Mary Beard & Charlotte Higgins Are Making Classics Cool Again

Two brilliant women are hosting the year’s best podcast. A world-renowned classicist and Guardian culture writer make emperors, epic poems, and ancient stories feel immediate, relevant, and unexpectedly entertaining.

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Men often take on the role of gatekeepers of knowledge, with their prominent faces often seen in online science communication today. But sometimes I feel they project more confidence than curiosity in their teaching, and I can tell something is missing. That’s why Instant Classics feels so refreshing.

World-renowned classicist Mary Beard and Guardian chief culture writer Charlotte Higgins host what is the best podcast of the year. They prove that ancient history can be funny and surprisingly relevant without needing a degree in Classics.

Why You Should Listen?

On the show, Beard and Higgins discuss emperors, epics, and gladiatorial games as easily as people talk about last night’s TV. They’ve also started a Book Club reading The Odyssey, which I just joined and will write about later. Even though I re-read Homer’s epic (and watched three adaptations) last year, I believe exploring it with these two brilliant guides will be the best experience.

If you want to give it a try, check “Which Roman Emperor is Donald Trump?” It sets the tone perfectly, being smart, engaging, and surprisingly relevant. You can also share your thoughts with them via social media, where they’re active and easy to reach.

[embed]Which Roman Emperor is Donald Trump? For a long time, being a classicist didn't exactly make you a hit at a party. Then along came Donald Trump and suddenly…pca.st

Pair It with a Show!

Want to dive deeper? Combine listening to the episode **“A Day At The Races In Ancient Rome” and then watching Prime’s 2024 series [Those About to Die](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt10569934/)**.

Emperor Vespasian (Anthony Hopkins) with his sons Titus (Tom Hughes) and Domitian (Jojo Macari), in Peacock’s series Those About to Die. Credits: Reiner Bajo

The series didn’t get much attention, but it deserves some recognition. It explores the billionaire business of chariot racing at the Circus Maximus behind the scenes. It reveals the extensive network fueling the entertainment industry.

Dimitri Leonidas as the Roman charioteer Scorpus, in Peacock’s series Those About to Die. Credits: Reiner Bajo

You see the corruption, the power plays, the high-stakes betting that run the lives revolving around the games. A Rome of mobsters, gamblers, and athletes rarely shown on screen.

Back to Instant Classics, I believe it shows that ancient history isn’t about opening dusty textbooks, but about understanding human nature. Mary and Charlotte nail it every week, and I love what they’re doing.