Al Murray asks 'Why Does Everyone Hate the British Empire?' for Sky
- Al Murray: Why Does Everyone Hate the British Empire? is coming to Sky History
- The four-part series sees Murray visiting India, Jamaica, South Africa and Australia, accompanied by comedians Anuvab Pal, Chris Daley, Loyiso Gola and Kevin Kropinyeri
- This is Murray's third series with a similar format for Sky History, with no episode yet featuring a female guest comic or celebrity
Al Murray is returning to Sky History for a new series, Al Murray: Why Does Everyone Hate the British Empire?.
Exploring the history of British colonial rule around the world, the comic and history buff, best known for his Pub Landlord alter-ego, began shooting the four hour-long episodes earlier this year to air shortly, pairing with a local comedian in each country he visited.
In India, Murray was joined by Anuvab Pal; in Jamaica, by Chris Daley; in South Africa by Loyiso Gola; and in Australia, by Aboriginal comic, Kevin Kropinyeri. Together, they investigated the origins of British rule, its impact upon each country and how its legacy continues to influence governance, culture and attitudes.
"This is a debate that is ongoing and becoming more and more heated" said Murray. "The history demands exploration, the legacy assessment. I've been lucky enough to go all over the world to take a look for myself, find out what legacy remains and, most importantly, how it figures in the lives of people in Britain's former colonies. Is this a story with a happy ending or is it not yet over?"
"Taking a global history lesson to try and unpick the legacy of the empire and, importantly, how it's viewed today by the citizens of these countries", the documentary series is the third that Murray has made for Sky History, following 2018's Why Does Everyone Hate The English? and 2020's Why Do The British Win Every War?
So far, all of his guests across the three series have been male comics or celebrities, though the episodes have featured female historians.
Directed by Andrew Fettis (Frost On Satire) and produced by Murray's management company Avalon (Taskmaster, Not Going Out) with Motion Content Group (Britain's Greatest Obsessions: Harry On Humour, Jon & Lucy's Party Of The Year), Jay Taylor, Jamie Isaacs and Richard Allen-Turner executive produce for Avalon and Martin Oxley and Deep Sehgal for Motion Content Group.
The series was commissioned and executive produced by Dan Korn, vice president of programming at A+E Networks EMEA, with Diana Carter, commissioning editor and head of talent at A+E Networks EMEA.
Korn said: "As the country views its history through the eyes of a new generation, with new sensibilities and perspectives, who better than Al Murray, The Pub Landlord and Sky History to examine what remains the most controversial, debated and obscured part of our nation's history; the British Empire."
Taylor added: "There is no better person than Al to explore the 'hot topic' of the British Empire, his blend of humour with historical insight means his discoveries are always fascinating and we're delighted to be working the great team at A+E EMEA on this new series."