The BBC prominently featured this in its 2016 documentary series Black and British: A Forgotten History, hosted by David Olusoga. In the program, Olusoga expressed delight, calling her a "black Briton" similar to himself. The BBC installed a commemorative plaque near the site, labeling her "of African origin" and the earliest known black person in Britain. The story gained widespread media attention, appearing in books, educational materials, and discussions on diversity in Roman Britain.
By 2023, preliminary DNA testing shifted interpretations toward possible Cypriot or southern European origins, prompting removal of the plaque.
A comprehensive 2025 study, published in the Journal of Archaeological Science by researchers from the Natural History Museum (including Drs. Selina Brace and William Marsh) and University College London (Andy Walton), used advanced DNA sequencing. It revealed high-quality genetic data showing strong affinity to local Roman-era Iron Age populations in southern England and northern continental Europe.
The woman was a native Briton, not an immigrant from Africa or the Mediterranean.
Forensic genetic predictions indicated she likely had blond hair, blue eyes, and intermediate (likely pale) skin pigmentation. Researchers updated her digital facial reconstruction accordingly. The study notes that her story "has shifted over time and has sparked important debates about diversity and how we portray individuals from our past.
The original BBC portrayal was ideologically driven "DEI-fication of history" and "revisionist fantasy," part of a broader effort to undermine white British indigeneity. Media and academics were hyping unproven claims, comparing it to controversies like Cheddar Man's dark skin reconstruction (a separate Mesolithic case with its own debates). The tone is triumphant, viewing the DNA results as exposing liberal overreach.
Neutral sources, including the BBC's own December 17, 2025, reporting and the Natural History Museum, present the findings factually as scientific progress correcting earlier skull-based assumptions, without assigning blame. The case illustrates how evolving technology refines archaeological interpretations, highlighting caution in ancestry claims from limited evidence.
The infamous Piltdown Man hoax (1912-1953), and Dr. Donald Johanson who discovered the famous Lucy skeleton but gave false information about the associated footprints, the knee joint, and the pelvis of Lucy, come to mind. Follow the science is losing its meaning when woke ideology dominates.
Editorial comments expressed in this column are the sole opinion of the writer.
