Ben Henderson

Yeah, so in the tea story, this is fascinating, though, because it really demonstrates that demand for tea isn't just located among the aristocrats at the top with Catherine.

It's dispersed through society.

So pirates are bringing the tea over from Holland and Portugal because there was far lower taxes over there than there was over here.

And there's a lot of violence involved in this smuggling.

But I find it really funny.

It's not always the people you'd expect, you know, the pirates, villains in society.

There were teachers involved in the smuggling trade.

There was members of the clergy.

Yeah, there's all sorts.

Fascinating.

OK, so we get the picture.

Catherine has popularised tea at the elite level and it's slowly trickling down through the classes and growing in popularity.

But I get the feeling, Alice, that things are about to take a much darker turn.

Yes, and the East India Company plays a huge role in this story, doesn't it?

Yeah, a very dangerous drug that can ruin lives and has done many people in

Yeah.

And this is what leads to what's known as the Opium Wars, isn't it?

And we obviously know it as a company, but they actually have the Royal Navy, don't they, to support them in going to war here?

Gosh, we're flooding their country with drugs, causing loads of addiction and going to war for tea.

I can't believe that a Scottish man can fit in in 19th century China.