TV series

Small Island

Name: Small Island
Released: 2009
Cast: David Oyelowo, Ashley Walters, Benedict Cumberbatch, Naomie Harris, Ruth Wilson

2009· 1 season· 90 min episodes★ 6.1Ended

On BBC One — From BBC

War, romance, infidelity and social unrest.

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Where to watch

Not available to stream in US

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Synopsis

Follow three intricately connected stories of Jamaicans and Londoners involved in World War Two. Hortense yearns for a new life away from rural Jamaica, Gilbert dreams of becoming a lawyer, and Queenie longs to escape her Lincolnshire roots. Hope and humanity meet stubborn reality as we trace the tangled history of Jamaica and the UK.

Themes

london, england based on novel or book world war ii jamaica miniseries 1940s

Episodes

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E1 Episode OneNext upDec 6, 2009 · 90 min
Synopsis
London 1948: Hortense joins Gilbert, her new husband, in England, where he is lodging with Queenie Bligh. The women have both married in unpromising circumstances as love is a luxury neither can afford. As Hortense remembers her life in Jamaica and the profound love she had for Michael and his betrayal of her, Queenie also remembers her night of passion with the same Michael when her husband was away at war. Initially suspicious of each other, will they uncover the secret they share?
Guest stars: Rachel Pickup (Mrs. Ryder), Denise Black (Aunt Dorothy), Mary Jo Randle (Queenie's Mother)
E2 Episode TwoDec 13, 2009 · 90 min
Synopsis
The emotional and moving climax to the stories of Hortense, Queenie and Gilbert whose lives entwine in post Second World War London. Hortense begins her new life in England and soon learns it is not the golden land she hoped it would be. She and Gilbert suffer racism and ignorance, but in adversity they discover new qualities in each other and begin to fall in love. Queenie is shocked when her husband Bernard returns to her after years away. When she goes into labour and has a baby by a mysterious father, the lives of all four are changed forever.
Guest stars: Billy Carter (Shopkeeper), Jonathan Harden (Postal Worker), Joseph Hearns (Young Lad), Laura Hughes (Mrs. Harper), Kerri McLean (Josephine), Andrew McMahon (Young Lad), Neal McWilliams (Postal Worker), Gillian Raine (Woman With Sweet)