Union with David Olusoga

David Olusoga tells the story of the first attempts to form a united Britain from the 1600s, the start of a century defined by religious divisions, to 1707, when, after a failed colonial expedition to Panama, Scotland joins with England and Wales.

David Olusoga reveals how, in the 18th century, a new British identity was forged in the face of multiple threats including the Jacobite rebellions in Scotland, an Irish revolution in 1798, and near-constant war with France.

In the 19th century, the union of Great Britain and Ireland appeared to be secure and powerful. Yet beneath the surface were deep divisions between rich and poor, and social class began to define identities and loyalties.

The 20th century sees partition in Ireland. A sense of national unity emerges in the aftermath of the Second World War, but economic challenges in the 1970s create new divisions and questions about the union's future.