Acropolis Now (radio)
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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.
Contents |
[edit] 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
[edit] Series 1
- Fish
- Games
- Gods
- Heroes
- War
- Sheep
[edit] Series 2
- Signs
- Love
- Plays
- Sons
- Sauce
- Food
[edit] External links
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