Empire Of Tea

Episode

Title

First
Broadcast

Repeated

Comments

Cosy With A Kick

20231204

20250929 (BBC7)
20240613 (R4)

Exciting and enterprising, bloody and brutal.

Punjabi cha, served from a saucepan to the whole family every morning, is the drink of Sathnam's childhood.

But he's also noticed that tea is a Forrest Gump-type figure, appearing at all sorts of key moments in global history.

Tea arrived in Britain as an exotic product for the elite. How and why did it then become a drink for the masses?

Empire of Tea tells the story of how Britain's national drink and its imperial background helped shape the modern world.

Produced by Paul Martin for BBC Audio Wales

Tea arrives in Britain as an exotic drink for the elite. But its tale is just beginning.

Exciting and enterprising, bloody and brutal. Sathnam Sanghera tells the story of our national drink and its imperial past.

Punjabi cha, served from a saucepan to the whole family every morning, is the drink of Sathnam's childhood. But he's also noticed that tea is a Forrest Gump-type figure, appearing at all sorts of key moments in global history.

Producer: Paul Martin

A BBC Audio Wales production, first broadcast on Radio 4 in December 2023.

Exciting and enterprising, bloody and brutal. Sathnam Sanghera explores our national drink and its imperial past. From 2023.

[LISTEN NOW]

Tea At Work

20231205

20250930 (BBC7)
20240620 (R4)

During the industrial revolution workers were powered by very sugary tea. Historian Lizzie Collingham tells Sathnam Sanghera about the economic forces that led people to the drink, and what that meant for their health.

Then, moving into the 20th Century, Sathnam discusses the rise of the tea break with help from staff in the break room at Wolverhampton's New Cross Hospital.

And Peter Turnbull of Bristol University analyses how the right to a tea break sometimes became a source of tension in industrial relations.

Produced by Paul Martin for BBC Audio Wales

From fuelling the industrial revolution to the mid-morning break.

From fuelling the industrial revolution to the mid-morning break, how tea became essential in the workplace.

Producer: Paul Martin

A BBC Audio Wales production, first broadcast on Radio 4 in December 2023.

From fuelling the industrial revolution to elevenses, Sathnam Sanghera asks how tea became vital in the workplace. From 2023.

[LISTEN NOW]

The Tea In Boston Harbour

20231206

20251001 (BBC7)
20240627 (R4)

The crates dumped in the harbour at the Boston Tea Party in 1773 contained East India Company tea. The historian William Dalrymple tells Sathnam Sanghera that taxation wasn't the only issue motivating Boston's revolutionaries. Fear and suspicion of the EIC and its tea were a factor as well.

And soon, tea will forever change British relations with China too.

Produced by Paul Martin for BBC Audio Wales

How imperial tea played a role in shaping Britain's relationship with two superpowers.

Sathnam Sanghera and William Dalrymple discuss how imperial tea played a role in shaping Britain's relationship with two superpowers.

And soon, tea would forever change British relations with China too.

Producer: Paul Martin

A BBC Audio Wales production, first broadcast on Radio 4 in December 2023.

How did imperial tea help shape Britain's relationship with two superpowers?

Sathnam Sanghera explores how imperial tea played a role in shaping Britain's relationship with two superpowers. From 2023.

[LISTEN NOW]

The Tea Wars

20231207

20251002 (BBC7)
20240711 (R4)

As Britain's demand for tea soared in the late 18th century, an economic problem was emerging. Britain wanted to buy lots of tea from China, but China wasn't interested in the commodities Britain had to sell. That meant silver was draining out of Britain and into China.

Eventually a solution was found: opium. It was an imperial product Britain could grow in India and sell to China.

But the Chinese leadership didn't want the narcotic, and Britain's desire to offset its tea habit by selling an addictive, hard drug that harmed Chinese people, led to war.

Professor of Chinese history Yangwen Zheng explains how the situation escalated, and the long shadow the conflict casts today.

Produced by Paul Martin for BBC Audio Wales

How Britain's sale of opium to buy tea changed China's view of the west.

Over dim sum and oolong tea, Yangwen Zheng of Manchester University tells Sathnam Sanghera why the Opium Wars should be called the Tea Wars, and how they cast a long shadow.

Professor of Chinese history Yangwen Zheng explains how the situation escalated, and the long shadow the conflict casts upon the modern world.

Eventually a solution was found: opium. It was an imperial product Britain could grow in India and sell to China. But the Chinese leadership didn't want the narcotic, and Britain's desire to offset its tea habit by selling an addictive, hard drug that harmed Chinese people, led to war.

