Three Little Birds: is Lenny Henry ITV drama based on a true story, cast, episodes and when is it on TV?

Three Little Birds is the brand new ITV drama created and produced by Sir Lenny Henry. The six-episode series tells the story of three women who travel from Jamaica to England in the late 1950s in search for a new life in the UK.

Inspired by the experience of Henry's mother and aunt, it stars Rochelle Neil (The Nevers) and former EastEnders actress Saffron Coomber as sisters Leah and Chantrelle who convince their reserved friend Hosanna (Yazmin Belo) to join them on their travels. 

The first episode aired on Sunday October 22, the drama which was released during Black History Month is already securing positive reviews, with The Evening Standard scoring it a respectable four out of five stars. Here's everything you need to know about Three Little Birds.

When can you watch Three Little Birds on ITV?

Three Little Birds aired at 8 pm on ITV1 on Sunday October 22. The first of six episodes, all remaining five episodes will air at the same time every week until the finale on Sunday November 26. They will also be able to stream as a box set on ITVX.

What is Three Little Birds about?

Three Little Birds was created by Comic Relief co-founder Lenny Henry. The series tells the story of three women who travel from Jamaica to England in the late 1950s in search for a new life.

Here is the official plot for Three Little Birds: "Set in 1957, post-Windrush, the series follows Jamaican sisters Leah (Rochelle Neil) and Chantrelle (Saffron Coomber) who are lured to the UK in search of new beginnings. 

They follow their older brother Aston (played by Javone Prince), who has already made the move, and who asks them to bring him a potential wife from back home. 

The sisters convince their virtuous friend Hosanna (Yazmin Belo) to join them on their journey but they all soon discover their new life doesn’t quite fit the promise of rock and roll, swing, Hollywood starlets and fabulous fashion they were expecting. 

And it’s not just the British weather they have to contend with. Over time we learn the shocking truths about the lives they left behind and see how they fiercely tackle the obstacles of integration to build themselves a new home in Britain."

Is there a trailer for Three Little Birds?

Yes, ITV released a trailer for the drama, you can watch it below.

Who is in the cast for Three Little Birds?

Three Little Birds stars Rochelle Neil (The Nevers) and former EastEnders actress Saffron Coomber as sisters Leah and Chantrelle who convince their reserved friend Hosanna (Yazmin Belo) to join them on their travels.

Here is the Three Little Birds cast:

• Rochelle Neil as Leah Whittaker
• Saffron Coomber as Chantrelle Brahms
• Yazmin Belo as Hosanna Drake
• Javone Prince as Aston Brahms
• Leemore Marrett Jr as Ephraim Whittaker
• Bobby Gordon as Shelton Powell
• Arthur Darvill as Ernest Wantage
• Amy Beth Hayes as Diana Wantage

Is Three Little Birds based on a true story?

Three Little Birds is not a true story and the characters included are fictional, however reported by the Radio Times, Henry told them it is "based on stories my mum and my aunty told me about coming to Britain in the '50s".

He added: "It's about overcoming, it's about women and feminism. They literally came to this country and they worked hard, got their kids and men over here, and the show is about that. It's happy, it's moving, it's sad at times, and it looks beautiful."

Speaking to Sky News on Sunday October 22 ahead of the drama's release, he shared that it wasn't his mother's story. Henry joked: "This isn't my mother's story, okay? Because my family is very litigious. They will come and they will sue my backside."

He continued: "This is lots of people's stories... if you move from over here to get away from poverty and starvation and war or whatever, to come somewhere safe and hoping to be accepted, then you will relate to this story. It's not just for five Jamaican people in the Midlands, it's for all of us."