Rochenda Sandall restrained in first look at Steve McQueen's Small Axe

The actress plays Barbara Beese in the Oscar-winning director's upcoming six-part BBC anthology series.

Set in London’s West Indian community, McQueen’s TV venture will tell five stories from the late 1960s through to the early 80s.

A handful of images show Letitia Wright, Malachi Kirby and Shaun Parkes in character as Altheia Jones, Darcus Howe and Frank Crichlow respectively, while another captures McQueen on set chatting to the cast and crew.

Small Axe boasts an all-star British cast with Star Wars’ John Boyega, A Very English Scandal’s Alex Jennings and Jack Lowden of Dunkirk fame also in the mix.

Speaking about the production, McQueen previously said he felt the need to share and “investigate the journeys that my parents and the first generation of West Indians went on to deliver me here today calling myself a Black British person”.

He continued: "What’s important about our stories is that they are local but at the same time global. I think audiences will identify with the trials, tribulations and joy of our characters as well as reflecting on the present environment in which we find ourselves. The dynamic nature of the series allows us to confront injustice in the face of adversity."

Small Axe is slated for release in 2020