Small Axe
Small Axe Episode Ratings Heatmap
| Avg | E1 | E2 | E3 | E4 | E5 | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| S1 | 7.6 | 8.0 | 7.5 | 7.6 | 6.8 | 7.5 |
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About
"Five intimate portraits of Black British life"
An anthology of five standalone films from director Steve McQueen, each set within London's West Indian community between the late 1960s and mid-1980s. Stories range from a real-life trial after police raids on a Notting Hill restaurant to a single joyous night at a house party to a boy's struggles in a school system stacked against him. Tone and pace shift wildly between entries, from tense courtroom drama to near-wordless sensory immersion, but all are anchored by McQueen's visual precision and deep care for the community he's depicting.
the way each film finds a completely different rhythm and emotional register within one community's history.
you want a single continuous story rather than five loosely connected standalone films.
Written by our AI editor to help you decide, spoiler-free by design.
All Seasons

| Ep | Title | Rating | Yours | Votes | Runtime | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ▶ | 1 | Mangrove | 8.0 | 6K | 127 min | |
| ▶ | 2 | Lovers Rock | 7.5 | 6K | 70 min | |
| ▶ | 3 | Red, White and Blue | 7.6 | 4K | 80 min | |
| ▶ | 4 | Alex Wheatle | 6.8 | 3K | 66 min | |
| ▶ | 5 | Education | 7.5 | 3K | 63 min |