Producer: Paul Martin

A BBC Audio Wales production, first broadcast on Radio 4 in December 2023.

How did Britain's sale of opium to buy tea change China's view of the West?

Yangwen Zheng tells Sathnam Sanghera why the Opium Wars should be the Tea Wars, and how they cast a long shadow. From 2023.

[LISTEN NOW]

Innovation, Espionage And Propaganda

20231208

20251003 (BBC7)
20240718 (R4)

Until 1833 the tea drunk in Britain had come from China, imported by the East India Company. But then the company lost its monopoly on Chinese tea. Its response was to attempt to grow its own in British India. The only snag was it didn't know how to. So the botanist Robert Fortune was sent on an undercover mission to China.

His work, combined with some surprising discoveries of tea closer to home, and mass marketing and propaganda, helped develop India's huge tea industry in places like Assam and Darjeeling.

At Kew Gardens, Mark Nesbitt and Aurora Prehn tell Sathnam Sanghera about how this shift from China to India changed the international tea trade forever.

Produced by Paul Martin for BBC Audio Wales

How the introduction of tea plantations to India changed the trade forever.

Sathnam Sanghera discovers how the tea industry changed forever when plantations were introduced to India.

So the botanist Robert Fortune was sent on an undercover mission to China. His work, combined with some surprising discoveries of tea closer to home, and mass marketing and propaganda, helped develop India's huge tea industry in places like Assam and Darjeeling.

Producer: Paul Martin

A BBC Audio Wales production, first broadcast on Radio 4 in December 2023.

How did the introduction of tea plantations in India change the trade forever?

Sathnam Sanghera discovers how the tea industry changed forever when plantations were introduced to India. From 2023.

So botanist Robert Fortune was sent on an undercover mission to China.

A BBC Audio Wales production for BBC Radio 4, first broadcast in December 2023.

How did the introduction of tea plantations to India change the trade forever?

[LISTEN NOW]

Tough, Tiring, Difficult

20231211

20251006 (BBC7)
20240725 (R4)

The introduction of industrial tea production in India in the 19th Century created huge demand for tea pickers. Many were employed under a system of indenture. These contracts often meant five years of work in return for bed and board. Jo Sharma of the University of Toronto tells Sathnam Sanghera about the harrowing conditions people found themselves working in. He also considers claims that some of the modern problems in the industry, like low wages and poor health and safety conditions, are a legacy of that imperial system.

Produced by Paul Martin for BBC Audio Wales

Are the modern-day problems faced by tea workers a legacy of British imperialism?

Sathnam Sanghera looks at the system of indentured labour that was used to staff Indian tea plantations in the 19th Century. Are modern problems in the industry a legacy of it?

Producer: Paul Martin

A BBC Audio Wales production for Radio 4, first broadcast in December 2023.

Sathnam Sanghera looks at labour systems on Indian tea plantations in the 19th century. Did they leave a bad legacy? From 2023.

A BBC Audio Wales production for BBC Radio 4, first broadcast in December 2023.

Are modern-day problems of tea workers a legacy of British imperialism?

[LISTEN NOW]

Punjabi Cha And Masala Chai

20231212

20251007 (BBC7)
20240801 (R4)

Like Britain (and several other countries), India sees tea as its definitive national drink. But as Sathnam Sanghera discovers, mass market Indian tea culture was seeded, in large part, by its coloniser. With a trip to a chai stall in London and a chat with the historian Romita Ray, Sathnam charts the development of tea in India from both indigenous and imperial origins. Amid its regional diversity, how did it become India's national drink?

Produced by Paul Martin for BBC Audio Wales

How tea, in various forms, became India's national drink.

Punjabi cha is the drink of Sathnam Sanghera's childhood. As he discovers, it's one of many varieties that make tea India's national drink.

Producer: Paul Martin

A BBC Audio Wales production for Radio 4, first broadcast in December 2023.

Punjabi cha is the drink of Sathnam Sanghera's childhood; one of many varieties that make tea India's national drink. From 2023.

[LISTEN NOW]

One For Each Person And None For The Pot

20231213

20251008 (BBC7)
20240808 (R4)

By the 1930s tea-drinking had become such an integral part of British life that maintaining supplies during the war was a government priority.

It was seen as an essential morale-booster on both the home front and the fighting front.

Urging restraint, the food minister Lord Woolton advised people to allocate one tea bag for each person “and none for the pot ? when brewing up.

James Bulgin of the Imperial War Museum and historian Erika Rappaport tell Sathnam Sanghera about the measures taken to protect supply, safeguard stocks and discourage wastage. Just how important was imperial tea to the British war effort?

