Acropolis Now (radio)

Acropolis Now is a BBC Radio sitcom set in Ancient Greece, written by the author of Eats, Shoots & Leaves, Lynne Truss. It was broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in two series in 2000 and 2002, with a subsequent rerun on BBC 7 in 2006.

Acropolis Now follows the fictional adventures of historial Greek characters in Athens, Heraclitus, Aristophanes, Socrates, Xanthippe, the Oracle, and is loosely narrated by a chorus, in the convention of Greek dramas.

Aristophanes and his brother, Heraclitus, run a fish restaurant. Oracle, their mother, is a former keeper of the Oracle at Delphi. She constantly "sees signs", most of which turn out to be commonplace 20th century traffic signs and posters.

Xanthippe is a pervert, that is a heterosexual, in a society where homosexuality is normal. She has a crush on Socrates' friend Plato, who cannot handle her advances.

The nature of the chorus varies from episode to episode. It may be the fish deliverymen on their daily round, a gang of former Olympians looking for a free meal, or the Furies come to collect Socrates and take him to Hades. Several male voices speak in unison, with a lead voice underlining the occasional detail.

Cast

• Stephen Moore as Heraclitus, Aristophanes brother and nemesis.
• Alan Cox as Aristophanes, playwright, poet, orator, and restaurateur.
• Robert Hardy as Socrates
• Rosemary Leach as Oracle, mother of Heraclitus and Aristophanes.
• Rachel Atkins as Xanthippe (Imelda Staunton in Series 2)
• Gavin Muir as Chorus

Series 1

• Fish
• Games
• Gods
• Heroes
• War
• Sheep

Series 2

• Signs
• Love
• Plays
• Sons
• Sauce
• Food

External links

• Acropolis Now episode guide