01: The Making of Britain | Union with David Olusoga

Duration: 59'34''

Synopsis

David Olusoga tells the story of attempts to form a united Britain in the 17th and early 18th centuries, a period defined by religious and cultural divisions.

Further Information

More clips from Union with David Olusoga

02: Creating Britishness | Union with David Olusoga

02: Creating Britishness | Union with David Olusoga

BBC Two | 2023 | 59'16''

David Olusoga reveals how, in the 18th century, a new British identity was forged in the face of multiple threats from wi...

03: The Two Nations | Union with David Olusoga

03: The Two Nations | Union with David Olusoga

BBC Two | 2023 | 59'09''

The 19th-century union appears secure, but beneath the surface run deep divisions, leading to the emergence of a new working-c...

04: Union and Disunion | Union with David Olusoga

04: Union and Disunion | Union with David Olusoga

BBC Two | 2023 | 59'33''

The 20th century sees partition in Ireland. A sense of national unity emerges in the aftermath of the Second World War, but...

Chartism | Union with David Olusoga

Chartism | Union with David Olusoga

BBC Two | 2023 | 3'55''

Discover the history of class unity in the fight for voting rights across nations with David Olusoga. Explore the Chartism movement and t...

02: Creating Britishness | Union with David Olusoga

02: Creating Britishness | Union with David Olusoga

BBC Two | 2023 | 59'16''

David Olusoga reveals how, in the 18th century, a new British identity was forged in the face of multiple threats from wi...

03: The Two Nations | Union with David Olusoga

03: The Two Nations | Union with David Olusoga

BBC Two | 2023 | 59'09''

The 19th-century union appears secure, but beneath the surface run deep divisions, leading to the emergence of a new working-c...

04: Union and Disunion | Union with David Olusoga

04: Union and Disunion | Union with David Olusoga

BBC Two | 2023 | 59'33''

The 20th century sees partition in Ireland. A sense of national unity emerges in the aftermath of the Second World War, but...

Chartism | Union with David Olusoga

Chartism | Union with David Olusoga

BBC Two | 2023 | 3'55''

Discover the history of class unity in the fight for voting rights across nations with David Olusoga. Explore the Chartism movement and t...

More resources about Parliamentary reform

02: The Land of Lost Content | Andrew Marr's History of Modern Britain

02: The Land of Lost Content | Andrew Marr's History of Modern Britain

BBC Two | 2007 | 58'44''

The 1950s were a period of apparent calm, order and prosperity for Britain, but much of the populace w...

03: Paradise Lost | Andrew Marr's History of Modern Britain

03: Paradise Lost | Andrew Marr's History of Modern Britain

BBC Two | 2007 | 58'34''

As the 1960s progress, Harold Wilson takes centre stage in a rapidly changing Britain as the country looks to a f...

20th Century Wrap: 01: 1900s: Britain at its Peak? | History File

20th Century Wrap: 01: 1900s: Britain at its Peak? | History File

BBC Two | 1995 | 23'57''

This programme investigates the myth of the Edwardian ''Golden Age''.

Chartism | Union with David Olusoga

Chartism | Union with David Olusoga

BBC Two | 2023 | 3'55''

Discover the history of class unity in the fight for voting rights across nations with David Olusoga. Explore the Chartism movement and t...

Blair's educational policies | Andrew Marr's History of Modern Britain

Blair's educational policies | Andrew Marr's History of Modern Britain

BBC Two | 2007 | 7'51''

Andrew Marr describes the rise of Tony Blair as a leader and his educational policies.

John Bright | Speaker's House

John Bright | Speaker's House

BBC Parliament | 2015 | 53'51''

Recorded coverage of the lecture delivered by Conservative MP Sir Bill Cash on John Bright (1811-1889), the British radical and liberal statesm...

Robert Peel and The Corn Laws | Reflections: When Parties Split

Robert Peel and The Corn Laws | Reflections: When Parties Split

BBC Parliament | 2019 | 29'05''

In the first programme in a series of half-hour unscripted talks on party splits, political journalist Steve ...

S03E04: Empire | Monarchy By David Starkey

S03E04: Empire | Monarchy By David Starkey

Channel 4 | 2006 | 48'02''

George I and his two namesakes forged new relationships with parliamentary leaders, creating a dynamic that survives in British go...

The Two Party System | Fit to Rule: How Royal Illness Changed History

The Two Party System | Fit to Rule: How Royal Illness Changed History

BBC Four | 2013 | 2'14''

Lucy Worsley investigates the beginnings of the two party system.

More from David Olusoga

Social housing development | A House Through Time

Social housing development | A House Through Time

BBC Two | 2020 | 2'28''

A new block of social housing is built next to 10 Guinea Street, in space left from the Blitz.

Treatment of Aboriginals in Australia | Empire with David Olusoga

Treatment of Aboriginals in Australia | Empire with David Olusoga

BBC Two | 2025 | 15'35''

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

03: The Two Nations | Union with David Olusoga

03: The Two Nations | Union with David Olusoga

BBC Two | 2023 | 59'09''

The 19th-century union appears secure, but beneath the surface run deep divisions, leading to the emergence of a new working-c...

04: Behaviour | Extra Life: A Short History of Living Longer

04: Behaviour | Extra Life: A Short History of Living Longer

BBC Four | 2021 | 52'44''

Documentary series about the effect of medicine on life expectancy. How the readiness of communities to engage w...

The Unwanted: The Secret Windrush Files

The Unwanted: The Secret Windrush Files

BBC Two | 2019 | 58'55''

How black immigrants who made Britain their home came face to face with the government's 'hostile environment'. David Olusoga exposes...

08: The Cult of Progress | Civilisations

08: The Cult of Progress | Civilisations

BBC Two | 2018 | 59'00''

David Olusoga explores the artistic reaction to imperialism in the 19th century.

Shifting historical opinions on the British Empire | A Timewatch Guide

Shifting historical opinions on the British Empire | A Timewatch Guide

BBC Four | 2017 | 5'58''

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

Neil Kenlock - Photographing the black British experience | Black and British: A Forgotten History

Neil Kenlock - Photographing the black British experience | Black and British: A Forgotten History

BBC Two | 2016 | 4'26''

David Olusoga talks to Neil Kenlock about his photographs of the experienc...

01: Profit and Loss | Britain's Forgotten Slave Owners

01: Profit and Loss | Britain's Forgotten Slave Owners

BBC Two | 2015 | 59'21''

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

French troops from Sub-Saharan West Africa | The World's War: Forgotten Soldiers of Empire

French troops from Sub-Saharan West Africa | The World's War: Forgotten Soldiers of Empire

BBC Two | 2014 | 4'06''

David Olusoga investigates the WW1 experiences of French troops from Sub-Saharan W...