Produced by Paul Martin for BBC Audio Wales

Did imperial tea really help Britain win the war?

Sathnam Sanghera finds out about the steps Britain took to protect its tea supply during World War II

By the 1930s tea-drinking had become such an integral part of British life that maintaining supplies during the war was a government priority. It was seen as an essential morale-booster on both the home front and the fighting front. Urging restraint, the food minister Lord Woolton advised people to allocate one tea bag for each person “and none for the pot” when brewing up.

Producer: Paul Martin

A BBC Audio Wales production for Radio 4, first broadcast in December 2023.

Sathnam Sanghera finds out about the steps Britain took to protect its tea supply during World War II. From 2023.

[LISTEN NOW]

A Nice Cup Of Tea

20231214

20251009 (BBC7)
20240815 (R4)

George Orwell described tea as “one of the mainstays of civilization in this country. ?

But how did this foreign plant become so British?

Sathnam Sanghera speaks to Orwell expert Jean Seaton, cultural historian Kate Teltscher, and ramblers with flasks of tea in the Peak District, to try and figure out how and why tea became a national obsession.

Produced by Paul Martin for BBC Audio Wales

How did a foreign plant become so British?

Can Sathnam Sanghera figure out how tea became such a central part of life in Britain?

George Orwell described tea as “one of the mainstays of civilization in this country.” But how did this foreign plant become so British?

Producer: Paul Martin

A BBC Audio Wales production for Radio 4, first broadcast in December 2023.

Can Sathnam Sanghera figure out how tea became such a central part of life in Britain? From 2023.

[LISTEN NOW]

Tea Or Coffee?

20231215

20251010 (BBC7)
20240822 (R4)

After nine episodes on tea, it's time for coffee. Sathnam Sanghera meets up with Phil Withington of Sheffield University to find out why coffee failed to take off in Britain in the way that tea did. And he discusses what coffee's resurgence in the 21st Century means for tea, with Sebastian Michaelis of Tetley.

Produced by Paul Martin for BBC Audio Wales

Why did tea take off when coffee didn't?

Sathnam Sanghera on the intertwined histories of tea and coffee, and a look at their futures.

[LISTEN NOW]

