Ancient Rome

Synopsis

Series in which restaurant critic Giles Coren and writer and comedian Sue Perkins experience the food culture of years gone by. This time they travel back to the early days of the Roman Empire. Living in a splendid villa, Senator Giles dons a toga while Vestal Virgin Sue dresses in tunics and keeps the fires of Rome burning.

Italian chef and cookery writer Valentina Harris slaves away in the marbled kitchen, cooking extraordinary meals, including the stinking fish sauce known as garum. When not gorging on delights from Valentina's kitchen, Giles and Sue try out the popular Roman snack lagana, the precursor of pizza and pasta, while attending the Colosseum.

Sue also finds herself as Queen Cleopatra, and is delivered to Giles in a carpet. Together they dine on spicy Egyptian fare. Giles tries his hand at being a gladiator and Sue discovers some of the more obscure gods at the Pantheon. While dining on sheep's testicles, sow's udder pate and duck tongue, Giles realises that being a gladiator may not be such a good idea, so they decide to go and conquer a small island called Britannica.

Rocking up on Dover beach, they try British oysters and the food provided for the invading Roman army. Sue tries her hand at being Boudicca and Giles plunges into a freezing cold Roman bath. Missing their slaves, they retreat back to Rome for a final banquet with guests actor Kenneth Cranham, historian Adrian Goldsworthy and food expert Angela Pagano. Our intrepid Supersizers end their adventures suffocated in a shower of falling rose petals.

Credits

Presenter

Giles Coren

Presenter

Sue Perkins

Director

Neil Ferguson

Producer

Neil Ferguson

Broadcasts

1. Mon 27 Jul 2009
   21:00
   BBC Two (except Northern Ireland (Analogue), Wales (Analogue))
2. Thu 30 Jul 2009
   00:20
   BBC Two (except Northern Ireland (Analogue), Wales (Analogue))
3. Tue 18 Aug 2009
   01:45
   BBC One (except Northern Ireland)
4. Thu 20 Aug 2009
   00:50
   BBC One (Northern Ireland only)