Small Axe
Genre	Drama
Created by	Steve McQueen
Written by	Steve McQueen Courttia Newland Alastair Siddons
Directed by	Steve McQueen
Composer	Mica Levi
Country of origin	United Kingdom
Original language	English
No. of series	1
No. of episodes	5(list of episodes)
Production
Executive producers	Steve McQueen Tracey Scoffield David Tanner Lucy Richer Rose Garnett
Producers	Anita Overland Mike Elliot
Cinematography	Shabier Kirchner
Editors	Chris Dickens Steve McQueen
Running time	405 minutes
Production companies	Turbine Studios EMU Films BBC Amazon Studios
Original release
Network	BBC One
Release	15 November (2020-11-15) – 13 December 2020 (2020-12-13)

Small Axe is a Britishanthology film series, created and directed bySteve McQueen. The anthology consists of five films that tell distinct stories about the lives ofWest Indian immigrants in London from the 1960s to the 1980s.^[1] Two episodes of the series were selected into the2020 Cannes Film Festival. The series premiered on 15 November 2020 onBBC One in the United Kingdom and on 20 November 2020 onAmazon Prime Video in the United States.^[2][3][4] The title references a proverb – "Small axe fall big tree" or "If you are the big tree, we are the small axe" – that was popularised byBob Marley in his 1973 song "Small Axe".^[5]

It has been reported thatSteve McQueen began working on the idea forSmall Axe in 2010, and that some form of the series was in development since 2012.^[8][9] While the series was initially conceived as a conventional television series with a serialized story, McQueen realized during development that he had sufficient material to make several distinct films.^[9] In January 2014, it was announced that he would write and direct an untitled television series for eitherBBC One orBBC Two about the experience of black people in Britain.^[10] In August 2015, it was announced that the series would air on BBC One.^[11] In June 2019,Amazon Prime Video was announced to be distributing the series in the United States, withAmazon Studios co-producing.^[12] The screenwriters include the British-Caribbean novelistCourttia Newland (author ofThe Gospel According to Cane, 2013) and Alastair Siddons.^[9]

In June 2019, it was announced thatLetitia Wright,John Boyega,Malachi Kirby,Shaun Parkes,Rochenda Sandall,Alex Jennings, andJack Lowden had joined the cast of the series.^[13] In January 2020,Micheal Ward joined the cast of the series.^[14]

Lovers Rock had its world premiere as the opener of the 58thNew York Film Festival on 17 September 2020.^[15][16][17]Mangrove had its world premiere at the festival on 25 September,^[18][19] andRed, White, and Blue on 3 October.^[20]Mangrove also opened the 64thBFI London Film Festival on 7 October 2020;^[21]Lovers Rock screened at the same festival on 18 October.^[22][23]

The series premiered in the UK onBBC One on 15 November 2020 and in the United States onAmazon Prime Video on 20 November 2020, with one episode released per week on both platforms.^[4][24]

The series received aBlu-ray release byThe Criterion Collection on 25 April 2023. The release includes the five films, plus interviews and conversations with director Steve McQueen and various cast and crew members, the 2021 documentaryUprising (co-directed by McQueen and James Rogan), trailers, and an essay by Ashley Clark.^[25]

Critical press reviews of each individual film were positive. All five films received approval ratings of at least 95% on thereview aggregator websiteRotten Tomatoes, whileMetacritic assigned four of the five a score indicating "universal acclaim".

Lovers Rock, in particular, was named the best film of 2020 by the British film magazineSight & Sound in its poll of 104 critics worldwide;Mangrove came in at 13th.^[26]

• "These are the untold stories that make up our nation": Steve McQueen on Small Axe,David Olusoga's interview with Steve McQueen aboutSmall Axe, inSight & Sound, 13 November 2020.
• Small Axe atBBC Online
• Small Axe atAmazon Prime Video
• Small Axe atIMDb 

• 2020 British television series debuts
• 2020 British television series endings
• 2020s British anthology television series
• Afro-Caribbean culture in London
• BBC television dramas
• Black British cinema
• Black British history
• British English-language television shows
• Cultural depictions of Metropolitan Police officers

• Articles with short description
• Short description matches Wikidata
• Television articles with incorrect naming style
• Use dmy dates from November 2020
• BBC programme ID same as Wikidata
• Official website not in Wikidata