John Boyega and Letitia Wright are among the cast for a new BBC anthology series directed by Steve McQueen.
The famous Brits will star in Small Axe, a series set in London featuring hour-long stories within the West Indian community, spanning a time period from the late 60s to the early 80s.
Filming for the series, which also features Line of Duty star Rochenda Sandall and A Very English Scandal’s Alex Jennings, kicked off on location earlier this week.
The title Small Axe, which is also the name of a Bob Marley track, is derived from a Jamaican proverb: “If you are the big tree, we are the small axe”.
The six-part series will be directed by 12 Years A Slave director McQueen, who said in a statement that he “feels the stories need to be shared” and also wants to “reflect” on the modern environment in London.
“I wanted to re-live, re-evaluate and investigate the journeys that my parents and the first generation of West Indians went on to deliver me here today calling myself a Black British person,” he said.
“What’s important about our stories is that they are local but at the same time global. I think audiences will identify with the trials, tribulations and joy of our characters as well as reflecting on the present environment in which we find ourselves.”
He added that the “dynamic nature of the series allows them to confront injustice” throughout the hour-long episodes.
Small Axe will air on BBC One.
