Al Murray: Why Does Everyone Hate the British Empire? is a new docuseries on Sky History that looks at how imperialism has shaped India, Jamaica, South Africa and Australia. For the series the Pub Landlord comedian visits these four countries where he meets up with local comedians, India’s Anuvab Pal, Jamaican Chris Daley, South African Loyiso Gola and Aboriginal Australian Kevin Kropinyeri, who take him on a voyage of discovery into their histories. Al learns how Britain got rich by exploiting its ‘colonies’ and examines how this bloody past has affected each country’s future.
“I’ve had my mind totally expanded by going around the world and seeing all this,” says Al. “The British Empire is a hot topic and it felt like something to discuss and not be afraid of.”
Here’s everything you need to know about Al Murray: Why Does Everyone Hate the British Empire?…
Al Murray: Why Does Everyone Hate the British Empire?
Al Murray: Why Does Everyone Hate the British Empire? is a four-part series that stars on Sky History on Monday October 23 at 9pm. All episodes will also becomes available on Sky Box Sets.
What happens in Al Murray: Why Does Everyone Hate the British Empire?
Al Murray investigates the history of the British Empire, visiting India, Jamaica, South Africa and Australia to discover how they were colonised and exploited. In each destination he meets a local comedian who teaches him about the country’s brutal past and how this has shaped its future.
Al Murray: Why Does Everyone Hate the British Empire? episode guide
Here's our brief episode guide for Al Murray: Why Does Everyone Hate the British Empire?
Episode 1: India
Al journeys to India, the ‘jewel in the crown’ of the British Empire, where he meets Anuvab Pal. Anuvab takes him to see Kolkata’s silk trade and Darjeeling’s tea fields, where Al learns how the country was exploited by Britain’s East India Company. He also bathes in the river Ganges, sees locomotive trains dating back to the time of the Raj and hears how Partition – the division of the country and the creation of Pakistan – was rushed through in just weeks but had a long-lasting impact on its people.
Episode 2: Jamaica
Jamaican comedian Chris Daley shows Al how Britain colonised Jamaica and transported 3.4 million African slaves to the Americas and the Caribbean to work on sugar plantations. Horrified, Al hears how slaves were shackled, beaten and whipped and had salt and vinegar rubbed into their wounds. He also learns how 15,000 Jamaicans rushed to fight for Britain during the World Wars and hears all about the Windrush generation who helped to rebuild Britain after WWII. Al is delighted to try out some expensive rum and discover how it was created by slaves.
Episode 3: South Africa
Al learns from Loyiso Gola about how South Africa became a British colony and discovers the historically correct version of the battle that inspired Michael Caine’s film Zulu. He hears how Britain first invented concentration camps, designed to incarcerate the black population, and learns about the history of Apartheid. He also looks into the origins of big game hunting and checks out some car spinning.
Episode 4: Australia
Al meets Australian Aboriginal Kevin Kropinyeri and finds out that the first nation called Australia their home 60,000 years before it was ‘discovered’ by the Brits. He hears how it became a penal colony and learns about a horrific massacre where Aboriginals were herded off a cliff to remove them from the land. He also tries his hand at lawnmower racing.
Interview: Al Murray: Why Does Everyone Hate the British Empire?
What made you want to dig into the British Empire?
"It’s a hot topic. It seems to be a thing people are talking about. Obviously, my social media is going to be full of people going ‘why do you hate our country?’, spelt wrong, and then a load of people going ‘you forgot to talk about this, how dare you have left this out’. But them’s the breaks, I don’t care about any of that. It’s a hot topic and I think one that could possibly be talked about, maybe, in good humour. That’s what we’ve tried to do and that’s why we’ve involved people from those countries as well."
You tried to find positives as well, didn’t you?
"Yeah. People will even go ‘what do you mean positives?’ But history is something that I’m really, really interested in. It’s a big part of my life and my WWII podcast has become a thing that has completely consumed my every spare moment, which is brilliant and I love. I’m not complaining. The thing is if you study history at all, you’ll know perfectly well that the history of the world is a horrible succession of terrible events but I’m not afraid of facing that or talking about that or trying to address that. That’s been the interesting thing about making this programme and trying to find a way through. Talking to somebody like Anuvab Pal, as an Indian he feels that there is nuance to be had. That’s who I want to hear it from. It’s all very well me going on about it. When you’re British you go ‘well there’s good points and bad points’ and you get pushed against immediately because how could there be? But to have it from an Indian person or to talk to an Aboriginal Australian or to talk to a South African guy or Jamaican and hear them go ‘it’s nothing to do with us anymore, it’s gone, it’s over, it’s finished’ is really, really interesting. It’s an incredibly stimulating is the way to look at it."
What were the most memorable moments for you?
