Episodes

  • 329. India’s Greatest Rebellion: The British Raj is Born (Part 8)

    329. India’s Greatest Rebellion: The British Raj is Born (Part 8)
    Jan 29 2026
    How did Lucknow become the final battleground of the 1857 Uprising? Who was Begum Hazrat Mahal, and how did she hold together a rebellion against overwhelming odds? How did the 1857 Uprising lead to the fall of the East India Company, and the rise of the harsher British Raj? In the final episode of the series, Anita and William explain how northern India’s organised rebellion came to an end, ushering in a new era of British rule in India. Join the Empire Club: Unlock the full Empire experience – with bonus episodes, ad-free listening, early access to miniseries and live show tickets, exclusive book discounts, a members-only newsletter, and access to our private Discord chatroom. Sign up directly at empirepoduk.com For more Goalhanger Podcasts, head to www.goalhanger.com. Email: empire@goalhanger.com Instagram: @empirepoduk Blue Sky: @empirepoduk X: @empirepoduk Editors: Bruno Di Castri and Lorcan Moullier Producer: Anouska Lewis Executive Producer: Dom Johnson Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
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    42 mins
  • 328. India’s Greatest Rebellion: The Reign of Terror (Part 7)

    328. India’s Greatest Rebellion: The Reign of Terror (Part 7)
    Jan 27 2026
    How did the British finally break into Delhi during the 1857 Uprising? Why did a sudden solar eclipse change the fate of the siege overnight? Why is the British victory considered one of Delhi’s greatest tragedies? In Episode 7 of the series, William and Anita discuss the bloody Siege of Delhi, the British assault which spelled the end of the Mughal Empire. Join the Empire Club: Unlock the full Empire experience – with bonus episodes, ad-free listening, early access to miniseries and live show tickets, exclusive book discounts, a members-only newsletter, and access to our private Discord chatroom. Sign up directly at empirepoduk.com For more Goalhanger Podcasts, head to www.goalhanger.com. Email: empire@goalhanger.com Instagram: @empirepoduk Blue Sky: @empirepoduk X: @empirepoduk Editor: Bruno Di Castri Producer: Anouska Lewis Executive Producer: Dom Johnson Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
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    48 mins
  • 327. India’s Greatest Rebellion: The British Strike Back (Part 6)

    327. India’s Greatest Rebellion: The British Strike Back (Part 6)
    Jan 22 2026
    How did the tide turn towards the end of 1857 as British reinforcements gathered to strike the hearts of the rebellion: Delhi and Lucknow? Who was the British Commander, John Nicholson, and why was he feared by both friend and foe? Was the city of Delhi, under control of the last Mughal emperor, doomed from within? In Episode 6 of the series, Anita and William cover how Indian resistance during the 1857 uprising became weakened by dwindling resources, tactical disunity, and the growing British force. Join the Empire Club: Unlock the full Empire experience – with bonus episodes, ad-free listening, early access to miniseries and live show tickets, exclusive book discounts, a members-only newsletter, and access to our private Discord chatroom. Sign up directly at empirepoduk.com For more Goalhanger Podcasts, head to www.goalhanger.com. Email: empire@goalhanger.com Instagram: @empirepoduk Blue Sky: @empirepoduk X: @empirepoduk Editor: Vasco Andrade Producer: Anouska Lewis Executive Producer: Dom Johnson Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
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    48 mins
  • 326. India’s Greatest Rebellion: The Indian Joan of Arc – Rani of Jhansi (Part 5)

    326. India’s Greatest Rebellion: The Indian Joan of Arc – Rani of Jhansi (Part 5)
    Jan 20 2026
    The warrior queen who fought the British on the battlefield, Rani of Jhansi –or Rani Lakshmibai– is still a hero in India, with comic books and Bollywood movies about her. But what’s the true history behind her legend? How did she become a fierce leader of resistance who led her men to fight fearlessly against the East India Company? In Episode 5 of the series, William and Anita are joined by Ira Mukhoty, author of Heroines: Powerful Indian Women of Myth & History, to discuss the life of one of the leaders of the Indian Rebellion, Rani of Jhansi. Join the Empire Club: Unlock the full Empire experience – with bonus episodes, ad-free listening, early access to miniseries and live show tickets, exclusive book discounts, a members-only newsletter, and access to our private Discord chatroom. Sign up directly at empirepoduk.com For more Goalhanger Podcasts, head to www.goalhanger.com. Email: empire@goalhanger.com Instagram: @empirepoduk Blue Sky: @empirepoduk X: @empirepoduk Editor: Charlie Rodwell Producer: Anouska Lewis Executive Producer: Dom Johnson Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
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    1 hr and 4 mins
  • 325. India’s Greatest Rebellion: The Siege of Lucknow (Part 4)

