First broadcast: on BBC Radio 4 FMLatest broadcast: on BBC Radio 4 LW
In 1839, led by lancers in scarlet cloaks and plumed shakos, nearly 20,000 British and East India Company troops invaded Afghanistan for the first time. Show more
First broadcast: on BBC Radio 4 FMLatest broadcast: on BBC Radio 4 LW
Shah Shuja has been re-established on the throne as the 'puppet king' of the British. But it is not long before the Afghan people rise up, and the calls for jihad begin. Show more
First broadcast: on BBC Radio 4 FMLatest broadcast: on BBC Radio 4 FM
A mass uprising has begun and the trouble spreads to Kabul, where Sir Alexander Burnes has been butchered by an angry mob. Despite Shuja's pleas, Macnaghton remains complacent. Show more
First broadcast: on BBC Radio 4 FMLatest broadcast: on BBC Radio 4 FM
The British are preparing to march out of the cantonment towards the Khord Kabul Pass, but Shah Shuja tells them that leaving in the depths of winter is 'an act of extreme folly'. Show more
