Professor Mary Beard is known for her explorations of the ancient world, but here looks back on her more recent past, and the making of her acclaimed four-part 2016 series Ultimate Rome. She explains how the series wasn’t just an education for her in regard to the Roman Empire, but also provided her with some valuable lessons in the art of film-making, and reveals some behind-the-scenes stories that will add new context for viewers of the main episodes – including the importance of pizza, and how her claim to be the first to wear an antique Roman helmet was way off the mark.