"Well, all sorts. When we went to South Africa, because I’m a man of a certain age we had to talk about Zulu. I’ve seen that film many times. It’s a bank holiday Monday war film. And yet, ask a South African guy who has Zulu uncles whether he’s seen Zulu, well of course he hasn’t. And, get this, he’s not interested in watching it. This is another way of looking and thinking about all this, and that I really love. It makes you think again and have another perspective. That was a great moment because it was fun and arresting and interesting all at the same time. In Australia we went to the memorial of a thing called the Appin massacre where Aboriginal people were literally forced off a cliff in a drive to clear them from their land. I didn’t know about that and it happened around the time of the Battle of Waterloo. We all think that’s the triumph in the Napoleonic wars but at the other end of the world, this is happening. It remains controversial in Australia. Even commemorating it is controversial and talking about it. That’s really interesting and thought-provoking. You come to these places as a Brit but I’m not the British Empire, I didn’t do it. So, I can come at it possibly with some perspective too. It was an endlessly stimulating thing to do."
What surprised you in India?
"Going to Darjeeling, the tea plantation and talking about tea which is an essential part of British culture. But then you learn about where that comes from which is essentially a hardcore exploitation of the people there. Tea pickers weren’t paid anything like properly and were essentially indentured labour. I think that’s worth knowing about. My attitude is I’m glad I know about that, and I’d like other people to know about that. How they think and feel about it is up to them. I’m not here to tell anyone how to feel. I’m here to discover stuff for myself and draw my own conclusions. Which is what, in my view, history is for. Because everything in history is horrible and terrible, you’ve got to pick your worst things. That’s what was really interesting about India."
There were times during the series when you seemed visibly moved…
"Yes, everything you saw on camera is how I felt about it all. It’s changed my perspectives about quite a few things. Certainly, going to Australia. On our last day there we went for a walk around Sydney and it’s so amazing. It’s so beautiful, it’s an extraordinarily gorgeous place but how was it come by? How was it acquired? And how did the colony there enforce itself? You’ve got to know that as you sit and drink your Bloody Mary by this amazing beach. You really ought to know that and then you decide how you feel about that. I came away from Australia feeling quite different to how I felt about Australia before. It’s a fun place, it’s a lovely place and the Australians are fantastic people but what is it when you stop and think about it? Different to India, different to South Africa, different to Jamaica. Each of them different in every way."
How did having the local comedians help?
"They didn’t hold back on their own feelings, and we didn’t want them to. That was the thing. We were dead keen on them saying how they felt about stuff. You want them to be honest because a big part of the debate on Empire in this country is between people from here, arguing with each other about it. I don’t know how Australians feel about it, for example. That was the exciting thing. To talk to people and discover their perspective and discover to some extent, they’re not interested. I think that’s really interesting."
I’m not so sure you were quite as interested in bathing in the Ganges river though?
"No, that was horrible. The dead dog with the crow picking bits off it, I mean Jesus Christ. What a lot of fun that was. But you’ve got to show up and be game and say alright, I’m up for this.
What else pushed you outside your comfort zone?
"Well, although I had a lot of fun doing it, driving lawn mowers. I’m not really a petrol head and I was very nervous about that but then I really got into it. It was absolutely fantastic. I was good at it, strangely enough, having thought I wouldn’t be. If I was asked to do that again I would jump at it. It was a great way to spend an afternoon and go for a few beers afterwards. It was wonderful."
What was the highlight in Jamaica?
"Drinking super expensive rum in a super posh resort and letting our hair down. When you film, you’re on the move constantly and you don’t get to stop. You don’t get to take a place in. But weirdly in Jamaica we did, as part of the programme. And that was fabulous. A real privilege really."
Was anything unexpected on your travels?
"One of the things that surprised me was the sense of the British Empire not being important. It’s a thing which will ignite a debate here but for some people, it’s not important. We talked to a rickshaw guy in India who was like, ‘well it’s nothing to do with me. Literally got nothing to do with me, it was centuries ago and I wasn’t there.’ Some people might be surprised by that. Some people might think how can he not be interested in that? Why would he say that? But it’s interesting that he does. I didn’t want to give him a lecture. I certainly wasn’t there to give anyone any lectures. Everyone can make up their own minds, I always come back to that. The other thing was when we were in Jamaica and talked about reparation that very quickly turned into an argument within Jamaican culture and discourse. And then whatever they might think about it, you’ve got to think that how you get that past British politics is another question altogether. With the state of things here, I can’t see how you’d get to what they were talking about necessarily. All that is so interesting. That surprised me the most."
What do you hope the audience will take away from the series?
"What I want people to take away from it is hopefully a fair bit of ‘I didn’t know that’. But I’m quite comfortable with people drawing their own conclusions. That’s what history is for. We will have left stuff out and we will have included stuff in but that’s the nature of looking at history and I’m comfortable with that. So, what I’d like people to take away from it is ‘gosh that’s interesting. I didn’t know that. How fascinating. I wish I knew more’. It’s as basic as that."
Is there a trailer?
No but if Sky releases one, we’ll post it up on this page.
All about Al Murray
Comedian Al Murray’s alter ego The Pub Landlord has made numerous stand-up videos including A Glass of White Wine for the Lady and Giving it both Barrels. He’s had his own shows including Time Gentlemen Please and Al Murray’s Multiple Personality Disorder and made the TV movie Make Christmas Great Again. Al has also hosted An Audience with Al Murray, Al Murray: Why Does Everyone Hate the English, Al Murray’s Great British War Movies and Al Murray’s Great British Pub Quiz.
