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Fame, rumor, salacious scandal.

We tend to think of celebrity as a modern phenomenon, but for millennia,

humans have been captivated by fame. Whether craving it for themselves or spectating it in others,

we chase it in the hope of glory, yet we are just as drawn to the thrill of infamy.

In this episode, we trace the dark origins of celebrity

and ask why being talked about has always mattered,

despite the cost.

Music Hello there and welcome to After Dark. Now, you might have been noticing recently that I am flying solo at the minute because Maddie is off on a world trek discovering all kinds of new species. She's not, she just had a baby, but that's the story I'm going with. We are going to have an amazing few weeks,

though, where we're interviewing some incredible historians, including the historian that we're

going to chat to today, who you may well recognize. In this episode, we are going to explore

the dark origins of celebrity, where it began, how it evolved, and how it shaped the modern culture of fame we recognise today.

We'll delve into tales of the ancient gods of gossip to the Georgian actor who hired haters to heckle at his rivals.

And who better?

To take us through this episode than Greg Jenner, Greg, of course, as you will know, is a public historian, broadcaster and author of works, including dead, famous and unexpected history of celebrity from the Bronze Age to the silver screen. And he is the host of the BBC podcast. Of course, you are dead to me. Welcome to After Dark, Greg. Thank you for having me.

Now, this was really interesting to me. Welcome to After Dark, Greg. Thank you for having me. Now, this was really interesting to me. I read your book probably a couple of years ago now, but I was rereading

when I knew you were coming on today because we do our due diligence at After Dark. But one of the

things that really struck me, and we'll talk about some specifics in a minute, but I just want to

ease in with a general idea of this history, was, and it was a relief, actually. I remember thinking this

...