This Sceptred Isle: Collection 1

The final five volumes from the landmark BBC radio series This Sceptred Isle. Christopher Lee's epic history tells the story of Britain from the Romans to the death of Victoria. This collection includes the original volumes 6-10. 1702-1760: the First British Empire; the reign of George I; Britain's first Prime Minister, Robert Walpole; and the first rendition of Rule Britannia. 1760-1792: the Age of Revolution; the Industrial Revolution begins....

Continuing the award-winning BBC Radio 4 series of the story of Britain, from the start of the twentieth century to the present day. Christopher Lee's history of Britain, This Sceptred Isle, provided the definitive radio account of the nation form the arrival of Julius Caesar to the death of Queen Victoria.

Volume 2, covering the years 1919-1939, looks at a Britain ravaged by war and at the mercy of millions of striking workers. It also takes in the lighter side of life in the 1920s and 30s, including the first loaf of bread going on sale and the glory days of Fred Perry.

Volume 3, covering the years 1939-1959, takes a global perspective. Following the horrors of the Second World War, which culminated with the horrific bombing of Hiroshima and the onset of the Cold War, came the beginnings of popular culture: Marilyn Monroe, Elvis Presley and the Mini.

The Sceptred Isle provided the definitive radio account of the British nation, from 55BC to the end of the 20th century. Now its attention turns towards the incredibly powerful families which have wielded power behind the scenes for the past 1,000 years. The Dynasties relates how the loyalties of this privileged elite, many of whom are older than the monarchy itself, were tested and rewarded; it also uncovers a multitude of murderous plots, bloody battles, adulteries, intrigues and shocking executions.

Britain had the biggest empire the world has ever known. At one time a quarter of the global land mass was British. Over a third of the world was insured at Lloyds. At his coronation, more than 400 million people saluted George V. Truly, the sun never set on this historical phenomenon. Whatever the day, whatever the hour, somewhere on the globe, the empire worked and played the British game, often absurdly so.

Britain had the biggest empire the world has ever known. At one time a quarter of the global land mass was British. Over a third of the world was insured at Lloyds. At his coronation, more than 400 million people saluted George V. Truly, the sun never set on this historical phenomenon. Whatever the day, whatever the hour, somewhere on the globe, the empire worked and played up and played the British game, often absurdly so.

This is Volume 2 of the eagerly-awaited follow-up to Christopher Lee's highly-acclaimed and award-winning BBC Radio 4 series. BBC Radio 4's monumental history of Britain picks up the story of the British Empire at the point where the American colonies have become the United States of America with their triumph over General Cornwallis and the British army at Yorktown in 1781. These are the years when British influence grew steadily around the globe.

Volume 5, covering the years 1979-1999, looks at the Thatcher years, the Falklands War and the greatest ever Royal Wedding. Beyond Britain Gorbachev was influencing world affairs and, back in the nation's capital, a dome was being built to celebrate the approaching millennium.

Eyewitness accounts from the BBC Archive are at the heart of this unique history of the first half of the 20th century, narrated by Tim Pigott-Smith. The events of 1900-1949 are described by the people who saw them happen, from the death of Queen Victoria and accession of Edward VII through the First World War, to the sinking of the Titanic, the General Strike and the Great Depression, to the Second World War and its aftermath.

When The Story of Britain was originally published to great acclaim in 1996, Andrew Roberts declared it 'classic popular history' and Antonia Fraser said 'History at its best'. Roy Strong's mission was to produce an accessible one-volume history which would clearly depict Britain's origins and explain how the past shaped our current identity. He begins the story of Britain from the very earliest recorded Celtic times and has now brought it right up to date via the Blair years and into the present day of Brexit Britain. It is a remarkable achievement, and with his passion, enthusiasm and wide-ranging knowledge, he is the ideal narrator. 

Volume 1, covering the years 55BC to 1087, tells the beginning of the story: 400 years of peace for the island of Britannia under the Romans before a plunge into the Dark Ages and the invasion of those who would become the English: Angles, Saxons, Danes and Norwegians.

Volume 2 covers the years 1087 to 1327, a time of wars between the English and the Scots, of Crusades and of civil war. Yet in amongst the fighting lay the foundations of the modern state: the Magna Carta and the calling of the first parliament.

David Reynolds' major BBC Radio 4 series explores the origins of the contemporary United States from its beginnings to the present day. This epic narrative tells America's story through the voices of those who lived it - presidents and farmers, mothers and children, settlers and soldiers, slaves and Indians. The series celebrates the country's achievements but also examines its paradoxes by investigating three abiding themes of American life: empire, liberty and faith.

The events of 1950-1999 are described by the people who saw them happen, from the Festival of Britain in 1951 through to the dawn of a new millennium at the end of 1999. In between are the eras of the Angry Young Men, the Teddy Boys and the Punk Rockers; the arrival of rock and roll and the permissive society; the advent of industrial strife in England and sectarian unrest in Northern Ireland; the rise to power of Margaret Thatcher; the miners' strike, three-day week and Winter of Discontent; the Queen's Silver Jubilee....