Main content

The Two Winstons

A History of Britain by Simon Schama Series 3
Episode 4 of 4

Examining the 20th century through the lives of Winston Churchill and George Orwell, who both wrote about the Depression, empire, world wars and the Cold War.

Simon Schama tackles the 20th century through the lives of two men - Winston Churchill and George Orwell. Both men, so very different in almost every way, lived through and wrote about the key moments of British 20th-century life - the Depression, Empire, two world wars and the Cold War. What unites them, argues Schama, is one shared theme - forget history at your peril.

7 months left to watch

59 minutes

Last on

Tue 16 Jun 2026 21:00
BBC Four

More episodes

Previous

The Empire of Good IntentionsSeries 3

Next

You are at the last episode

See all episodes from A History of Britain by Simon Schama

Credits

Presenter Simon Schama
Producer Clare Beavan
Executive Producer Martin Davidson

Broadcasts

  • Tue 18 Jun 2002 21:00
    BBC Two except East, South East & Yorkshire
  • Fri 12 Jul 2002 22:30
    BBC Four
  • Sat 7 Dec 2002 20:05
    BBC Two except East, South East & Yorkshire
  • Sat 14 Jun 2003 20:05
    BBC Four
  • Mon 3 Jan 2005 10:45
    BBC Two except East, South East & Yorkshire
  • Sat 29 Jul 2006 21:00
    BBC Four
  • Sat 30 Mar 2013 10:00
    BBC Two HD, Wales, Northern Ireland, England & Scotland only
  • Thu 18 Sep 2014 21:00
    BBC Four
  • Fri 19 Sep 2014 02:30
    BBC Four
  • Wed 24 Sep 2014 01:00
    BBC Four
  • Tue 18 Apr 2023 21:00
    BBC Four
  • Wed 19 Apr 2023 02:00
    BBC Four
  • Tue 16 Jun 2026 21:00
    BBC Four

Quiz: How's your British history knowledge?

Quiz: How's your British history knowledge?

Quiz featuring seven key moments between 3000 BC and 1603 AD from the first series.

Quiz: Can you answer these seven history questions?

Quiz: Can you answer these seven history questions?

Quiz featuring seven key moments between 1603 and 1776 from the second series.