A Black History of Britain will look at the long relationship between the British Isles, Africa, North America and the Caribbean.

The series will use new genetic and genealogical research alongside original records and interviews to build a new national narrative.

“This series will unveil a new type of black British history, because to me black history is everyone’s history,” said Olusoga. “It's the long, often tragic and always surprising story of Britain’s relationship with Africa and her peoples.”

Over four episodes, Olusoga will look at the history of black people in Britain from the African soldiers who guarded Hadrian’s Wall in the third century AD to the Lancashire cotton workers who supported the abolition of American slavery.

Over 20 specially designed BBC Black History plaques will be unveiled in tandem with the series, recording and celebrating people and events that are pivotal to the new history.

The BBC is working in partnership with a range of heritage organisations, including Black Cultural Archives, to encourage further research of black history in Britain.

A Black History of Britain will be part of a wider season of programmes with a shared theme to uncover lost, distorted or forgotten stories of Black Britons and the Black British experience.

Following the transmission of the show, viewers will be invited to nominate further people and events for addition to a Black History Trail, with more plaques to be unveiled. This will be represented in ambitious digital content, including an interactive map of the trail.

It was recently announced that Olusoga would be part of the team fronting the landmark history series Civilisations, alongside classicist Mary Beard and art historian Simon Schama. He previously presented Britain’s Forgotten Slave Owners for BBC Two, and received an RTS Programme Award nomination for his series The World’s War: Forgotten Soldiers of Empire.