One of the most controversial figures of the British Empire. Cecil Rhodes (Martin Shaw) was a man consumed by ambition, blessed with unique charisma, and destroyed at the pinnacle of his power by an exotic princess (Frances Barber). An epic story of diamonds and gold, of a lust for power that started wars and destroyed nations, and of an empire carved in the image of one extraordinary man. Cecil Rhodes was sent to Africa to die, but became the wealthiest man in the western world (father of the De Beers diamond empire) with a country named after him.

This epic eight-part drama was ten years in the planning, two years in production and shot on location in South Africa. With a cast of thousands, the violent and destructive diamond rush in which thousands of desperate men lost their lives, and the bitter wars that divided the country and devastated its people are recreated. The story of Cecil Rhodes is also the story of southern Africa and one of the most burning political issues of the twentieth century – apartheid. Special features include a Cecil Rhodes Timeline, A Cecil Rhodes Biography, a Behind-the-Scenes Picture Gallery and Cast Filmographies.