Salto invites us to return to the 60s, 70s, and 80s in the company of director Steve McQueen (Twelve Years a Slave) with Small Ax, an anthological miniseries from BBC One which is now available on the French platform.
More precisely, Small Ax consists of five episodes telling us stories of the black or West Indian community of London between the 60s and 80s, confronted with a hostile environment. So the first episode, Mangrove (co-written with Alastair Siddons), follows a group of activists who have demonstrated against police who were racist targeting in Notting Hill.
The second, Lovers Rock (co-scripted with Courttia Newland), sets out to relate a fictional romance taking place at a Blues party in the 80s. The third, Red, White, and Blue (co-scripted with Courttia Newland), takes the place of a scientist in the police who would like to be in the field and revisit his ambitions after his father was attacked by two police officers.
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The fourth episode of Small Ax, Alex Wheatle (co-written with Alastair Siddons), tells us the true story of the author of P’tit Bout. Finally, the fifth, Education (co-written with Alastair Siddons), follows a 12-year-old boy, Kingsley, who has a fascination with astronauts and rockets and is deprived of the education he deserves to receive.
Small Axe SALTO Trailer
Small Ax stars Letitia Wright, Shaun Parkes, Malachi Kirby (episode 1), Amarah-Jae St. Aubyn, Micheal Ward (episode 2), John Boyega, Steve Toussaint, Tyrone Huntley, Nathan Vidal, Jaden Oshenye (episode 3), Sheyi Cole, Jonathan Jules (episode 4), Kenyah Sandy, Naomi Ackie (episode 5).
