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From the makers of 'Who Do You Think You Are?' comes 'Empire's Children' -- a tie-in edition to a six part TV series for Channel 4 -- which tells the story of Empire, and follows the personal journeys of six British celebrities as they retrace their steps through their multicultural past. British society is in every way defined by its Imperial past. It is home to 2.3 million British Asians, 570,000 Caribbeans and 250,000 Chinese. Not to mention Cypriots, Australians and southern Africans. These people represent different cultures and divergent experiences but they all share a common heritage: they are the children (grandchildren, or great grandchildren) of Empire; and their lives have been shaped by that legacy. In the second part of the 20th century, Britain relinquished control of 64 countries and half a billion subjects. During that period, many thousands of those same former British subjects fled their homes to build new lives here. What were they hoping to find? Why did they want to come to the very country they'd fought so hard to free themselves from? What kinds of lives were they leaving behind? What was the reality of their new life here? And how was British society itself shaped by their arrival and assimilation here? Real concerns that are very much in forefront of our minds in the multicultural melting pot that Britain is today. 'Empire's Children' seeks to answer these questions by concentrating on the personal and emotive journeys of six chosen celebrities as they retrace the steps which they -- or their parents or grandparents -- took in order to reach this country for the first time. The stories will cover post colonial histories of Africa, the subcontinent, the West Indies, Australasia, South East Asia and Cyprus. In some cases, they will spend some time in the former colony and experience the motivations as well as the drama of the journey itself.
InterviewHere you can read an interview with Anton Gill, author of the book "Empire's Children: Trace Your Family History Across the World" which accompanies the TV series.
A lot's been written about the British Empire, but this project has a personal take on it: we see the history of a great Empire from the point of view of ordinary families, and the exceptional talents of the celebrities born into those families. This provides a fascinating new way of looking at history.
A lot's been written about the British Empire, but this project has a personal take on it: we see the history of a great Empire from the point of view of ordinary families, and the exceptional talents of the celebrities born into those families. This provides a fascinating new way of looking at history.
Facing your past and your family's past can often be a tough task, because you can find out unpleasant as well as pleasant things. Anyone willing to dig into their intimate family history should know that they might be profoundly affected by what they find out, and our six celebrities are no exception to this rule.
Fundamentally, people came to Britain because the ‘motherland’, as many of them saw it, presented better job opportunities than were to be had at home. Britain also actively canvassed in her colonies for health workers and transport workers in particular in the 1950s and 1960s - though they weren't always made welcome when they got here
For most people, it was tough getting a foothold. They had to contend with local prejudice, difficulties in getting somewhere to live, and unless there were family members here already to help them, getting started could be lonely and discouraging. But immigrants were hard workers, and far fewer pro rata ever drew dole than the local population. They worked hard at their jobs, paid their taxes, and ultimately most were able to buy their own homes and settle down.
The Empire came about almost by accident. We were opportunistic and we went in search of trade goods abroad. We were a great sea power from the time of Queen Elizabeth I onwards, and control of the seas meant control of the world right up until the early twentieth century, when air-power and communications technology boomed. By then, Germany and the USA had already overtaken us as industrial powers, and our Empire was costing more to maintain than it was worth. We hung on for as long as we could, but in the end the Empire fell apart under its own weight, and Britain ceased to be a major power.
In one sense modern Britain has been a victim of the memory of Empire. Both Margaret Thatcher and Tony Blair appear to have been under the impression that the Empire still exists - they certainly behave as if it did! And that attitude has done Britain no good in the modern world, since it has given the impression that we are living in the past and has led to some ludicrous post-colonial wars.
We have left a number of good things: at best, a sense of democracy and democratic government, a solid administrative and juridical infrastructure, and, in places like India, an unexampled railway system. On the other hand, looking especially at some African states, it could be said that our influence counted for nothing, apart from window-dressing. But at its best the Empire worked as a unifying and generally peaceful influence on the world. The greatest single legacy is the English language itself.
Plan ahead carefully and decide on a budget. Such research and the travel it involves can be costly in terms of time and money.
Oral history makes a huge contribution to the general historical corpus. Soon, there'll be no-one left alive who remembers the Empire, so it's good to collect and collate as many stories about it from those who experienced it as possible, while it's possible.
