Synopsis
David Dimbleby travels through Britain, America and India, tracing the British Empire from 1750 to 1900.
- Programme: Seven Ages of Britain
- Episode: 06: Age of Empire
- Channel: BBC HD
- Broadcast year: 2010
- History
Licence: ERA Licence required
Free to watch for UK schools, colleges and universities with an ERA Licence
UK only
Staff and students of licensed education establishments only
Cannot be adapted
Add Notes
More clips from Seven Ages of Britain
01: Age of Conquest | Seven Ages of Britain
01: Age of Conquest | Seven Ages of Britain
David Dimbleby charts the last 2,000 years of Britain through its art and treasure. The first part begins with the Roman invasion...
02: Age of Worship | Seven Ages of Britain
02: Age of Worship | Seven Ages of Britain
This episode looks at the Middle Ages, from the murder of Thomas Becket in 1170 to the death of Richard II in 1400.
03: Age of Power | Seven Ages of Britain
03: Age of Power | Seven Ages of Britain
David Dimbleby tells the story of Britain through its art and treasure, from Henry VIII's accession in 1509 to the premiere of Shake...
04: Age of Revolution | Seven Ages of Britain
04: Age of Revolution | Seven Ages of Britain
In the 17th century the people of Britain learned to question everything, resulting in the Civil War.
05: Age of Money | Seven Ages of Britain
05: Age of Money | Seven Ages of Britain
The story of Britain through its art. In the 18th century, the triumph of commerce led to the emergence of a new 'middle' class, who...
07: Age of Ambition | Seven Ages of Britain
07: Age of Ambition | Seven Ages of Britain
David Dimbleby looks at how the 20th century saw Britons upturn ancient power structures and class hierarchies.
The Bayeux Tapestry | Seven Ages of Britain
The Bayeux Tapestry | Seven Ages of Britain
David Dimbleby walks through the history depicted on the Bayeux Tapestry, explaining each stage of the Norman conquest.
Tower of London | Seven Ages of Britain
Tower of London | Seven Ages of Britain
David Dimbleby visits the Tower of London, which was one of William the Conqueror's first statement buildings when in power.
William the Conqueror | Seven Ages of Britain
William the Conqueror | Seven Ages of Britain
David Dimbleby explores what kind of man William the Conqueror was, his interest in stone over culture and why his success in C...
More resources about Empire and colonies
Episode 1 | Empire with David Olusoga
Episode 1 | Empire with David Olusoga
David Olusoga tells the story of the British Empire, from its origins under Elizabeth I to the establishment of colonies in America, th...
Episode 2 | Empire with David Olusoga
Episode 2 | Empire with David Olusoga
David Olusoga reveals how the loss of the American colonies led to the colonisation of Australia and how the Indian indenture system wa...
01: Profit and Loss | Britain's Forgotten Slave Owners
01: Profit and Loss | Britain's Forgotten Slave Owners
In 1834 Britain abolished slavery, a defining and celebrated moment in our national history. What has been largely for...
01: Why Britain? | Empire: How Britain Made The Modern World
01: Why Britain? | Empire: How Britain Made The Modern World
In this programme we learn about the origins of the British empire in the 17th century and how its foundations w...
Episode 3 | Empire with David Olusoga
Episode 3 | Empire with David Olusoga
David Olusoga reveals how the Empire reached its maximum size after the First World War but within a generation had begun to collapse, ...
The Windrush Generation | Black and British: A Forgotten History
The Windrush Generation | Black and British: A Forgotten History
David Olusoga discusses the Windrush Generation.
Shifting historical opinions on the British Empire | A Timewatch Guide
Shifting historical opinions on the British Empire | A Timewatch Guide
David Olusoga explains how historical perspectives of the British Empire have shifted through time.
Bunce Island | Black and British: A Forgotten History
Bunce Island | Black and British: A Forgotten History
David Olusoga visits Bunce Island, where the first slave fortress was built in the 17th century.
Slave plantation system | Britain's Forgotten Slave Owners
Slave plantation system | Britain's Forgotten Slave Owners
David Olusoga discusses the slave plantation system in the Caribbean.
03: The Jewel in the Crown | British History's Biggest Fibs with Lucy Worsley
03: The Jewel in the Crown | British History's Biggest Fibs with Lucy Worsley
Lucy explores how British history is a concoction of fibs. She debunks the fibs that surround t...
Granville Sharp | Black and British: A Forgotten History
Granville Sharp | Black and British: A Forgotten History
David Olusoga discusses Granville Sharpe and Jonathan Strong's roles in the abolition of slavery.
The beginnings of the British slave trade | Britain's Forgotten Slave Owners
The beginnings of the British slave trade | Britain's Forgotten Slave Owners
David Olusoga investigates the beginnings of the British slave trade in Barbados.
05: Maxim Force | Empire: How Britain Made The Modern World
05: Maxim Force | Empire: How Britain Made The Modern World
The 'scramble for Africa' by competing European nations during the last years of Queen Victoria's reign is the co...
Mississippi cotton | Black and British: A Forgotten History
Mississippi cotton | Black and British: A Forgotten History
David Olusoga discusses the cotton industry in Mississippi and how it fuelled Britain's industrial revolution.
Transportation of Convicts to Australia | Empire with David Olusoga
Transportation of Convicts to Australia | Empire with David Olusoga
David explains how Britian sent their problem convicts abroad to the colonies for cheap labour, and many ...
04: Heaven's Breed | Empire: How Britain Made The Modern World
04: Heaven's Breed | Empire: How Britain Made The Modern World
In this programme we discover how a few thousand British people ruled over India, a country of more than 250 m...
First English traders in West Africa | Black and British: A Forgotten History
First English traders in West Africa | Black and British: A Forgotten History
David Olusoga investigates the first English traders in West Africa.
First slave society in Barbados | Britain's Forgotten Slave Owners
First slave society in Barbados | Britain's Forgotten Slave Owners
David Olusoga discusses the first slave society in Barbados.
Implements of torture | Britain's Forgotten Slave Owners
Implements of torture | Britain's Forgotten Slave Owners
David Olusoga views the implements of torture that slave owners used to enforce the slave plantation system.
Jamestown colony | Empire with David Olusoga
Jamestown colony | Empire with David Olusoga
In Jamestown, David looks at evidence of the first English colonies in the Americas and their tobacco plantations.