Rob and Jamie are fantastic! They offer a fun but informative look at some of history's biggest figures and lots of forgotten ones too. Each episode, led by Rob who does the majority of the research and storytelling, they cover the life of every Roman emperor including lots of hidden nuggets of information. Jamie offers commentary and light-hearted opinions on proceedings, often introducing a cast of characters such as Roger the messenger and the hapless Jeff dynasty - the two hosts bounce off each other well. In season two they cover the oft forgotten Byzantines which we really should know more about.
What they do well, and more so than anything else I've seen covering the Romans, is make you realise they were just people. You feel the personality and human aspect of each Emperor and figure they cover. It's easy to forget this and just see them as something from history.
My son, Anton, is a big fan too (no prizes for guessing his favourite emperor is Pupienus!). I think, with Rob and Jamie both being teachers, he'd like to be in either of their classes!
This podcast is a great compliment to Mike Duncan's The History of Rome and the History of Byzantium by Robin Pierson.
#bringbackgermanicus