Series synopsis
Small Island is a British drama television series that premiered on BBC One on December 6, 2009. It ended on December 13, 2009. It stars David Oyelowo, Ashley Walters, Benedict Cumberbatch and Naomie Harris.
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.
Premise
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.
Premise: War, romance, infidelity and social unrest.
Cast and characters
Leading cast
- David Oyelowo as Gilbert
- Ashley Walters as Michael
- Benedict Cumberbatch as Bernard
- Naomie Harris as Hortense
- Ruth Wilson as Queenie
- Shaun Parkes as Winston
- Hugh Quarshie as Narrator
- Roger Sloman as Mr. Todd
Guest cast
- Rachel Pickup as Mrs. Ryder
- Denise Black as Aunt Dorothy
- Mary Jo Randle as Queenie's Mother
- Billy Carter as Shopkeeper
- Jonathan Harden as Postal Worker
- Joseph Hearns as Young Lad
- Laura Hughes as Mrs. Harper
- Kerri McLean as Josephine
- Andrew McMahon as Young Lad
- Neal McWilliams as Postal Worker
- Gillian Raine as Woman With Sweet
- Cara Shearer as Granddaughter
Episodes
This series spans 1 season with 2 episodes.
| Season | Episodes | First aired | Last aired |
|---|---|---|---|
| Season 1 | 2 | December 6, 2009 | December 13, 2009 |
| Episode | Title | Air date |
|---|---|---|
| 1 |
Episode One 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? |
December 6, 2009 |
| 2 |
Episode Two 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. |
December 13, 2009 |
Production
Release
| Original network/platform | BBC One |
|---|---|
| First aired | December 6, 2009 |
| Last aired | December 13, 2009 |
| Runtime | 90 minutes |
| Status | Ended |