Victoria's Empire is a three-part British travel series that was first broadcast on BBC One in 2007. It was fronted by comedienne and actress Victoria Wood. Wood travelled around the world in search of the history, cultural impact and customs which the British Empire placed on the parts of the world it ruled. The documentary was called Victoria's Empire after the presenter, as Wood herself is named after the ruler of the British Empire, Queen Victoria. Wood specifically looked at places named after the monarch.
In total Wood visited nine countries:
She departed from London Victoria station for:
âProgramme One: Calcutta, Hong Kong and Borneo
âProgramme Two: Ghana, Jamaica and Newfoundland, Canada
âProgramme Three: New Zealand, Australia and Zambia, finishing at the Victoria Falls.
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Victoria's Empire Episode Guide
India/Hong Kong/Borneo
S1 Ep1
1.0
29th Apr 2007
Victoria Wood visits countries that used to be part of Queen Victoria's British Empire. In Calcutta she takes a taxi through the city to see the extent of the British residue and discovers very well preserved Victorian buildings amongst the colours and textures of this marvellous city. She chats with Indian resident Toby Sinclair and discovers the intriguing way we learned local languages, and the legacy that will allow India to become an economic super power.
Then itâs up to Darjeeling, where British women would avoid the intensity of the Calcutta summers, and where taking tea wasnât the only diversion in the long, often lonely, summer nights.
In Hong Kong, Victoria visits a vet to discuss the Chinese and British polar attitudes towards pets and gets her love life analysed by a fortune teller, before in Borneo, Victoria comes face to face with the descendent of a chief head hunter, a local solidified bird spit delicacy and a baby Orangutanâs first attempts at climbing.
Credits:
Ghana/Jamaica/Newfoundland
S1 Ep2
6th May 2007
Victoria Wood visits countries that used to be part of Queen Victoria's British Empire.
The first stop this episode is Ghana, once known as the Gold Coast, where slaves were purchased to be transported across the Atlantic to work on the Jamaican sugar plantations.
Victoria travels inland to visit Assin Manso. Here the slaves were washed and sold before being marched to the Cape Coast Castle dungeons, where they were held before being dispatched.
Visiting Cape Coast herself, Victoria discovers how the Ghanaians live now and how they are moving away from the stain of the slave trade.
Then itâs on to Jamaica, the slaveâs grim destination, and a chat with Aleric Josephs about how the slaves resisted their harsh treatment and ultimately participated in infanticide to prevent their children being born into slavery. Victoria sees how they fought for and joyously celebrated their freedom and meets Freddie Macgregor to discuss the African roots of reggae.
Finally itâs on to Newfoundland, a foggy rock on the furthest eastern edge of Canada where Victoria has tea with a monarchist and meets Michael, who takes her up a hill to try and spot fairies.
New Zealand/Australia/Zambia
S1 Ep3
13th May 2007
Victoria Wood visits countries that used to be part of Queen Victoria's British Empire. In New Zealand she meets Hone, a Maori, and learns about the start of the interracial troubles, before heading to Alice Springs, in the heart of Australia, where countless aborigines were massacred. Victoria's journey ends at Victoria Falls in Zambia, where she takes a trip down the Zambezi river and meets a herbalist who can cure almost anything.
