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 subsequent reruns on BBC 7 in 2006, 2007 and 2008.

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 "unbelievably affable ones" (cheerful versions of 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 tormentor.
* Alan Cox (actor) as Aristophanes, playwright, poet, orator, and restaurateur.
* Robert Hardy as Socrates
* Tom George as Plato, Socrates' pupil, who will never amount to much
* Rosemary Leach as Oracle, mother of Heraclitus and Aristophanes.
* Rachel Atkins as Xanthippe, wife of Socrates, and deviant heterosexual (Imelda Staunton in Series 2)
* Gavin Muir as Chorus

eries 1

*Fish
*Games
*Gods
*Heroes
*War
*Sheep

eries 2

*Signs
*Love
*Plays
*Sons
*Sauce
*Food

External links

* [http://epguides.com/AcropolisNow/ Acropolis Now episode guide]