In recent months, Snow has done the history of Congo and the history of the Winter Olympics. His latest film – the first of a two-part series – was The Birth of Empire: the East India Company (BBC Two). It displayed Snow’s usual strengths. In an hour, he managed to trot through 250 years of history, from the founding of the East India company at the start of the 17th century to what was effectively its death blow, the Indian Rebellion of 1857.