Following the success of the Second World War in Colour series, TWI/Carlton have produced this documentary charting the history of the British Empire. Notwithstanding the fact that perhaps a better title would have been the British Empire in the twentieth century or The Fall of the British Empire, this is a wonderful addition to the imperial historian’s library or to that of anyone interested in this fascinating period of history. The programme is divided into three different parts, starting at the height of the empire when Queen Victoria was proclaimed Empress of India to the handing back of Hong Kong in 1997. The rise and fall of the greatest empire is portrayed with all of its contradictions and shows how Britain today has become a multi-cultural society as a result.
