IW007 - Small Island
From one “small island” to another, the story of Small Island ranges from Jamaica to England, during and just after WWII.
“There are some words that once spoken will split the world in two. There would be the life before you breathed them and then the altered life after they'd been said. They take a long time to find, words like that. They make you hesitate. Choose with care.” — Andrea Levy
Click to listen.
Photo by Taylor Kiser. Licensed through Unsplash.
If you’re watching our show-of-the week, a bowl of popcorn is just fine. Are you happy with fine? Then proceed as usual; don’t mind us. If, however, you want to level up your sense of being on the island (and that’s why we are all here, right?), we’ve customized a picnic exactly for Small Island.
Island Watch Picnic Picks
for Small Island
Barley twists: The traditional hard candy that Bernard just can’t get enough of. Or - wink wink - you could deconstruct the barley twist by putting a twist of lemon in your favourite barley beverage.
Orange and a bar of chocolate: Queenie receives both as a present during the war. How precious a gift was this? Oranges were so rare in Britain during the war that even something as quintessentially British as marmalade had to be mocked up.
Rock cake: Queenie and Gilbert try sharing a rock cake in a tea room. “By name and make,” cracks Gilbert of the solid bun. You’ll probably do better with this recipe. Don’t forget the whipped cream and strawberry jam.
Picnic shared by Gilbert and friends. We’re not saying this is an authentic collection for a picnic, but each recipe is a real deal popular Jamaican snack:
Stomp and Go: Fish fritters that got their name from customers waiting impatiently to get their orders at the street vendor.
Bulla cakes: A slightly sweet quick bread made with grated ginger, delicious with avocado or cheese.
Peanut drops: We’re going to save some of these for holiday snacks because ginger and peanuts = yum!!!
Super easy to make, fun to mess around with, and lights up your tastebuds! We’re talking about Tamarind Balls! A sweet and sour base, to which you can add hot sauce, rum... This is a seriously fun recipe.
Fish and chips: Queenie Elizabeth II’s former chef says “they’re quite easy to make at home”. His recipe walks you through the process, though we’d rather order in than mess around with a deep fryer.
Photo by Andy Wang. Licensed through Unsplash.
Photo by Keyur Hardas. Licensed through Unsplash.
Windrush
Windrush is a BBC documentary produced in 1998 to mark the 50th anniversary of the arrival in Britain of the MV Empire Windrush. Simple first-person interviews with the people who emigrated from the Carribean provide the real-world stories that form the universe Small Island is part of.
Photo by Ahmed Yaaniu. Licensed through Unsplash.
Island Hopping
We got curious. Did the actors from Small Island go on to act in other island shows?
Hortense Roberts: Naomie Harris
It’s a barely-there connection, but as Harris plays Moneypenny in the Bond franchise, you could say there’s an island connection in that Japan’s Hashima Island is the location of the baddies’ lair. Hardly the kind of place most folks would consider an island getaway.
She’s also in the new Bond film No Time to Die, which includes Jamaican locations. Harris has a bit to say about that.
Queenie Bligh: Ruth Wilson
Wilson starred in The Affair, an award-winning 2014 TV series that starts its tale in Montauk, NY at the easternmost tip of Long Island.
Bernard Bligh: Benedict Cumberbatch
Prolific as he is, Cumberbatch hasn’t made a lot of island films. (Which we’d give over in a minute, if he just makes another series of Sherlock!) The 2010 buddy drama Third Star stars Cumberbatch as a young man with cancer, taking a camping trip on the English coast.
Gilbert Joseph: David Oyelowo
If you haven’t mastered his last name, Oyelowo has some advice.
Come Away sees Oyelowo and Angelina Jolie in a family fantasy movie where their children embody Alice in Wonderland and Peter Pan. A few glimpses of island in the trailer (release date Dec 4, 2020) is enough to get in on our island hop.
And while it isn’t set on an island, we did mention the chess-centered Queen of Katwe in our episode.
Photo by Abbie Bernet. Licensed through Unsplash.
Ratings
We have ratings for all the shows and movies we watch.
To make sure you can find exactly the island show that's right for you, we answer two questions for each show:
Does this show make me feel like I’m actually on the island? That's our specialized Island Rating. No other show gives you that!
Do we recommend this show? Our Star Rating lets you know if we loved a show or not, regardless of the island.
***
Island Rating
Gemma: Hotel Window (1 out of 5)
Where did the sunshine go?
Dave: Coastal Highway (2 out of 5)
It might not have portrayed the expected geographic features of an island, but the isolation and insularity gave it a metaphorical island feel.
Star Rating:
Gemma: 3.5 out of 5
Engrossing drama, and a confession …
Dave: 4 out of 5
Superb performances by the lead actors make for a compelling show.
Photo by Greg Rosenke. Licensed through Unsplash.
Find The Island: Once upon a time a farmer went to a mainland market and purchased a wolf, a goat, and a cabbage. To cross back to her island, the farmer can only ferry herself and one of her purchases at a time. How does she do it? Our puzzle isn’t quite this complicated, but nearly. Note: no animals were ferried during recording of this podcast.
Extra bonus: Our mystery island is featured on this show that finds places off the beaten path.
Our next island: Hold on to your beach hats! Next episode is our final full-length episode of the season! It’s going to be a tasty mix of island shows, puzzles, and a few surprises along the way.
Messages in a Bottle: The best way to get in touch with us is by email. Send your questions and comments to us at islandwatchpodcast@gmail.com