The Victorian era transformed Britain into the world’s foremost industrial and imperial power. The rise of factories saw the expansion of sprawling cities, inhabited by a working class trapped in grinding poverty. But while the ever-growing ranks of impoverished residents were dogged by dangerous conditions, slums and the perpetual fear of the workhouse, ind ... Show More
Dec 2024
Irish Lives in Victorian London: History and Influence
<p>Victorian London was a city of immense wealth, but also shocking poverty. The historian Jerry White described it as "a metropolis of wealth, grandeur, culture, and sophistication alongside a hell of starving, degrading, and heart-rending poverty." The largest city in the world ... Show More
44m 45s
Apr 2025
The Industrial Revolution
The Industrial Revolution—a turning point in history that transformed the world as we know it. From steam engines to spinning looms, it sparked innovation, reshaped societies, and ushered in a new era of progress and possibility. But what was life like during this time of rapid c ... Show More
52m 18s
May 2024
146. Queen Victoria: The Empire on Which the Sun Never Sets (Ep 3)
Across 1851, over 6,000,000 people went to London to see the Great Exhibition. Designed to showcase the very best of what Britain and the empire could offer the world, the event was an incontrovertible success which cemented Britain’s status as the nation at the centre of the wor ... Show More
48m 37s
Dec 2010
The Industrial Revolution
In the first of two programmes, Melvyn Bragg and his guests discuss the Industrial Revolution.Between the middle of the eighteenth century and the early years of the nineteenth, Britain was transformed. This was a revolution, but not a political one: over the course of a few gene ... Show More
42m 16s