Emperor Nero: ancient Rome’s most infamous ruler

You're Dead to Me

BBC

Comedy, History

4.7 • 11.8K Ratings

🗓️ 30 January 2026

⏱️ 59 minutes

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Summary

Greg Jenner is joined in ancient Rome by Professor Mary Beard and comedian and actor Patton Oswalt to learn all about Emperor Nero. Nero has gone down in history as one of Rome’s most infamous rulers – the villain in any number of films and television programmes, and the man who fiddled while the eternal city burned. He was also emperor during a number of momentous moments in the history of ancient Rome, including the revolt in Britain led by Iceni warrior queen Boudica. But does he deserve his notorious posthumous reputation? This episode explores the man and the myth, examining Nero’s complicated path to the imperial throne, his relationship with famous philosopher Seneca the Younger, his murderous behaviour towards the women in his life, and the numerous plots that swirled around him. Along the way, we take a look at the more ridiculous moments in Nero’s life, including the athletic games he founded, the festival to himself that he instituted, and his numerous dramatic appearances on the stage. If you’re a fan of evil emperors, political plots and the bloody history of Ancient Rome, you’ll love our episode on Nero. If you want more from Patton Oswalt, listen to our episode on the American War of Independence. And for more Roman history, check out our episodes on Agrippina the Younger, Boudica, and the Rise of Julius Caesar. You’re Dead To Me is the comedy podcast that takes history seriously. Every episode, Greg Jenner brings together the best names in history and comedy to learn and laugh about the past. Hosted by: Greg Jenner Research by: Aimee Hinds Scott Written by: Dr Emmie Rose Price-Goodfellow, Dr Emma Nagouse, and Greg Jenner Produced by: Dr Emmie Rose Price-Goodfellow and Greg Jenner Audio Producer: Steve Hankey Production Coordinator: Gill Huggett Senior Producer: Dr Emma Nagouse Executive Editor: Philip Sellars

Transcript

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0:00.0	BBC Sounds, Music, Radio Podcasts.
0:05.7	Hello, you're about to listen to a BBC podcast, and I'm Ed Gamble, host of another BBC podcast, The Traitors Uncloaked.
0:12.7	But my show is available only on BBC Sounds, just like Ellis and John's Saturday bonus episodes,
0:18.2	The Pop Top Ten podcast with Scott Mills and Rylan, and Comedy Specials
0:22.2	from the likes of Harriet Kemsley, Susie Ruffel and Rommas Ranganaethan. However, and maybe I'm
0:27.3	biased, it's really all about The Traitors Uncloaked. So for a whole bunch of exclusive scoops
0:32.3	and podcasts, listen only on BBC Sounds. Hello and welcome to Yodent to Me, the Radio 4 comedy podcast that takes history seriously.
0:42.1	My name is Greg Jenner.
0:43.1	I'm a public historian, author and broadcaster.
0:45.2	And today we are flouncing back to the first century and fiddling while Rome burns,
0:50.0	as we learn all about Emperor Nero.
0:52.1	And to help us tell apart our Giulio Claudians from our Flavians, we have two very special guests. In History Corner, she is a renowned classicist, author and broadcaster. Maybe you've read one of her best-selling books, including SBQR, Pompeii, The Life of the Roman Town, 12 Caesars, Women in Power, or her most recent Emperor of Rome. You'll know her from all kinds of BBC TV programmes,
1:11.2	including Pompey New Secrets Revealed,
1:13.0	and she's the co-host of the acclaimed Instant Classics podcast.
1:16.2	It's only Professor Mary Beard.
1:18.0	Welcome, Mary!
1:19.1	Well, it's great to be here and be with both of you
1:22.1	and even in the company of the Emperor Niro.
1:25.0	We'll see about that.
1:26.0	We'll see how we feel about him later.
2:18.8	And in Comedy Corner, he's an Emmy and Grammy award-winning comedian and actor. He's appeared in many of my absolute favourite sitcoms, including AP Bio, Bojack Horseman, Veep. He starred in films including Ratatouille, Ghostbusters Frozen Empire and Secret Life of Pets, too. Or you've called him on the celebrity edition of the American Great British Baking Show. I think it's called. I have not quite sure the title, but he's a culinary master. And you'll definitely remember him from our episode on the American War of Independence, making a triumphant return. It's Patton Oswald. Welcome back, Patton. Thank you so much for having me back. I can't wait to talk about Nero. I've seen all the Matrix films. He's one of my favorite movie characters. Ah, okay, right. Neuro. Hang on. I don't have a spell check on my phone. That might explain a lot. Okay. Sorry. That's all right. Last time out, we did the American War of Independence and and you knew quite a lot. I actually did. I mean, you know.
2:20.6	I was surprised. I didn't know it. I knew so much.
	...

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