How to watch Small Axe online: stream new Steve McQueen BBC series free and anywhere

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Once installed, just pick the location of your home country, and click connect! You’ll then be free to watch the Steve McQueen’s essential new anthology of films online, and stream Small Axe from world.

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Yes, you heard correctly. Five films from award-winning director Steve McQueen are being made available for FREE to British audiences. Finally, 2020 has turned a corner! Brits with a cable or satellite subscription, or a Freeview box, can enjoy these awesome and socially-important films on BBC One from November 15 at 9pm, with a new instalment dropping at the same time every week.

If you’ve cut the cord? Don’t worry. You can watch Small Axe online live through BBC iPlayer (opens in new tab). Each instalment will be added to their on-demand library after they air too, so you can catch-up with them at a time that suits you. And, while the entire series is available FREE to UK viewers, you will need to have a valid TV license.

While travel might be unlikely during this ‘second wave’ of coronavirus, if you’re currently abroad then you’ll need a check out a good VPN (opens in new tab) to access BBC iPlayer content, and so stream Small Axe from anywhere.

Small Axe looks to be another lauded UK-US TV collaboration following the release of drama series Industry, and American audiences can stream this BBC-Amazon Studios co-production via Amazon Prime Video (opens in new tab). Starring Letitia Wright (Top Boy, Black Panther), ‘Mangrove’ will premiere on the VoD service Friday, November 20, with a new film being added each week up until December 18.

Amazon Prime Video offer a dizzyingly generous month-long free trial (opens in new tab) that provides new subscribers with access to over 18,000 movies and nearly 2,000 TV shows, in addition to premium membership benefits like free delivery and Prime Music. When your month of no-strings-attached fun ends, a subscription will cost you $12.99 a month – but if you decide to buy an annual membership ($119), you’ll make a saving of $36.84 per year.

In another country and unable to access your Amazon Prime Video account? Try using a VPN (opens in new tab), which works by changing your IP address, thus allowing you to watch Small Axe online from anywhere.

The simple answer is…no. Surprisingly, Canadian broadcasters and on-demand platforms haven’t yet snatched up this exceptional series of films helmed by the acclaimed director of Hunger, Shame, and 12 Years a Slave, although they have been acquired in France, Spain, Russia, South Africa, and many other international territories.

At this point we can only hope, given it’s available via Amazon in the USA, that the Amazon of the Great North will eventually bring this quintet of quality dramas to Canadian viewers. Or perhaps they’re engaged in a high-stakes bidding war with streaming rival Crave?? Watch this space!

In Canada from abroad and want to access a streaming service from your country of residence? Then you’ll need a Virtual Private Network (VPN) as detailed above. Luckily, it couldn't be easier to get started with a good VPN. (opens in new tab)

Things look a lot more promising for Australian audiences, although there’s no broadcast date announced yet. Pay television company Foxtel recently purchased the rights to stream Small Axe in Australia, as part of a content deal in place with the BBC. When it finally does hit screens, cable viewers will be able to enjoy all five instalments through Foxtel’s BBC First channel.

Cord cutters would get access through IPTV service Foxtel Now (opens in new tab) by opting to add the Drama channel package to their Essentials Base plan, thus allowing them to view content from BBC First, BBC UK TV, Fox Showcase, Universal, and much more). While that will set members back AUS$35.00 a month, new subscribers are entitled to a 10-day free trial (opens in new tab)!

Alternatively, if you have Fetch TV (opens in new tab) – or are willing to shell out AUS$169 for a TV Box – just include the Variety package for AUS$6 a month to get BBC First access. A TV Box integrates all your TV media – uniting Free-to-air channels with TV apps like 9Now, your VoD memberships (Netflix, Stan), and any premium channel packages you add on – bringing it together in one convenient place.

On holiday but want to watch Small Axe as it airs? Downloading a VPN (opens in new tab) is a quick and easy solution: allowing you to access your preferred on-demand platform and watch Small Axe from anywhere in the world.