Skip to main content
Access to this video is a benefit for members through PBS Passport.

Up Next

Ancient Roots

Ancient Roots

Season 2 Episode 9
52:51
Decoding Our Past Through DNA

Decoding Our Past Through DNA

Season 2 Episode 10
52:20
Born to Sing

Born to Sing

Season 10 Episode 1
52:09
Forever Young

Forever Young

Season 10 Episode 2
52:09
Fathers and Sons

Fathers and Sons

Season 10 Episode 3
52:09
Buried Secrets

Buried Secrets

Season 10 Episode 4
52:09
Hold the Laughter

Hold the Laughter

Season 10 Episode 5
52:09
Far and Away

Far and Away

Season 10 Episode 6
52:09
The Brick Wall Falls

The Brick Wall Falls

Season 10 Episode 7
52:09
Mean Streets

Mean Streets

Season 10 Episode 8
52:09
In the Blood

In the Blood

Season 10 Episode 9
52:09
Viewers Like You

Viewers Like You

Season 10 Episode 10
52:09
Back to Show
Finding Your Roots

The British Invasion

Season 2 Episode 8

Sally Field learns that she descends from William Bradford, who helped the Puritans establish their new lives in colonial America. Deepak Chopra’s family pledged their loyalty to the British in hopes of achieving a higher place in society, and Sting’s ancestors, who fueled Great Britain’s world dominance during the Pax Britannica by building its merchant ships.

Watch Preview
Support Provided By
Season
Against All Odds
Unlock with PBS Passport
52:10
Henry Louis Gates, Jr. discovers the lineages that claim Andy Cohen and Nina Totenberg.
To the Manor Born
Unlock with PBS Passport
52:11
Henry Louis Gates, Jr. discovers the lineages that claim Glenn Close and John Waters.
Coming to America
Unlock with PBS Passport
52:10
Nancy Pelosi, Norah O’Donnell, and Zac Posen discover surprising roots.
Breaking Silences
Unlock with PBS Passport
52:10
Gayle King, Jordan Peele, and Issa Rae discover surprising roots.
Flight
Unlock with PBS Passport
52:40
Scarlett Johansson, Lupita Nyong’o, and Lidia Bastianich discover surprising roots.
War Stories
Unlock with PBS Passport
52:40
Julianne Moore, Bill Hader, and Kehinde Wiley discover surprising rates.
DNA Mysteries
Unlock with PBS Passport
52:45
Téa Leoni and Joe Madison discover surprising roots.
Fashion's Roots
Unlock with PBS Passport
52:46
Diane Von Furstenberg, Narciso Rodriguez, and RuPaul Charles discover surprising roots.
Criminal Kind
Unlock with PBS Passport
52:16
Laura Linney, Lisa Ling, and Soledad O’Brien discover surprising roots.
Italian Roots
Unlock with PBS Passport
52:41
Jimmy Kimmel, Marisa Tomei, and John Turturro meet ancestors who made immense sacrifices.
Slave Trade
Unlock with PBS Passport
52:41
Ava DuVernay, S. Epatha Merkerson, and Questlove discover unexpected family histories.
Science Pioneers
Unlock with PBS Passport
52:41
Francis Collins, Shirley Ann Jackson, and Harold E. Varmus learn their family histories.
Active loading indicator