There is nothing more British than a cup of tea.

Tea is our national drink; our national obsession. Yet the history of tea is the ultimate global story. It links over 350 years of British history to the histories of China, India, the Americas and beyond. It encompasses the Boston Tea Party, the Opium Wars, the history of the British East India Company, and more – it is a story that involves industrial espionage, a vast forgotten migration within India, and the creation in Britain of a whole new world of domestic traditions.

In this brand-new talk, David Olusoga uses art, photography and humour to uncover the strange, unexpected, and intriguing history of our national drink.

BAFTA-winning David has risen to renown in recent years, becoming prolific and highly respected in multiple spaces. He has twice interviewed US President Barack Obama, reached the finals of the BBC hit TV series Celebrity Traitors, and has enjoyed success on BBC2 with his 3-part series Empire. A fresh instalment of his much-anticipated series House Through Time is now running on BBC2.

He is of course also the author/co-author of eight books, including Black & British: A Forgotten History, awarded both the Longman-History Today Trustees Award and the PEN Hessell-Tiltman Prize.

A Q&A session will follow this talk, as will a book signing – offering you a chance to meet one of the UK’s foremost public historians.

Don’t miss your opportunity to see David present this fascinating topic as only such an accomplished researcher and master storyteller can.