TV doctors Chris and Xand van Tulleken are the next celebrities to trace their family history on BBC genealogy series Who Do You Think You Are? The identical twin brothers, who are best known for presenting children’s series Operation Ouch!, join the likes of Claire Foy, Bear Grylls and Kevin Clifton.
In Chris and Xand’s episode, which airs on Thursday, June 29, the pair find themselves horrified after discovering that one of their ancestors was a prolific slave trader. When they’re told that their 5x great-grandfather Ambrosias Tulleken was successful in the Dutch colony of Suriname, Xand says: “I do have an ominous feeling. If you were making money out there, you weren’t doing anything good.”
The pair discover that Ambrosias started out as an accountant in charge of shipping chained slaves from Angola to a plantation in Demerera, now part of Guyana, which was named Tullekens after him. He later bought his own ship, the Amphitrite, and owned several plantations while managing many others. Are you enjoying the current series of Who Do You Think You Are? Let us know in the comments.
Upon making the discovery Xand says: “That makes me feel a bit sick. It’s so immediately horrifying.” Chris then adds: “The horror is that it’s the most shameful aspect of all human history.”
A record of one journey in 1764 shows that 323 slaves were taken from Angola but only 302 arrived in Demerara. Chris says that he imagines the slaves went through “unimaginable suffering”.
Both Chris and Xand agree that their view on their family history has changed after finding out about Ambrosias. Xand says: “All of this has been obscured. We’ve never heard a whisper of this. I feel very ashamed.” Chris then adds: “Much more than ashamed. “Really disgusted. It’s horrible seeing your name on those documents.”
Catch the full story on Who Do You Think You Are? At 9pm on BBC One on Thursday, June 29. For more showbiz and television stories get our newsletter here.
