成人论坛

One year on from the toppling of the Colston Statue in Bristol, Descendants asks... how close is each of us to the legacy of Britain's role in slavery? And who does that mean our lives are connected to?

Yrsa Daley-Ward narrates seven episodes telling the stories of people whose lives today are all connected through this history and its legacy.

As a teenager growing up in South London, Marlon discovered steel pan and it changed his life. While grappling with the meaning of his own surname, and how it connects to the history of British slavery, he uncovers how the instrument he loves was also born out of the legacies of this history. The heritage of carnival and steel pan leads us to Valerie, a white woman, born and raised in Trinidad, who seeks to understand how her family ended up on this isle - and discovers her ancestor's role in the events which led to the creation of a cultural institution.

Producers: Polly Weston, Candace Wilson, Rema Mukena
Editor: Kirsten Lass
Academic consultants: Matthew Smith and Rachel Lang of the UCL Centre for the Study of the Legacies of British Slavery
Additional genealogical research is by Laura Berry