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LeVar Burton reveals why now is "the perfect time" to bring back Roots



40 years on from the groundbreaking premiere of Roots, its original star LeVar Burton says now is "the perfect time" for Americans to revisit this incredible story.

Burton has been a driving force in bringing the slavery drama back to television this year as a History miniseries, so a whole new generation can learn lessons from America's troubled past.

Chatting with Digital Spy about Ubisoft's Star Trek: Bridge Crew Virtual Reality experience, Burton told us: "There was a lot of skepticism as to the need or even the value of a remake of Roots or a re-telling of Roots.

"I'm not a fan of remakes necessarily - I certainly never expected there to be a new version of Roots. I didn't think it would happen - and I didn't think it necessarily should happen.

"When I was convinced that it needed to happen, I got on board immediately because it made sense to share this very important story with a new generation. I think we've been very successful at that - the critical acclaim has been unanimous.

"People are really engaged in the conversation that we are helping to spark in the country right now around Roots and the themes of Roots and around the vestiges of slavery and racism that are still alive today in America… That's the value of culture. To hold up a mirror - to evaluate how we're doing and if want to make changes."

While the racially-divisive underpinnings of the current US presidential election didn't influence the Roots revival's commission, Burton noted how relevant the series' themes of tolerance remain in 2016.

"This is the perfect time because this is America's story," he stressed.

"Whether you're black or white - no matter what side of the colour line you're on - you are alive and participating in this democracy. Whether you want to admit it or not, Roots is your story."

The new Roots starred newcomer Malachi Kirby as the courageous slave Kunta Kinte, a role which defined Burton's early career back in the '70s.

History's all-star cast for the remake included Oscar winner Forest Whitaker, Jonathan Rhys Meyers, Emmy nominee Anna Paquin, Tony nominee Anika Noni Rose and Laurence Fishburne as Roots author Alex Haley.