Historian Mary Beard finds lessons for our modern world in the Roman Empire

Has the celebrated historian Mary Beard seen the new TikTok trend about how often men think about the Roman Empire? Of course. "Blokes thinking about being Roman is a good start," she says, "I will show you it's more interesting even than you imagine." Her new book Emperor of Rome explores what it was really like to rule the Roman Empire – from tales of sex and murder, to boring admin duties. In a wide ranging interview with Piya Chattopadhyay, Beard sheds new light on ancient history, and offers important lessons for our world today.