Finding Britain's Slave Traders (2026)

An uncomfortable history, but part of Britain's story. David Olusoga reveals the fullest picture yet of the British traders who trafficked millions of Africans into slavery.

Part 1: The Royal Monopoly
David Olusoga meets the historians who have built the Register of British Slave Traders. For five years, they have searched through thousands of documents, piecing together a comprehensive picture of over 13,000 individuals who were investors in the slave trade. Anyone can now log on and discover who the slave traders were, where they lived, how much money they made and the links between modern British institutions and the trade in human beings.

David discovers how the monarchy drove the early British slave trade. He learns how Elizabeth I and the early Stuarts gave their support to early slavery ventures; how the restored monarchy in the 1660s, seeking new ways to strengthen its finances and authorities, chartered a joint-stock monopoly company dedicated to the trade in enslaved Africans; and how James II, the company's governor, becoming king led to the emergence of a new and rival set of companies and investors who would transform the slave trade.

Part 2: The Big Bang
David Olusoga reveals how the end of the royal monopoly and the expansion of the trade was the 'big bang' moment in the story of the slave trade. In the 18th century, the trade in enslaved Africans would reach its peak as it expanded out of the royal court to provincial towns and ports across the country, with thousands of new investors.

Technical Specs:
Video Codec: x265 CABAC Main@L4
Video Bitrate: CRF 21 (~1605Kbps)
Video Resolution: 1920x1080
Video Aspect Ratio: 16:9
Frame Rate: 25 FPS
Audio Codec: AAC-LC (Apple)
Audio Bitrate: 128Kbps CVBR 48KHz (192Kbps peak)
Audio Channels: 2
Audio Gain: 3dB
Run-Time: 2 x 59 mins
Number Of Parts: 1 hybrid folder torrent with 2 files
Part Size: 1.43 GB (total)
Source: WEB (1080p/h264/50 4204Kbps VBR 3.57GB)
SHA256#1: f1f4f521f0de0487cea37d52b5475108e10b2d98c716de4ed076a2110d74c169
SHA256#2: 27aee708e0c99a775b11ad51aecc58dd447cae9bab96a7d4955c62cb4615722b
Encoded by: JungleBoy @ MVGroup