FIVE BY FIVE (BBC)
FIVE BY FIVE (BBC)

Premiering today, March 27, Idris Elba stars in BBC Three’s “Five by Five,” a series of short films from new writers, featuring new and established on-screen talent working side by side. “Five by Five” is part of “The Idris Takeover,” a unique and ground-breaking season of content created and curated by Idris Elba.

Set in London, the five standalone films feature chance encounters between characters which question identity and change perceptions.

Five writers. Five characters. One story. All 5 short films have been released online by BBC Three; watch them all below.

In a city of millions, teenager Ash (Michael Ajao) is lost. He wants to be the big man, but reality doesn’t quite deliver. A chance encounter leads him to make a dangerous decision, starting a chain reaction that plays out across these five connected short films.

As Ash faces down some vengeful bullies, he interrupts Chloe’s (Georgina Campbell) romantic plans. Her target, Lucas, (Ben Tavassoli) is bewildered and seeks solace with Jules (Nina Yndis), a bored waitress. Jules ignores her customer Janine (Ruth Madeley), who breaks the law but escapes the attention of cop Michael (Sope Dirisu) – who encounters a badly beaten Ash, in need of help but unable to ask for it.

Ash’s choice started it all. Michael’s decision to intervene or walk away will end it.

“Five by Five” is produced by Dean Byfield, executive produced by Idris Elba for Green Door Pictures, and Richard Stokes and Hilary Salmon for BBC Studios. The films are written by Cat Jones, and new writers Lee Coan, Namsi Khan, Selina Lim and Nathaniel Price. They are directed by Screen International Star of Tomorrow Kate Herron.

All Watch all 5 episodes of “Five by Five” below.

Episode 1: Teenager Ash wants to be the big man. He knows what he has to do but he knows it’s wrong. A chance meeting begins a chain reaction of events with potentially fatal consequences.

Episode: Chloe is going to ask out a guy. Every detail has been planned, but romance is thwarted when she accidentally punches him in a case of mistaken identity.

Episode 3: Bloodied from an earlier encounter, Lucas meets the woman of his dreams but in an attempt to impress her, he lies and becomes embroiled in an argument that he doesn’t understand.

Episode 4: Janine wants to score but her local dealer can’t see past her wheelchair. Tired of the daily prejudice, she flips it to her advantage when a cop appears on the horizon.

Episode 5: Michael’s partner thinks he’s racist. When they meet a black teen in need of help but unable to ask for it, Michael’s decision to intervene or walk away could prove fatal.