Enslaved S1

This brand-new six-part docuseries featuring Hollywood icon Samuel L Jackson (also in Shaft on Showmax this month) looks at human trafficking from Africa to the New World, from the perspective of three different storylines.

Over 400 years, millions of enslaved Africans were shipped to the Americas by Western European slave traders. Over 12 million people were kidnapped and sold into slavery. At least two million perished during the sea voyage. Using new diving technology – such as advanced 3D mapping and ground-penetrating radar – to locate and examine sunken slave ships off three continents, the series reveals an entirely new perspective on the history of the transatlantic slave trade.

At dive sites that include the UK, the Caribbean and Florida, we follow an experienced team of deep-sea divers as they search for and locate ships that sank, drowning the enslaved people aboard. Meanwhile, on land, experts investigate the stories behind related locations, in Ghana, England and the Americas. Scientific detective work, clues from retrieved underwater artefacts, reportage and dramatic reconstruction combine to serve as a platform for examining the ideology, economics and politics of the transatlantic slave trade.

Enslaved is ready to stream on Showmax, with new episodes every Wednesday.