Are they podcast listeners? A quick notice before we get started in today's podcast.

If you are listening to this on the day it was released, we are only a matter of days

away from the end of a Kickstarter campaign in which we are funding a new podcast mini-series

about the Roman General Agricola. Its five episodes are available to supporters only,

and you can find it now on Kickstarter, there will be a link in this episode's show notes

and also on our social media channels. We've also announced the very special news that

the introduction to those episodes will be performed by Ian McNeese, who played the

newsreader in HBO's Rome. So I hope you give you support and look forward to listening

to those episodes, but now here's Amperers of Rome.

Are they? And welcome to Amperers of Rome, a Roman history podcast from Latro University.

I'm your host Matt Smith, and with me today is Dr. Rihanna Evans, associate professor

in Classics and Ancient History at Latro University, and with us is a very special guest,

Brian Blessed. This is episode CXC, I Augustus. Brian Blessed is a revered British actor who

for our purposes will be fondly remembered for his iconic role as Emperor Augustus in

the 1976 BBC television series I Claudius. Brian dominated the screen with his performance

and we were very lucky to get the chance to speak to him. Here's Rihanna Evans and myself

with Brian Blessed. Enjoy. Hello Rihanna. Hey Matt. So recently we had the honor, privilege,

pleasure of interviewing Brian Blessed, who played Augustus in I Claudius.

It's an iconic show and he's an iconic character from it. And it was an enormous privilege

to interview him. He's very much a larger than life person, isn't he? He talked about a lot during

that interview. I don't know how much you remember it, but it was quite eye-opening editing it,

because at one point he breaks out into songs as Pavarotti. Do you recall that? I do.

...