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It rises above the timber roofs of Roman Britain, darkening the sky over Cameludanum, modern-day Colchester. The air is thick with fire,

iron, and rage. A woman, a leader, now a warrior with hair as flaming as the inferno ablaze

around her, has been pushed beyond breaking point, and the Romans must pay.

Budica was Queen of the Isini, who had united Britons to lay waste to Roman settlements.

But her story is not only one of revolt, it is also one of family, of identity, and of the

brutal cost of surviving within the iron grip of empire.

When Roman pressure turned to humiliation and her daughters became part of that story, Budica rose in fury.

From Eastern Britain, she gathered an army that would shatter Roman control.

Cities would burn, legions would stumble, and for a moment, the greatest imperial power in the Western world would meet its match.

I'm Tristan Hughes, your host. Welcome to the ancients.

And today, I'm delighted to be joined by

historical best-selling novelist Elodie Harper, who has been researching who Budica was

before legend claimed her. We'll explore what Budica's revolt reveals about Roman Britain,

the Aicini, and how Rome itself perceived this barbarian upstart.

Elodie, welcome back. It's been too long. Welcome back to the show. Oh, it's an absolute

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