267 - Small Axe: Red, White and Blue

Another Steve McQueen rendition of a true story, Red, White and Blue examines institutional racism in the Metropolitan Police, as did Mangrove - but from the inside. Leroy Logan, a research scientist, applies to the police with the express intention of combating its attitude and behaviour towards black people, in part because of his father's own abuse at their hands. The theme of black British identity runs throughout Small Axe, and here it's intriguingly augmented by imagery of the Queen; we discuss how it can be interpreted, including as a symbol of the common nationality the Windrush generation ostensibly shares with British-born white people, and a painful reminder of the fact that that shared identity is not truly embodied, and also as an icon of the establishment Leroy hopes to disrupt and improve. We also concentrate on Leroy's relationship with his father, which frames the entire film, and how their attitudes, experiences and understanding of each other intersect. Recorded on 6th December 2020.