Britain's Forgotten Slave Owners
TV Show · Documentary · History

When slavery was abolished in Britain, its government made the extraordinary choice of compensating slave-owners for their loss of ‘property’. Historian David Olusoga uncovers the untold story of Britain’s slave trade – and an empire founded on its profits.

2015 · 59m
Starring David Olusoga

Season 1

  • EPISODE 1
    Profit and Loss
    Lifting the lid on the range and scale of the slavery business as it existed in Britain, historian David Olusoga examines the records and finds it wasn’t just the super-rich who exploited slave labour. Ordinary members of the middle-class, including widows, clergymen and shopkeepers, were also in on the act. Yet many never looked a slave in the eye or experienced the brutality of plantation life.
    59m
  • EPISODE 2
    The Price of Freedom
    In 1834, Britain’s government made the extraordinary decision to compensate former slave-owners with the equivalent of $22 billion in today’s money. In the second part of this revealing documentary series, historian David Olusoga traces the bitter propaganda war waged between pro-slavers and abolitionists. But were these pay-offs, as was then believed, the only way to bring the system to an end?
    59m

Trailers

  • Britain's Forgotten Slave Owners
    3m

Related

Cast & Crew

  • David Olusoga
    Host

About

Britain's Forgotten Slave Owners

Documentary

When slavery was abolished in Britain, its government made the extraordinary choice of compensating slave-owners for their loss of ‘property’. Historian David Olusoga uncovers the untold story of Britain’s slave trade – and an empire founded on its profits.

Information

Studio
BBC
Released
2015
Rated
PG
Region of Origin
United Kingdom
© 2015 BBC

Languages

Original Audio
English (United Kingdom)
Audio

English (United Kingdom) (AAC)

Subtitles

English (United Kingdom) (CC)

Accessibility

Closed captions (CC) refer to subtitles in the available language with the addition of relevant non-dialogue information.
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Select a country or region

Africa, Middle East, and India

  • Armenia
  • Azerbaijan
  • Bahrain
  • Botswana
  • Brunei Darussalam
  • Cape Verde
  • Egypt
  • Eswatini
  • Gambia
  • Ghana
  • Guinea-Bissau
  • India
  • Israel
  • Jordan
  • Lebanon
  • Mauritius
  • Mozambique
  • Namibia
  • Niger (English)
  • Oman
  • Qatar
  • Saudi Arabia
  • South Africa
  • Sri Lanka
  • Tajikistan
  • Turkmenistan
  • Uganda
  • United Arab Emirates
  • Zimbabwe

Asia Pacific

  • Australia
  • Cambodia
  • Fiji
  • 香港 (廣東話–繁體)
  • Indonesia (English)
  • 日本
  • Lao People's Democratic Republic
  • 澳門 (廣東話–繁體)
  • Malaysia (English)
  • Micronesia, Federated States of
  • Mongolia
  • New Zealand
  • Philippines
  • Singapore
  • 대한민국
  • 台灣
  • Thailand
  • Turkmenistan
  • Vietnam

Europe

  • Armenia
  • Österreich
  • Belarus
  • Belgium
  • Bulgaria
  • Cyprus
  • Czechia
  • Denmark
  • Estonia
  • Finland
  • France (Français)
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  • Lithuania
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  • Moldova, Republic Of
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  • Norway
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  • Slovakia
  • Slovenia
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  • Sverige
  • Schweiz
  • Türkiye (English)
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Latin America and the Caribbean

  • Anguilla
  • Antigua and Barbuda
  • Argentina (Español)
  • Bahamas
  • Belize
  • Bermuda
  • Bolivia (Español)
  • Brasil
  • Virgin Islands, British
  • Cayman Islands
  • Chile (Español)
  • Colombia (Español)
  • Costa Rica (Español)
  • Dominica
  • República Dominicana
  • Ecuador (Español)
  • El Salvador (Español)
  • Grenada
  • Guatemala (Español)
  • Honduras (Español)
  • México
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  • Panamá
  • Paraguay (Español)
  • Perú
  • St. Kitts and Nevis
  • Trinidad and Tobago
  • Venezuela (Español)

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  • United States
  • Estados Unidos (Español México)