The Empire Files

Top Dogs: Adventures in War, Sea and Ice

2009

Three iconic adventurers - newsman John Simpson, polar explorer Ranulph Fiennes and solo yachtsman Robin Knox-Johnston - go on a newsgathering trip to war-torn Afghanistan, attempt to sail around the most notorious of all maritime landmarks, Cape Horn, situated at the southernmost tip of South America, and man-haul sledges across the frozen sea ice of the Canadian Arctic.

Bluestone 42

2013

Bluestone 42 is a comedy drama about a British bomb disposal detachment in Afghanistan. So what’s the average working day for a hero? Make your keen young colleague deal with the boring paperwork? Wind up your fellow employees? Flirt with the new girl on the team? Or deal with an unseen enemy who’s trying to blow you up? Bluestone 42 is a comedy drama about a bunch of soldiers who just happen to be risking their lives diffusing hidden bombs. But who says they can’t have some fun alongside the serious professional stuff? This hilarious and often surprising series follows the adventures of a bunch of diverse characters living and working together at an army base in Afghanistan. This is a show about something easily forgotten; soldiers really enjoy being soldiers, but it’s not just a show for soldiers and it’s not just about the Army: it’s also a show for anybody who has ever fallen in love, experienced status battles at work or had a fear of failure. It is packed with the lively workmate banter and relationship minefields that most people will recognise. Even if they don’t face danger on a daily basis...

Afghanistan: The Wounded Land

2020

Afghanistan is at a crossroads between traditions and a contemporary lifestyle.

Officers 2

2009

Afghanistan: Getting Out

2022

Finding a way to end a war. Insiders tell the long and troubled story of a chaotic conflict, revealing the political pressures that helped seal the fate of Afghanistan.

Afghanistan: The Lion's Last Roar?

2014

This two-part series tells the story of the conflict in Afghanistan and asks what has been achieved and whether the British have the will to fight in distant lands again.

Tusen dagar i Sverige

2019

Iraq, Destruction of a Nation

2021

The evolution of the former Saddam Hussein's Baathist regime, from the start of the 1980's Iran-Iraq war to the excalation of the ISIS/Daesh insurgency. in the 2000s.