Empire: The Complex Legacy of Britain's Imperial History

EMPIRE tells the story of Britain's grand imperial venture, from the arrival of the earliest explorers through colonization and to the final lowering of the Union Jack. Hosted by veteran BBC broadcaster Jeremy Paxman (The Victorians), this five-part series examines the impact of the empire and how it continues to exert an influence today. What drove the British to leave the security of their island home for parts unknown? How did they take and then hold on to power? In what ways did they change the lands they conquered, and how did those lands and their peoples change them? To help answer those questions, Paxman travels to India, the Middle East, Canada, Africa, the Caribbean, and the Far East-the outposts of an empire four times larger than ancient Rome's and on which the sun famously never set. There, he finds extraordinary individuals and an enduring legacy that, for good or ill, continues to shape the behaviors and beliefs of peoples all around the globe, as well as in Britain itself.