Main content
3. The Tea in Boston Harbour
Sathnam Sanghera explores how imperial tea played a role in shaping Britain’s relationship with two superpowers. From 2023.
The crates dumped in the harbour at the Boston Tea Party in 1773 contained East India Company tea.
Historian William Dalrymple tells Sathnam Sanghera that taxation wasn’t the only issue motivating Boston’s revolutionaries.
Fear and suspicion of the EIC and its tea were a factor as well.
And soon, tea would forever change British relations with China too.
Producer: Paul Martin
A BBC Audio Wales production for BBC Radio 4, first broadcast in December 2023.
Last on
Wed 1 Oct 2025
09:30
BBC Radio 4 Extra
Broadcasts
- Wed 6 Dec 2023 13:45BBC Radio 4
- Thu 27 Jun 2024 21:45BBC Radio 4 FM
- Wed 1 Oct 2025 09:30BBC Radio 4 Extra