Small Prophets

Tiny Oracles Grow in a Garden Shed

Small Prophets follows Michael Sleep, an eccentric DIY-store employee whose life stalled when his partner Clea disappeared seven years earlier. His father hands him an old alchemical recipe involving rainwater, horse manure, and a great deal of patience. Michael uses it to grow homunculi, small magical spirits that might answer whether Clea will ever return.

An Unlikely Friendship Feeds the Experiment

Coworker Kacey helps Michael tend the strange project, and their shared dislike of store manager Gordon becomes the start of a genuine friendship. Nosy neighbors Bev and Clive keep trying to uncover what is happening in the shed, adding domestic suspicion to the supernatural setup. The prophets themselves are brought to life with stop-motion animation rather than conventional computer effects.

Mackenzie Crook Builds a Gentle Mystery

Detectorists creator Mackenzie Crook created, wrote, and directed the six-episode comedy-drama. Pearce Quigley plays Michael, with Lauren Patel as Kacey, Sir Michael Palin as his father Brian, and Crook as Gordon. The story mixes grief and unanswered questions with low-key humor instead of treating its homemade magic as grand fantasy.

A Global Apple TV Home With More Ahead

Season one begins streaming worldwide on Apple TV on October 7, 2026, after its original BBC run in the United Kingdom. A second season has already been ordered, with Crook returning to write and direct, so Michael's search will continue beyond these first six episodes.