Seriously...

Descendants: Episode One


Listen Later

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.

The story begins with Jen Reid – whose image first captured attention of the national and international press after a replacement statue of her appeared on the plinth where Colston once stood. In the first episode, we discover the connection between Jen's ancestors in Jamaica and another family 3000 miles away in Detroit. Scrolling backwards and forwards in time, their stories span 200 years and take us on a journey from a plantation field in Jamaica to a football pitch in Scotland and a connection to a legendary figure of the 20th century.

Producers: Polly Weston, Candace Wilson, Rema Mukena

Editor: Kirsten Lass
Academic consultants: Matthew Smith and Rachel Lang of the Centre for the Study of the Legacies of British Slavery at UCL
Additional genealogical research is by Laura Berry

...more
View all episodesView all episodes
Download on the App Store

Seriously...By BBC Radio 4

  • 4.3
  • 4.3
  • 4.3
  • 4.3
  • 4.3

4.3

257 ratings


More shows like Seriously...

View all
Global News Podcast by BBC World Service

Global News Podcast

7,613 Listeners

Newshour by BBC World Service

Newshour

1,049 Listeners

In Our Time by BBC Radio 4

In Our Time

5,478 Listeners

The Documentary Podcast by BBC World Service

The Documentary Podcast

1,798 Listeners

In Our Time: History by BBC Radio 4

In Our Time: History

1,881 Listeners

6 Minute English by BBC Radio

6 Minute English

1,754 Listeners

Learning English Conversations by BBC Radio

Learning English Conversations

1,038 Listeners

Friday Night Comedy from BBC Radio 4 by BBC Radio 4

Friday Night Comedy from BBC Radio 4

2,103 Listeners

The Infinite Monkey Cage by BBC Radio 4

The Infinite Monkey Cage

2,095 Listeners

Comedy of the Week by BBC Radio 4

Comedy of the Week

489 Listeners

Desert Island Discs by BBC Radio 4

Desert Island Discs

1,990 Listeners

Great Lives by BBC Radio 4

Great Lives

484 Listeners

Lives Less Ordinary by BBC World Service

Lives Less Ordinary

593 Listeners

Profile by BBC Radio 4

Profile

107 Listeners

Last Word by BBC Radio 4

Last Word

44 Listeners

Thinking Allowed by BBC Radio 4

Thinking Allowed

297 Listeners

The Audio Long Read by The Guardian

The Audio Long Read

848 Listeners

All in the Mind by BBC Radio 4

All in the Mind

74 Listeners

Private Passions by BBC Radio 3

Private Passions

46 Listeners

You're Dead to Me by BBC Radio 4

You're Dead to Me

3,151 Listeners

The Bomb by BBC World Service

The Bomb

1,007 Listeners

Life Changing by BBC Radio 4

Life Changing

103 Listeners

This Cultural Life by BBC Radio 4

This Cultural Life

82 Listeners

When It Hits the Fan by BBC Radio 4

When It Hits the Fan

46 Listeners

Young Again by BBC Radio 4

Young Again

49 Listeners