The BBC North East & Cumbria region started in 1959 (tbc) as part of the BBC Television Service, before becoming BBC One North East & Cumbria.

BBC One North East & Cumbria

Who Do You Think You Are? USA

Documentaries

Factual: Life Stories

Factual: Families & Relationships

Factual: History

American celebrities trace their ancestry, discovering surprises from their past.

American celebrities trace their ancestry, discovering secrets and surprises from their past.

Who Do You Think You Are? USA: Series 1

Spike Lee

Christopher Bruce

Lucy Carter

Who Do You Think You Are? USA: Series 1: Episode 6: Spike Lee

Episode 6

Episode 6: Spike Lee

Series 1

BBC One - Who Do You Think You Are? USA, Series 1, Spike Lee

Director, producer and actor Spike Lee explores his family's slave origins.

Celebrities trace their roots. Internationally-acclaimed director, producer and actor Spike Lee explores his family's slave origins, determined to find out who owned his family.

Internationally acclaimed director, producer and actor Spike Lee has built his career on chronicling the African-American experience in his films. But for all of his knowledge about African American history, he knew very little about his own family history.  After the death of this mother, Spike was raised by his maternal grandmother Zimmie Jackson - and it's her ancestry he's curious about.  

Determined to find out more about his family's slave origins, Spike set out with one clear question in mind - 'who owned my family?'. His first stop is Atlanta Georgia where Zimmie lived for most of her life.  

In Atlanta he visits Spelman College, America's oldest black college for women, which his grandmother Zimmie attended in the 1920s. From here he heads to the archives where he traces back through the generations uncovering the names of his three times great grandparents. This discovery sets him off on a journey which takes him back through slavery, the American Civil War and emancipation.   

Spike's journey culminates in Texas, when he comes face-to-face with a descendant of the man who had enslaved his ancestors.

BBC One

BBC One is a TV channel that started broadcasting on the 20th April 1964. It replaced BBC Television.

BBC 1

BBC1

Simulcast of network BBC One in high definition. From 03/11/2010

BBC One HD

The BBC West region started on 1st September 1957 as part of the BBC Television Service, before becoming BBC One West.

BBC One West

The BBC South West region started on 20th April 1961 as part of the BBC Television Service, before becoming BBC One South West.

BBC One South West

The BBC South region started on 5th January 1961 as part of the BBC Television Service, before becoming BBC One South.

BBC One South

BBC One London

London

BBC One West Midlands

BBC One region covering Derbyshire, Leicestershire and Nottinghamshire.

BBC One East Midlands

The BBC East region started on 1st May 1959 as part of the BBC Television Service, before becoming BBC One East.

BBC One East

BBC One North West

BBC One Yorkshire

BBC One Oxfordshire

Formerly part of a wider BBC One South East region that included London and part of the South region. Separated from BBC One London 2001-09-03 following reorganisation of the South East region.

BBC One South East

BBC One Cambridgeshire

BBC One Channel Islands

BBC One Yorks & Lincs

BBC One Scotland

Scotland

BBC Northern Ireland region started on 19th April 1955 as part of the BBC Television Service, before becoming BBC One Northern Ireland.

Accessibility links

Programme Index

Who Do You Think You Are? USA

Series 1

Episode 6: Spike Lee

Contributors

Genres

Formats

Brand

Series

BBC One North East & Cumbria

About BBC One