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Alex Wheatle Dies: ‘Crongton’ Author Who Inspired ‘Small Axe’ Film Was 62


Alex Wheatle, the 'Brixton Bard' who wrote the 'Crongton Knights' books and inspired an episode of Steve McQueen's 'Small Axe', has died aged 62.

Alex Wheatle, the ‘Brixton Bard’ who wrote the Crongton books and inspired a film in Steve McQueen’s Small Axe series, has died aged 62. He had become a writer after a short jail sentence for his involvement in the 1981 Brixton race riots in the UK, quickly becoming one of the most influential literary voices in south London and around the country. His plight was captured on screen by Sheyi Cole, who played him in a ‘Alex Wheatle’, of the films that comprises McQueen’s BBC series Small Axe.

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