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You're Dead to Me

India between empires: the long 18th century

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// Greg Jenner is joined in early modern India by historian Dr Jagjeet Lally and comedian Nish Kumar to learn all about the subcontinent’s dynamic eighteenth century. From the sixteenth century, the dominant power in India was the Mughal Empire. According to the traditional narrative, when the Mughals began to decline in the eighteenth century, the subcontinent descended into political chaos, and European trading powers – most notably the British East India Company – swooped in to take advantage and (in their words) restore order. But can we trust this story? In this episode, we look at India’s long eighteenth century not as a period of chaos, but one of dynamic transformation and exciting developments. Taking in the rise of new powers including the Marathas, the Rajputs and the Sikh Empire, and looking at changes in the economy, global trade, artistic patronage and gender relations, we explore what India was really like at this time. //

© BBC Radio 4 Length 00:57:18 12 September 2025 Topics: History , Educational Country: UK Type: Episodic

Full episode description

© BBC Radio 4 Length 00:57:18 12 September 2025 Topics: History , Educational Country: UK Type: Episodic

Welcome to You're Dead To Me

Welcome to You're Dead To Me

This is an episodic podcast, so you can listen to it in any order, but episode one is a great place to start.

Listen to episode one here

Greg Jenner is joined in early modern India by historian Dr Jagjeet Lally and comedian Nish Kumar to learn all about the subcontinent’s dynamic eighteenth century. From the sixteenth century, the dominant power in India was the Mughal Empire. According to the traditional narrative, when the Mughals began to decline in the eighteenth century, the subcontinent descended into political chaos, and European trading powers – most notably the British East India Company – swooped in to take advantage and (in their words) restore order. But can we trust this story? In this episode, we look at India’s long eighteenth century not as a period of chaos, but one of dynamic transformation and exciting developments. Taking in the rise of new powers including the Marathas, the Rajputs and the Sikh Empire, and looking at changes in the economy, global trade, artistic patronage and gender relations, we explore what India was really like at this time.

If you’re a fan of the history of globalisation, the connections between politics, economics and social relations, and debunking historical myths, you’ll love our episode on the long eighteenth century in India.

If you want to know more about the history of India, check out our episodes on the Mughals and Bollywood. And for more eighteenth-century history, there’s our episode on Black Georgian England.

You’re Dead To Me is the comedy podcast that takes history seriously. Every episode, Greg Jenner brings together the best names in history and comedy to learn and laugh about the past.

Hosted by: Greg Jenner

Research by: Clara Chamberlain

Written by: Emmie Rose Price-Goodfellow, Emma Nagouse, and Greg Jenner

Produced by: Emmie Rose Price-Goodfellow and Greg Jenner

Audio Producer: Steve Hankey

Production Coordinator: Gill Huggett

Senior Producer: Emma Nagouse

Executive Editor: Philip Sellars


© BBC Radio 4 | 00:57:18

The content, artwork and advertising within this podcast is not owned or affiliated with Sound Carrot and remain the property of their respective owners.

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