Uprising: The history behind the New Cross Fire explored in Steve McQueen’s devastating BBC documentary

Episode one of the director’s new series covers the New Cross Fire of 1981

Steve McQueen’s new BBC documentary series, Uprising, explores racism in Britain through three events from 1981: the New Cross Fire, the Black People’s Day of Action and the Brixton riots.

Episode one premiered on BBC One last night (Tuesday 20 July) and explored the New Cross fire, where 13 young Black people died and 27 were injured at a house in south London after a blaze broke out during a birthday party. A 14th victim took his own life two years later.

On 18 January 1981, a joint birthday party for Yvonne Ruddock and Angela Jackson was being held 439 New Cross Road in Lewisham. The party had begun the night before and gone over into the next day.

At the time, the area was a hotbed of far-right political activity, with the National Front having a significant presence. As such, there was a significant amount of racial tension across London.

Forty years later and there are still no definitive answers to how the fire was started.

The police initially suspected a fire bomb was responsible. Several alternative theories have also been mooted in the decades since, including that a fight started the blaze or it ignited from an armchair.

To date, no person has ever been charged with starting the fire. Two separate inquests – both of which criticised the police investigation – recorded open verdicts, meaning there was no definitive conclusions as to what caused the deaths.

Grieving protestors march from New Cross to the House of Commons after 13 young Black people were killed in a fire, amid accusations of a police cover-up of a racist attack (Getty Images)

In the aftermath of the fire, the New Cross Massacre Action Committee (NCMAC) was established by bookseller John La Rose and they organised the Black People’s Day of Action march in protest of the political ambivalence shown towards the deaths. Around 20,000 people attended the march.

McQueen said: “The New Cross Fire passed into history as a tragic footnote, but that event and its aftermath can now be seen as momentous events in our nation’s history.”

In Sean O’Grady’s five star review of the first episode, he called it “a moving, unblinking piece of storytelling from a brilliant director”.

The second episode of Uprising airs tonight (22 July).