Hollywood legend Samuel L Jackson is set to feature in a documentary about the transatlantic slave trade for BBC Two.
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Titled Enslaved: The Lost History of the Transatlantic Slave Trade, the four-part series will see the Pulp Fiction star shine light on 400 years of human trafficking and the millions of Africans who were shipped to the Americas.
Jackson will appear alongside author and Guardian writer Afua Hirsch, and investigative journalist Simcha Jacobovici.
(L-R) Afua Hirsch, Simcha Jacobovici and Samuel L Jackson
Enslaved promises to bring to life both the enslaved people and their European captors using retrieved artefacts and “dramatic reconstruction”. The show will also use the latest diving technology – think advanced 3D mapping and ground-penetrating radar – to locate and examine sunken slave ships across three continents.
While deep-sea divers will explore sites in UK, the Caribbean and Florida, experts on land will investigate the stories behind related locations in Ghana, England and the Americas.
The BBC says: “Enslaved provides a fresh and authentic history of the transatlantic slave trade - one that demonstrates to today’s audiences that this is a truly global story. It celebrates the cultures that millions of enslaved people left behind, and the impact those who survived had on world culture today.”
Freemantle's Enslaved: The Lost History of the Transatlantic Slave Trade is set to premiere in the US as a six-part series, but the BBC has “re-versioned” the show into four episodes.
“British viewers will also be fascinated to see Bristol's role in this history, as writer and broadcaster Afua Hirsch visits the now infamous – and since toppled – statue of Edward Colston. With impressive and ground-breaking production values, this is an unmissable look at a near lost history,” said Distributor Jamie Lynn.
The BBC has not announced an air date for the series.
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Enslaved: The Lost History of the Transatlantic Slave Trade will air on BBC Two. See what else is on with our TV Guide.
Thomas is Digital editor at BBC Science Focus. Writing about everything from cosmology to anthropology, he specialises in the latest psychology, health and neuroscience discoveries. Thomas has a Masters degree (distinction) in Magazine Journalism from the University of Sheffield and has written for Men’s Health, Vice and Radio Times. He has been shortlisted as the New Digital Talent of the Year at the national magazine Professional Publishers Association (PPA) awards. Also working in academia, Thomas has lectured on the topic of journalism to undergraduate and postgraduate students at The University of Sheffield.
