Empire

Season

2012

UK

7.4

Written and presented by English broadcaster, journalist, and author Jeremy Paxman, this richly detailed documentary follows the rise of the British Empire. At its height, the small island nation ruled over a quarter of the world's population. Examining what is often considered a dark stain on British history, it shows how greed and a lust for power marginalized numerous groups across the Empire's vast expanse.

Episode List

S1 • E1

A Taste for Power

Jeremy Paxman traces the story of the British Empire. He begins by asking how such a small country got such a big head and came to rule a quarter of the world.

S1 • E2

Making Ourselves at Home

Jeremy Paxman traces the story of the British Empire. He continues by examining how traders, conquerors and settlers spread the British way of doing things.

S1 • E3

Playing the Game

Jeremy Paxman traces the story of the British Empire. He continues by tracing the growth of a peculiarly British type of hero.

S1 • E4

Making a Fortune

Jeremy Paxman continues his account of Britain's empire. He travels from Jamaica, where sugar made plantation owners rich on the backs of slaves, to Calcutta.

S1 • E5

Doing Good

In the final part of his personal account of Britain's empire, Jeremy Paxman tells the story of how a desire for conquest became a mission to improve the rest of mankind.