Empire: World History

412. Lawrence of Arabia: Guerrilla Warfare In The Arab Revolt (Part 2)

In 1916, Arab leaders rose up against the Ottoman Empire with the hope of creating an independent Arab state at the end of World War I. Lawrence of Arabia arrives in Cair

411. Lawrence of Arabia: The Truth Behind The Legend (Part 1)

The 1962 cinematic masterpiece is considered one of the best films of all time, but who was the real Lawrence of Arabia? A geeky and unconventional soldier, the young T.E

410. JFK: Blood On The Streets Of Dallas (Part 4)

Three shots, six seconds, all caught on camera. The image of JFK’s assassination is one of the defining pictures of the 20th century, along with the photograph of Jackie

409. JFK: The Cuban Missile Crisis (Part 3)

After facing Nixon in America’s first televised electoral debate, JFK charms the nation. As president, he soon faces what could be the end of the world – the Cuban Missil

408. JFK: Nixon, McCarthy, & The Dark Side of Camelot (Part 2)

After his brother’s death in the skies over Britain, a young JFK must fulfil his father’s dynastic dream, but does he want it? The whole family supports his campaign to b

407. JFK: The Kennedy Curse Begins (Part 1)

John F. Kennedy, the youngest elected president of the United States, a man who charmed a nation. His tragic death in Dallas continues to inspire infinite conspiracy theo

406. Norman Conquest: The First Crusade (Part 6)

How did Normans from Western Europe reach as far as Antioch in what is now Turkey? What was their role in The First Crusade? Who was the Byzantine Alexios I Komnenos and

405. Norman Conquest: Medieval Mafia Invade The East (Part 5)

They are best known for invading England in 1066, but the Normans conquered territories in the East too. Who was Robert The Weasel, and did he operate like a Mafia boss

404. Norman Conquest: Colonising Ireland (Part 4)

How did the Normans conquer the Celts on the fringes of their territory after 1066? What led to the events of the Norman Conquest of Ireland, which still affects the nati

403. The Norman Conquests: The Battle of Hastings (Part 3)

For weeks, William the Conqueror has been stuck on the Normandy coast, waiting. Then the wind changes. The Normans land in England, and the stage is set for the most famo

402. The Norman Conquests: The Real Story of 1066 (Part 2)

Who was William the Conqueror? Who was Harold Godwinson? Who was Harald Hardrada? And how did these three rivals change the course of English history forever? In Episode

401. The Norman Conquests: Secrets of the Bayeux Tapestry (Part 1)

The Bayeux Tapestry shows one of the defining moments in English history. But look closer at its dragon-prowed ships and its warriors, and there's another story stitched

400. Stalin: A Poisonous Legacy (Part 6)

Fiona Hill is the leading authority on Russia and has been in the room with Putin and Trump. She joins Anita Anand and William Dalrymple to discuss how Stalin’s violent l

399. Stalin: Hitler’s Downfall At Stalingrad (Part 5)

Antony Beevor wrote the definitive book on the Battle of Stalingrad. He joins William Dalrymple and Anita Anand to discuss how Hitler and Stalin’s armies faced gruelling

398. Stalin: The Great Terror (Part 4)

Soon after Stalin’s purges and mass violence, Nazi soldiers launch a surprise invasion of the Soviet Union, opening up the Eastern Front of World War II.  Who was Stalin

397. Stalin: Killing Trotsky (Part 3)

Was it an ice axe or an ice pick? The murder of Trotsky in Mexico is infamous, but what does it say about Stalin’s willingness to seek out and destroy his rivals? Who was

396. Stalin: The Bolshevik Revolution (Part 2)

Despite later mythology, Stalin was effectively a nobody during the Russian Revolution of 1917. Unlike Trotsky and Lenin, he was not on the frontline amongst the revoluti

395. Stalin: The Rise of A Tyrant (Part 1)

How did Stalin become one of the most ruthless dictators in World History? What was his childhood like in Georgia? How did he rise from a poet training to be a priest, to

394. Road To 9/11: Hijackers, CIA Failures, and America’s Darkest Day (Part 6)

How did the CIA fail to tell the FBI that known Al-Qaeda terrorists were already training inside the United States? Who was the calculated mastermind behind the scheme to

393. Road To 9/11: Interviewing Bin Laden In The Caves of Tora Bora (Part 5)

What was it like to interview Osama bin Laden in the Tora Bora caves? Who were the other terrorists behind the infamous 1998 fatwa? How did Monica Lewinsky derail the res