Britain's Forgotten Slave OwnersJuly 31, 2015

In 1834 Britain abolished slavery, a defining and celebrated moment in our national history. What has been largely forgotten is that abolition came at a price. The government of the day took the extraordinary step of compensating the slave owners for loss of their 'property', as Britain's slave owners were paid £17bn in today's money, whilst the slaves received nothing.

Britain's Forgotten Slave Owners was broadcast on BBC2 at Friday 31 July 2015, 07:34. This episode was initially placed on Wednesday 15 July 2015.