OMNI-01

Omnibus: Episodes 1-5

20231208

OMNI-02

Omnibus: Episodes 6-10

20231215

Episodes

Episode	Title	First Broadcast	Repeated	Comments
01	Cosy With A Kick	20231204	20250929 (BBC7) 20240613 (R4)	Exciting and enterprising, bloody and brutal. Punjabi cha, served from a saucepan to the whole family every morning, is the drink of Sathnam's childhood. But he's also noticed that tea is a Forrest Gump-type figure, appearing at all sorts of key moments in global history. Tea arrived in Britain as an exotic product for the elite. How and why did it then become a drink for the masses? Empire of Tea tells the story of how Britain's national drink and its imperial background helped shape the modern world. Produced by Paul Martin for BBC Audio Wales Tea arrives in Britain as an exotic drink for the elite. But its tale is just beginning. Exciting and enterprising, bloody and brutal. Sathnam Sanghera tells the story of our national drink and its imperial past. Punjabi cha, served from a saucepan to the whole family every morning, is the drink of Sathnam's childhood. But he's also noticed that tea is a Forrest Gump-type figure, appearing at all sorts of key moments in global history. Producer: Paul Martin A BBC Audio Wales production, first broadcast on Radio 4 in December 2023. Exciting and enterprising, bloody and brutal. Sathnam Sanghera explores our national drink and its imperial past. From 2023. [LISTEN NOW]
02	Tea At Work	20231205	20250930 (BBC7) 20240620 (R4)	During the industrial revolution workers were powered by very sugary tea. Historian Lizzie Collingham tells Sathnam Sanghera about the economic forces that led people to the drink, and what that meant for their health. Then, moving into the 20th Century, Sathnam discusses the rise of the tea break with help from staff in the break room at Wolverhampton's New Cross Hospital. And Peter Turnbull of Bristol University analyses how the right to a tea break sometimes became a source of tension in industrial relations. Produced by Paul Martin for BBC Audio Wales From fuelling the industrial revolution to the mid-morning break. From fuelling the industrial revolution to the mid-morning break, how tea became essential in the workplace. Producer: Paul Martin A BBC Audio Wales production, first broadcast on Radio 4 in December 2023. From fuelling the industrial revolution to elevenses, Sathnam Sanghera asks how tea became vital in the workplace. From 2023. [LISTEN NOW]
03	The Tea In Boston Harbour	20231206	20251001 (BBC7) 20240627 (R4)	The crates dumped in the harbour at the Boston Tea Party in 1773 contained East India Company tea. The historian William Dalrymple tells Sathnam Sanghera that taxation wasn't the only issue motivating Boston's revolutionaries. Fear and suspicion of the EIC and its tea were a factor as well. And soon, tea will forever change British relations with China too. Produced by Paul Martin for BBC Audio Wales How imperial tea played a role in shaping Britain's relationship with two superpowers. Sathnam Sanghera and William Dalrymple discuss how imperial tea played a role in shaping Britain's relationship with two superpowers. And soon, tea would forever change British relations with China too. Producer: Paul Martin A BBC Audio Wales production, first broadcast on Radio 4 in December 2023. How did imperial tea help shape Britain's relationship with two superpowers? Sathnam Sanghera explores how imperial tea played a role in shaping Britain's relationship with two superpowers. From 2023. [LISTEN NOW]
04	The Tea Wars	20231207	20251002 (BBC7) 20240711 (R4)	As Britain's demand for tea soared in the late 18th century, an economic problem was emerging. Britain wanted to buy lots of tea from China, but China wasn't interested in the commodities Britain had to sell. That meant silver was draining out of Britain and into China. Eventually a solution was found: opium. It was an imperial product Britain could grow in India and sell to China. But the Chinese leadership didn't want the narcotic, and Britain's desire to offset its tea habit by selling an addictive, hard drug that harmed Chinese people, led to war. Professor of Chinese history Yangwen Zheng explains how the situation escalated, and the long shadow the conflict casts today. Produced by Paul Martin for BBC Audio Wales How Britain's sale of opium to buy tea changed China's view of the west. Over dim sum and oolong tea, Yangwen Zheng of Manchester University tells Sathnam Sanghera why the Opium Wars should be called the Tea Wars, and how they cast a long shadow. Professor of Chinese history Yangwen Zheng explains how the situation escalated, and the long shadow the conflict casts upon the modern world. Eventually a solution was found: opium. It was an imperial product Britain could grow in India and sell to China. But the Chinese leadership didn't want the narcotic, and Britain's desire to offset its tea habit by selling an addictive, hard drug that harmed Chinese people, led to war. Producer: Paul Martin A BBC Audio Wales production, first broadcast on Radio 4 in December 2023. How did Britain's sale of opium to buy tea change China's view of the West? Yangwen Zheng tells Sathnam Sanghera why the Opium Wars should be the Tea Wars, and how they cast a long shadow. From 2023. [LISTEN NOW]
05	Innovation, Espionage And Propaganda	20231208	20251003 (BBC7) 20240718 (R4)	Until 1833 the tea drunk in Britain had come from China, imported by the East India Company. But then the company lost its monopoly on Chinese tea. Its response was to attempt to grow its own in British India. The only snag was it didn't know how to. So the botanist Robert Fortune was sent on an undercover mission to China. His work, combined with some surprising discoveries of tea closer to home, and mass marketing and propaganda, helped develop India's huge tea industry in places like Assam and Darjeeling. At Kew Gardens, Mark Nesbitt and Aurora Prehn tell Sathnam Sanghera about how this shift from China to India changed the international tea trade forever. Produced by Paul Martin for BBC Audio Wales How the introduction of tea plantations to India changed the trade forever. Sathnam Sanghera discovers how the tea industry changed forever when plantations were introduced to India. So the botanist Robert Fortune was sent on an undercover mission to China. His work, combined with some surprising discoveries of tea closer to home, and mass marketing and propaganda, helped develop India's huge tea industry in places like Assam and Darjeeling. Producer: Paul Martin A BBC Audio Wales production, first broadcast on Radio 4 in December 2023. How did the introduction of tea plantations in India change the trade forever? Sathnam Sanghera discovers how the tea industry changed forever when plantations were introduced to India. From 2023. So botanist Robert Fortune was sent on an undercover mission to China. A BBC Audio Wales production for BBC Radio 4, first broadcast in December 2023. How did the introduction of tea plantations to India change the trade forever? [LISTEN NOW]
