Clovis Salmon, First Black UK Documentary Filmmaker, Captured the Soul of Brixton With a Camera and a Bike

Pioneer of Black British Documentary Film

Clovis Salmon, the man behind the camera known as “Sam the Wheels,” has died at 98. He is recognized as the first Black documentary filmmaker in the United Kingdom.

His films focused on the everyday lives of Black communities in South London. Most notably, he documented the 1981 Brixton riots using a hidden camera to avoid police interference.

Capturing the Brixton Riots on Two Wheels

During the three-day unrest, Salmon rode through Brixton with his camera strapped to him. He captured smoldering cars, frustrated locals, and powerful street interviews.

One person in his footage explained the cause of the chaos simply: “Jobs, money, National Front, and all the rest—we’d just had enough, so we just explode.”

A Lifelong Archivist of Black London Life

Salmon moved to Brixton from Jamaica in 1954 as part of the Windrush generation. He documented community life for decades, building a vast archive with hundreds of hours of film.

In the 1960s, he captured a local struggle to open Brixton’s first Black church in his film The Great Conflict of Somerleyton Road.

The Man Known as Sam the Wheels

Outside of filmmaking, Salmon was a beloved figure known for repairing bicycles. His home on Railton Road was surrounded by secondhand bikes.

He also worked as a deacon, factory hand, and cane cutter before earning the title of “fastest wheel builder in Britain” during his time at Holdsworth Cycles.

A Legacy Finally Recognized

Despite his impact, recognition came late. His films were featured at the Barbican Centre in 2021. In 2024, he received an OBE for services to Black culture.

Arts leader Mark Sealy described Salmon as “probably Britain’s most important overlooked Black filmmaker.”

His Work Lives On

Lucy Davies of 198 Contemporary Arts and Learning has worked to digitize his archive. She says his decades of footage give a rare, honest look at Black postwar Britain.

“Sam got his flowers in the end, but not until the end of his life,” she said.

“He filmed at a time when the only other coverage came from the BBC or Pathé. And he did it on his own.”

Remembering a Family Man and Cultural Guardian

Salmon is survived by his wife, Delores, five children, ten grandchildren, and many great-grandchildren.

A display of bicycles remains outside his home to honor his memory. His films and legacy continue to tell the story of a changing Brixton through the eyes of one man and his lens.