Small Island | |
---|---|
Genre | Drama |
Based on | Small Island (2004) by Andrea Levy |
Written by | Paula Milne and Sarah Williams |
Directed by | John Alexander |
Starring | Naomie Harris Ruth Wilson Benedict Cumberbatch David Oyelowo Ashley Walters Nikki Amuka-Bird Karl Johnson |
Narrated by | Hugh Quarshie |
Composer | Martin Phipps |
Country of origin | United Kingdom |
Original language | English |
No. of episodes | 2 |
Production | |
Executive producers | Paula Milne, Alison Owen, Lucy Richer |
Producers | Joanna Anderson Vicky Licorish Grainne Marmion |
Cinematography | Tony Miller |
Editor | Roy Sharman |
Running time | 180 min (total) |
Original release | |
Network | BBC One |
Release | 6 December 13 December 2009 | –
Infobox instructions (only shown in preview) |
Small Island is a two-part 2009 BBC One television drama adapted from the 2004 novel of the same title by Andrea Levy. The programme stars Naomie Harris and Ruth Wilson as joint respective female protagonists Hortense Roberts and Queenie Bligh, two women who struggle to fulfil their personal ambitions and dreams amidst the chaos of World War II London and Jamaica.
The drama was developed by producers Joanna Anderson and Vicky Licorish of AL Films, after having optioned Levy's novel. The script was first written by Sarah Williams and later amended by Paula Milne. It was directed by John Alexander (who also directed the BBC's 2008 adaptation of Jane Austen's Sense and Sensibility). The drama consists of two 90-minute episodes that premiered on 6 December 2009, subsequently being shown in the United States on PBS as part of the channel's Masterpiece Classic Collection beginning on 18 April 2010.