85 episodes
Empire Goalhanger Podcasts
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- History
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4.6 • 1.6K Ratings
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How do empires rise? Why do they fall? And how have they shaped the world around us today?
William Dalrymple and Anita Anand explore the stories, personalities and events of empire over the course of history.
The first series looks at the British in India, covering the East India Company, the Raj, Gandhi, Independence and Partition.
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A Tale of Two Nurses: Seacole & Nightingale
The Lady with the Lamp, the great nurse who forever changed public health for the better: Florence Nightingale lives large in the national consciousness. Mary Seacole, however, has been largely forgotten by history, even though she too played a significant role in the Crimean War. Both were lauded by the press. Both were famous in Britain upon their return. Remarkable forces of will, both were women ahead of their time. Listen as William and Anita are joined by Helen Rappaport to discuss the lives of these inspirational women.
Twitter: @Empirepoduk
Email: empirepoduk@gmail.com
Goalhangerpodcasts.com
Producer: Callum Hill
Exec Producer: Jack Davenport + Neil Fearn
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The Charge of the Light Brigade
The Crimean War continues to drag on. The allies' siege of Sevastopol is grinding to a stalemate. The Russians seek to counterattack to tip the balance back in their favour. As they make gains at Balaclava, the British cavalry undertake one of the most tragically heroic actions in British history: the Charge of the Light Brigade. Listen as William and Anita are joined by Orlando Figes to discuss the end of the Crimean War, the impact it had upon Russia, and the shadow it still casts today.
Twitter: @Empirepoduk
Email: empirepoduk@gmail.com
Goalhangerpodcasts.com
Producer: Callum Hill
Exec Producer: Jack Davenport + Neil Fearn
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Crimea: The War on Repeat
A slow grind of sieges and massacres. Long distance bombardments and gruelling inch-by-inch trench warfare. Battles for Sevastopol, Odessa, and control of the Black Sea. Is it 1853 or 2023? The parallels between the Crimean War and what is happening now in Ukraine are startling. Listen as William and Anita are joined by Orlando Figes to discuss this totemic 19th century clash and all of its modern-day resonances.
Twitter: @Empirepoduk
Email: empirepoduk@gmail.com
Goalhangerpodcasts.com
Producer: Callum Hill
Exec Producer: Jack Davenport + Neil Fearn
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices -
The Graveyard of Empires
After the calamitous retreat from Kabul left thousands of British dead, the East India Company wants revenge. They will call upon the Army of Retribution which will leave Afghanistan, once the Crossroads of Civilisation, a desolate wasteland. But once the last sepoy has descended the Khyber Pass, who will rule Afghanistan - and how will the Russians respond? Listen as William and Anita finish the story of the First Anglo-Afghan War and discuss whether Afghanistan really is the Graveyard of Empires, and whether China will be the next foreign power to burn its fingers in the Afghan furnace.
Twitter: @Empirepoduk
Email: empirepoduk@gmail.com
Goalhangerpodcasts.com
Producer: Callum Hill
Exec Producer: Jack Davenport + Neil Fearn
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices -
1842: The Retreat from Kabul
As the British occupation of Kabul collapses, the troops flee. What follows is one of the darkest events in British imperial history. A treacherous journey through mountain passes in crippling winter conditions leaves the British at the mercy of the Afghan forces. Over 15,000 men, women, and children leave the capital, legend says only one man survives. Listen as William and Anita discuss the bloody, brutal, first retreat from Kabul.
Twitter: @Empirepoduk
Email: empirepoduk@gmail.com
Goalhangerpodcasts.com
Producer: Callum Hill
Exec Producer: Jack Davenport + Neil Fearn
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices -
Invading Afghanistan: The Return of a King
It is 1839 and Britain has declared its intention: to invade Afghanistan and return Shah Shuja to the throne. Despite its vast size, the British invasion force is not impressive. Overstocked with luxuries and understocked with necessities, how will it fare as it enters the Bolan Pass and the inhospitable terrain of Afghanistan? Listen as William and Anita tell the Return of a King.
Twitter: @Empirepoduk
Email: empirepoduk@gmail.com
Goalhangerpodcasts.com
Producer: Callum Hill
Exec Producer: Jack Davenport + Neil Fearn
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Customer Reviews
Outstandingly presented history of empires
I discovered this podcast a year ago and spent many enjoyable months catching up listening every day as Anita and William took me through the British Empire via the East India Co. The saddest day was when I was up to date and had to wait till the next episode. This is brilliant and has sparked so many side shoots of reading interest and learning. Michael Taylor’s book The Interest was astonishing in so many ways. Keep this up please I have so much appetite for your podcast.
So much to learn, thank you!
Thank you so much for this podcast! It’s become a favourite of mine. I have learned a lot with Anita & William and their guests, and always think about how much more there is to learn. The series with Sebag on Russia was very instructive, and a delight to listen to. But the last episode on Tilsit and the beginning of “the great game” really caught me. It was particularly enlightening and representative of some of the qualities I so admire in this podcast: inquisitive, well-informed - citing primary sources not even translated into English before - and making connections between different parts of the world and with contemporary developments and contexts. Such a gem, even with all the banter :)
Keep up the good work!
Great content but not separated by season
Can you get these divided into season? A lot of multiple episode multi season shows are divided into seasons that can be navigated by season tabs, this one isn’t, which means having to scrolling down a long way to get to then next episode of each older season.