    325. India’s Greatest Rebellion: The Siege of Lucknow (Part 4)
    Jan 15 2026
    An entire city turns on the British and revolts in unison. 3000 East India Company soldiers and civilians in Lucknow are under siege in one compound, hiding in tunnels and surrounded by snipers. But who will break first the besieger the besieged? In Episode 4 of the series, William and Anita discuss how Lucknow became one of the centres of resistance standing up to East India Company power. Join the Empire Club: Unlock the full Empire experience – with bonus episodes, ad-free listening, early access to miniseries and live show tickets, exclusive book discounts, a members-only newsletter, and access to our private Discord chatroom. Sign up directly at empirepoduk.com For more Goalhanger Podcasts, head to www.goalhanger.com. Email: empire@goalhanger.com Instagram: @empirepoduk Blue Sky: @empirepoduk X: @empirepoduk Editor: Bruno Di Castri Producer: Anouska Lewis Executive Producer: Dom Johnson Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
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    54 mins
  • 324. India’s Greatest Rebellion: Massacre and Revenge in Kanpur (Part 3)

    324. India’s Greatest Rebellion: Massacre and Revenge in Kanpur (Part 3)
    Jan 13 2026
    In one of the darkest chapters of the 1857 uprising, brutal massacres are met with revenge brutal massacres as the rebellion reaches the East India Company garrison town of Kanpur or “Cawnpore”. Who was General Wheeler and why was the entrenchment he built so fragile? How were the atrocities at Kanpur used to justify gruesome violence against Indians? In Episode 3 of the series, Anita and William discuss the gruesome history of the Kanpur massacre which lived on in Victorian memory for the decades that followed. Join the Empire Club: Unlock the full Empire experience – with bonus episodes, ad-free listening, early access to miniseries and live show tickets, exclusive book discounts, a members-only newsletter, and access to our private Discord chatroom. Sign up directly at empirepoduk.com For more Goalhanger Podcasts, head to www.goalhanger.com. Email: empire@goalhanger.com Instagram: @empirepoduk Blue Sky: @empirepoduk X: @empirepoduk Editor: Bruno Di Castri Producer: Anouska Lewis Executive Producer: Dom Johnson Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
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    53 mins
  • 323. India’s Greatest Rebellion: The Rebels March On Delhi (Part 2)

    323. India’s Greatest Rebellion: The Rebels March On Delhi (Part 2)
    Jan 8 2026
    How did the mutiny amongst sepoys –Indian soldiers– turn into a national crisis? What ultimatum did the rebels give the Mughal emperor when they reached the Red Fort in Delhi? Why did the British fail to see what was coming? In Episode 2 of the series, William and Anita discuss how the rebel sepoys travelled along the Bridge of Boats to take the rebellion to Delhi. Join the Empire Club: Unlock the full Empire experience – with bonus episodes, ad-free listening, early access to miniseries and live show tickets, exclusive book discounts, a members-only newsletter, and access to our private Discord chatroom. Sign up directly at empirepoduk.com For more Goalhanger Podcasts, head to www.goalhanger.com. Email: empire@goalhanger.com Instagram: @empirepoduk Blue Sky: @empirepoduk X: @empirepoduk Editor: Bruno Di Castri Producer: Anouska Lewis Executive Producer: Dom Johnson Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
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    53 mins
  • 322. India’s Greatest Rebellion: The 1857 Mutiny (Part 1)

    322. India’s Greatest Rebellion: The 1857 Mutiny (Part 1)
    Jan 6 2026
    Secret messages are being passed from city to city inside chapattis, rebellion is in the air. When Indian soldiers in the East India Company army hear that bullet cartridges are greased with pig and cow fat, they take a stand against their British generals. A mutiny begins that will soon explode into an all-out revolution… This is the Indian Uprising of 1857. How did India’s Greatest Rebellion begin? Why did the dynamic between British and Indian soldiers start to change in the 1850s? How did the British react when the mutiny broke out? William Dalrymple and Anita Anand launch a brand new series on the Indian Rebellion of 1857. Join the Empire Club: Unlock the full Empire experience – with bonus episodes, ad-free listening, early access to miniseries and live show tickets, exclusive book discounts, a members-only newsletter, and access to our private Discord chatroom. Sign up directly at empirepoduk.com For more Goalhanger Podcasts, head to www.goalhanger.com. Email: empire@goalhanger.com Instagram: @empirepoduk Blue Sky: @empirepoduk X: @empirepoduk Editor: Bruno Di Castri Producer: Anouska Lewis Executive Producer: Dom Johnson Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
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    51 mins