Alex Wheatle Dies: ‘Crongton’ Author Who Inspired ‘Small Axe’ Film Was 62
deadline.comAlex Wheatle, the ‘Brixton Bard’ who wrote the Crongton Knights books and inspired a film in Steve McQueen’s Small Axe series, has died aged 62.
Alex’s family shared a statement confirming his death: “It is with great sadness we inform you that Alex Wheatle, our ‘Brixton Bard’, sadly passed away on Sunday 16th March 2025 after his fight with prostate cancer.” Wheatle was a much-loved children’s author and was best known for the Crongton series, which are being adapted for the BBC.
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.
Wheatle’s plight was captured on screen by Sheyi Cole, who played him in a ‘Alex Wheatle’, one of the films that comprises McQueen’s BBC series Small Axe.
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