logo
episode-header-image
Feb 2020
27m 39s

Plato

Bbc Radio 4
About this episode

Join Natalie Haynes and guests for half an hour of comedy and the Classics from the BBC Radio Theatre in London.

Natalie is a reformed comedian who is a little bit obsessive about Ancient Greece and Rome.

She's standing up in the name of one of the world's greatest thinkers, Plato.

With the help of:

Psychotherapist, Philippa Perry Classicist, Professor Edith Hall. Plato wasn't perfect, even though he talks about perfection all the time. Turns out he was on the chunky side and had bad eyesight. On the other hand, he was very good at wrestling.

Producer: Mary Ward-Lowery

First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in April 2016.

Up next
Dec 2024
Saturnalia
No togas today please. Natalie celebrates the mid-winter festival of Ancient Rome, Saturnalia. According to Catullus, it's the 'best of days'. Expect cross-dressing, sweets, drinking games and the wearing of special pyjamas. Oh and anarchy and jokes. Sounds a bit like a Christmas ... Show More
27m 30s
Aug 2024
Tacitus
Tacitus is the great historian of imperial Rome. His writing is beautiful, unsettling, extraordinarily persuasive. We know many of his likes and dislikes about people and politics, but facts about his personal life? Not so much. His memoir of Agricola tells us much fascinating de ... Show More
27m 31s
Aug 2024
Aesop
Aesop is probably the most famous author from antiquity, judging by the ongoing sales of his fables about animals. It should be easy to do a show about him, thinks Natalie. But it turns out that everything we know, or think we know about Aesop, is contradicted somewhere. He may h ... Show More
27m 42s
Recommended Episodes
Jan 2014
Plato's Symposium
Melvyn Bragg and his guests discuss Plato's Symposium, one of the Greek philosopher's most celebrated works. Written in the 4th century BC, it is a dialogue set at a dinner party attended by a number of prominent ancient Athenians, including the philosopher Socrates and the playw ... Show More
42m 11s
Aug 2021
Ivan the Terrible
Was he really so terrible (hint: yes!), or is it all just a translation error (well, sort of)? Greg Jenner and his guests dive into the life, times, and crimes of Russia's first Tsar, the infamous Ivan the Terrible. From his bumpy youth, early successes, and multiple wives, to hi ... Show More
49m 24s
Nov 2021
Plato's Gorgias
Melvyn Bragg and guests discuss one of Plato's most striking dialogues, in which he addresses the real nature of power and freedom, and the relationship between pleasure and true self-interest. As he tests these ideas, Plato creates powerful speeches, notably from Callicles who c ... Show More
50m 3s
Sep 2023
Ivan The Terrible (Radio Edit)
Greg Jenner and his guests discuss the life, times and crimes of Russia's first tsar, the infamous Ivan the Terrible.Joining Greg are Prof Peter Frankopan from the University of Oxford and Russian-born comedian Olga Koch, whose BBC appearances include OK Computer, Human Error, Fi ... Show More
28m 16s
Dec 2021
Nancy Reagan is the THROAT GOAT
0:00 - RIP Vicente Fernandez 2:17 - Nancy Reagan gluck gluck 27:40 - Schulz recreated his first date 51:00 - F1: Hamilton vs Verstappen 1:08:00 - HBO's Sex and the City reboot is genius 1:29:45 - UFC's greatest journalist talks about the recent fights 1:48:30 - Jussie Smollet and ... Show More
2h 14m
Aug 2023
Elaine Welteroth
In this week's episode of Gold Minds, Kevin sits down with a journalist, editor, New York Times bestselling author, and television host, Elaine Welteroth. The former editor-in-chief of Teen Vogue talks about her motherhood journey, balancing the demands of being multihyphenate, i ... Show More
55m 57s
Feb 2022
Rogan & The Rock 2024
Catch Akaash's NEW comedy special "Bring Back Apu" on 02/02/2022 at https://www.youtube.com/user/PadmawatiProduction Flagrant 2 is a comedy podcast that delivers unfiltered, unapologetic, and unruly hot takes directly to your dome piece. In an era dictated by political correctnes ... Show More
2h 16m
Sep 2021
Nell Gwyn
One of the original comedic rags to riches stories, Nell Gwyn. We're travelling back to 17th century England to delve into a celebrity of the Restoration era, one of the first actresses in comedy and a mistress to King Charles II all rolled into one! Nell Gwyn's life is as eventf ... Show More
51m 46s
May 2022
George Carlin
THE HALL podcast series for “Netflix is a Joke” delves deep into the lives and careers of the greats of stand-Up Comedy. Hosted by Cristela Alonzo, the first episode of THE HALL explores the brilliance of George Carlin. We tell the story of the evolution of Carlin’s stand-up, ult ... Show More
44m 28s
Nov 2021
Dave Portnoy’s MeToo Evasion MasterClass
Flagrant 2 is a comedy podcast that delivers unfiltered, unapologetic, and unruly hot takes directly to your dome piece. In an era dictated by political correctness, hosts Andrew Schulz and Akaash Singh, along with AlexxMedia and Mark Gagnon, could care less about sensitivities. ... Show More
2h 23m