Newsnight presenter to travel to India, Canada, Asia and Africa for five-part documentary
Jeremy Paxman is renowned for his imperial interviews, so perhaps it is no surprise that BBC1 has chosen the Newsnight presenter to explore the history of the British empire for a major new series.
Paxman ? who last week took a pay cut when he signed a new four-year deal with the corporation ? has already started filming the five-part documentary, Empire.
The series traces the rise and fall of the British empire ? which, at its peak, was the largest in history. British influence spanned the globe and Paxman will travel to India, Canada, Asia and Africa, finding out how the empire began.
Paxman will investigate what the BBC calls "the complex effects" the British empire had on the modern world, and traces its influence on sport, finance, social history and technology. He will also explore the effect it had on British people at home.
It is not the first time Paxman has fronted historical documentaries for the BBC. His last series for the BBC arts department was The Victorians in 2009, which brought to life the world of Victorian Britain as seen through the paintings of the era's artists.
"Jeremy Paxman is a brilliant and distinguished broadcaster ? who better to weigh up the complexities of the British empire ? its glories, its tragedies, the winners and the losers, its triumph and its curse?" said the BBC arts commissioning editor, Mark Bell.
"We hope that this series will bring to life the people and the chain of events that made it such a powerful institution, as well as shed new light on its consequences."
The BBC said the series "forms part of BBC's commitment to commissioning in-depth arts and culture programmes across a broad range of topics". Empire will be broadcast on BBC1 this autumn.
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Source: http://www.guardian.co.uk/media/2011/feb/14/jeremy-paxman-bbc1-empire
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