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They decimated cities while building new ones in their destructive path. They killed thousands while bringing civilization to the remaining population. Rome's British invasion and nearly 400-hundred-year rule was a paradoxical campaign of annihilation and growth. This three-part exploration of the Roman Empire's occupation of Britain examines why they attacked, where they conquered, how they industrialized and exploited the land and what made them vulnerable to the revolt that signaled the ultimate fall of Rome.
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Episode 1
Sat, Feb 21, 2026
The Romans came to Britain and conquered it, ruling the island for centuries. But why did they come and how did they succeed in the face of the inhabitants' ferocious resistance? Using state-of-the-art graphic imagery and expert reconstructions of the Roman army in action, Bettany Hughes goes back in time to see how they inspired shock and awe. Hughes analyses the motives and actions of Roman emperors and generals, and of their opponents like Caratacus, a warrior from South-East England who became a hero to the Britons.