06	Tough, Tiring, Difficult	20231211	20251006 (BBC7) 20240725 (R4)	The introduction of industrial tea production in India in the 19th Century created huge demand for tea pickers. Many were employed under a system of indenture. These contracts often meant five years of work in return for bed and board. Jo Sharma of the University of Toronto tells Sathnam Sanghera about the harrowing conditions people found themselves working in. He also considers claims that some of the modern problems in the industry, like low wages and poor health and safety conditions, are a legacy of that imperial system. Produced by Paul Martin for BBC Audio Wales Are the modern-day problems faced by tea workers a legacy of British imperialism? Sathnam Sanghera looks at the system of indentured labour that was used to staff Indian tea plantations in the 19th Century. Are modern problems in the industry a legacy of it? Producer: Paul Martin A BBC Audio Wales production for Radio 4, first broadcast in December 2023. Sathnam Sanghera looks at labour systems on Indian tea plantations in the 19th century. Did they leave a bad legacy? From 2023. A BBC Audio Wales production for BBC Radio 4, first broadcast in December 2023. Are modern-day problems of tea workers a legacy of British imperialism? [LISTEN NOW]
07	Punjabi Cha And Masala Chai	20231212	20251007 (BBC7) 20240801 (R4)	Like Britain (and several other countries), India sees tea as its definitive national drink. But as Sathnam Sanghera discovers, mass market Indian tea culture was seeded, in large part, by its coloniser. With a trip to a chai stall in London and a chat with the historian Romita Ray, Sathnam charts the development of tea in India from both indigenous and imperial origins. Amid its regional diversity, how did it become India's national drink? Produced by Paul Martin for BBC Audio Wales How tea, in various forms, became India's national drink. Punjabi cha is the drink of Sathnam Sanghera's childhood. As he discovers, it's one of many varieties that make tea India's national drink. Producer: Paul Martin A BBC Audio Wales production for Radio 4, first broadcast in December 2023. Punjabi cha is the drink of Sathnam Sanghera's childhood; one of many varieties that make tea India's national drink. From 2023. [LISTEN NOW]
08	One For Each Person And None For The Pot	20231213	20251008 (BBC7) 20240808 (R4)	By the 1930s tea-drinking had become such an integral part of British life that maintaining supplies during the war was a government priority. It was seen as an essential morale-booster on both the home front and the fighting front. Urging restraint, the food minister Lord Woolton advised people to allocate one tea bag for each person “and none for the pot ? when brewing up. James Bulgin of the Imperial War Museum and historian Erika Rappaport tell Sathnam Sanghera about the measures taken to protect supply, safeguard stocks and discourage wastage. Just how important was imperial tea to the British war effort? Produced by Paul Martin for BBC Audio Wales Did imperial tea really help Britain win the war? Sathnam Sanghera finds out about the steps Britain took to protect its tea supply during World War II By the 1930s tea-drinking had become such an integral part of British life that maintaining supplies during the war was a government priority. It was seen as an essential morale-booster on both the home front and the fighting front. Urging restraint, the food minister Lord Woolton advised people to allocate one tea bag for each person “and none for the pot” when brewing up. Producer: Paul Martin A BBC Audio Wales production for Radio 4, first broadcast in December 2023. Sathnam Sanghera finds out about the steps Britain took to protect its tea supply during World War II. From 2023. [LISTEN NOW]
09	A Nice Cup Of Tea	20231214	20251009 (BBC7) 20240815 (R4)	George Orwell described tea as “one of the mainstays of civilization in this country. ? But how did this foreign plant become so British? Sathnam Sanghera speaks to Orwell expert Jean Seaton, cultural historian Kate Teltscher, and ramblers with flasks of tea in the Peak District, to try and figure out how and why tea became a national obsession. Produced by Paul Martin for BBC Audio Wales How did a foreign plant become so British? Can Sathnam Sanghera figure out how tea became such a central part of life in Britain? George Orwell described tea as “one of the mainstays of civilization in this country.” But how did this foreign plant become so British? Producer: Paul Martin A BBC Audio Wales production for Radio 4, first broadcast in December 2023. Can Sathnam Sanghera figure out how tea became such a central part of life in Britain? From 2023. [LISTEN NOW]
10	Tea Or Coffee?	20231215	20251010 (BBC7) 20240822 (R4)	After nine episodes on tea, it's time for coffee. Sathnam Sanghera meets up with Phil Withington of Sheffield University to find out why coffee failed to take off in Britain in the way that tea did. And he discusses what coffee's resurgence in the 21st Century means for tea, with Sebastian Michaelis of Tetley. Produced by Paul Martin for BBC Audio Wales Why did tea take off when coffee didn't? Sathnam Sanghera on the intertwined histories of tea and coffee, and a look at their futures. [LISTEN NOW]
OMNI-01	Omnibus: Episodes 1-5	20231208
OMNI-02	Omnibus: Episodes 6-10	20231215