comment on the present moment as they were then.

“They are about the past, yet they are very much concerned with the present. A commentary on where we were, where we are and where we want to go.”

Mangrove centres on Frank Crichlow (Shaun Parkes), the owner of Notting Hill’s Caribbean restaurant, which serves as a community base for locals, intellectuals and activists.

The local police raid Mangrove time after time, making Frank and the local community take to the streets in peaceful protest in 1970. When nine men and women, including Frank and leader of the British Black Panther Movement Altheia Jones-LeCointe and activist Darcus Howe are wrongly arrested and charged with incitement to riot, a highly publicised trial ensues, leading to hard-fought win for those fighting against discrimination.

The first episode features Letitia Wright (Black Panther), Shaun Parkes (Lost in Space), and Malachi Kirby (Curfew) star alongside Rochenda Sandall (Line of Duty), Jack Lowden (The Long Song) and Sam Spruell (Snow White and the Huntsmen).

Speaking about Small Axe, Senior Drama Commissioner and BBC Executive Producer Lucy Richer explained: “It has been an honour to work with Steve to bring Small Axe to screen - with his visionary genius as a filmmaker he has made incredible, life-changing, life-affirming films which tell burning stories from our past and blaze a trail for the future.

“These inspiring films of truth and powerful purpose celebrate ordinary lives, and we are delighted to bring them to BBC One and iPlayer this November.”

Mangrove starts on November 15 on BBC One

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