The Classics Podcast

From Basildon to the Black Sea, explore Richard's classics journey, and, having listened to this episode, ask him a question to answer in Part 2!

Dr Richard Kendall is a Lecturer in Classics and Ancient History at the University of Exeter. He completed his doctorate, ‘Strategies of Cooperation’, at the University of Edinburgh in 2024, focusing on the meeting of Greeks, Romans and steppe nomads in the city of Olbia, in modern Ukraine, in the early centuries AD.
Richard’s research focuses on the people and places often marginalised in the discipline, such as Scythians and Sarmatians, the homeless in antiquity, and the northern Black Sea and Caucasus region more widely. In 2023, he co-chaired a conference on ‘The Afterlife of the Greco-Persian Wars’ at Kyoto University, Japan, and has presented at several international conferences, perhaps most memorably in a cave in southern Georgia.

Enjoy his Special Lecture for us this May

Correction: *Valerius Flaccus (not Quintus) composed the Argonautica!

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This week we're swapping A Level exams for something very different - the fiendish exams you have to take if you want to become a 'Master of Wine', which is exactly what James Simpson (Managing Director at Pol Roger) did after his Classics degree!

In this episode, find out what ancient wine might have tasted like, the origins of champagne, what links Plato and Churchill and some secrets of the Greek symposium...
⁠
We don’t advocate alcoholic consumption, for more information read Drinkaware: https://www.drinkaware.co.uk/tools/ 
The views and opinions expressed in this podcast are those of the speaker(s), and do not necessarily reflect those of the CA.

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Cosi is an ancient historian, presenter and digital communicator - her engaging content and events have built a classics community and in this episode, we explore her proudest achievements, what she's learned on her journey through academia and her current PhD research, and her love for hot yoga and squashing tomatoes (not necessarily at the same time!)...

Follow Cosi's Odyssey
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Please note: the views and opinions expressed in this podcast are those of the speaker(s), and do not necessarily reflect those of the CA.

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Scott Handcock is a TV and audio producer, writer, and director. Having recently worked as Assistant Producer on the BBC's 'The War Between the Land and the Sea', he has been Script Editor for Doctor Who and Head Writer on spin-off Torchwood.

He discusses how his Classics degree at the University of Birmingham has influenced his writing and his career in drama, his favourite chocolate, which ancient character he resonates with most, working on the iconic tenth doctor episode Fires of Pompeii, and meeting a very famous canine...

Find out more about Scott's work
Follow Scott on Instagram @scotthandcock1984
Enjoy the Fires of Pompeii on BBC i⁠Player⁠
Enter our ⁠⁠Poetry Competition⁠⁠ before 27 February 2026

Please note: the views and opinions expressed in this podcast are those of the speaker(s), and do not necessarily reflect those of the CA.

With apologies for some audio issues in this episode.

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In this episode, Katrina is joined by Kamila Shamsie, Fellow of the Royal Society of Literature and award-winning novelist, including of Home Fire, for which she won the Women’s Prize for Fiction and was long listed for the Booker Prize. 

Enjoy a deep-dive into this modern adaptation of the story of Antigone and Ismene, where we discuss translations by Anne Carson and Seamus Heaney, the ancient explorer Scylax, the importance of book titles, and how Kamila's grandfather influenced her career as a writer.

Enter our ⁠Poetry Competition⁠ before 27 February 2026

Please note: the views and opinions expressed in this podcast are those of the speaker(s), and do not necessarily reflect those of the CA.

Follow us on⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Instagram ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠
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And find out more at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠classicalassociation.org⁠
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