The Father of Australia

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

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

In 1834 Britain abolished slavery, a defining and celebrated moment in our national history. What has been largely for...

Shifting historical opinions on the British Empire | A Timewatch Guide

David Olusoga explains how historical perspectives of the British Empire have shifted through time.

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...

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...

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

David Olusoga discusses the Windrush Generation.

06: Age of Empire | Seven Ages of Britain

David Dimbleby travels through Britain, America and India, tracing the British Empire from 1750 to 1900.

Bunce Island | Black and British: A Forgotten History

David Olusoga visits Bunce Island, where the first slave fortress was built in the 17th century.

The partition of India | A Timewatch Guide

David Olusoga investigates how the partition of India has been represented in film and television.

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

David explains how Britian sent their problem convicts abroad to the colonies for cheap labour, and many ...

01: Adventure and Exploration | Britain and the Sea

David Dimbleby sails the south west coast of England, exploring maritime art, architecture and history - including the st...

Granville Sharp | Black and British: A Forgotten History

David Olusoga discusses Granville Sharpe and Jonathan Strong's roles in the abolition of slavery.

Slave plantation system | Britain's Forgotten Slave Owners

David Olusoga discusses the slave plantation system in the Caribbean.

Treatment of Aboriginals in Australia | Empire with David Olusoga

David explains the horrendous treatment of the Aboriginal peoples of Tasmania by the British.

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.

John Blanke | Black and British: A Forgotten History

David Olusoga discusses Catherine of Aragon's black servants.

S03E03: The Empire of Good Intentions | A History of Britain by Simon Schama

How the liberal politics and free-market economics of the British Empire unravelled, leading to ...