“If I were to ask you when the British empire reached its greatest extent, what would you say? Before I worked on this issue, I’d have probably plumped for the late Victorian or Edwardian eras, which so often seem suffused with imperial pomp and pageantry. But, as Matthew Parker explains in his article this month, it was exactly 100 years ago, on 29 September 1923, when the Palestine mandate became law. In his thought-provoking piece (page 46), he surveys the empire at that precise moment, revealing how even then the cracks were beginning to show in Britain’s imperial edifice.
Just one day before this imperial milestone, something seismic occurred in the British media landscape: the first issue of Radio Times was published. Since its launch by the BBC, the title (now published by Immediate Media, who also produce this magazine) has reflected sweeping changes in the corporation, broadcasting and society at large. We asked historian David Hendy to chart the magazine’s story, and you can read his narrative on page 60.