Instant Classics

Vespucci

Join world-renowned classicist Mary Beard and Guardian chief culture writer Charlotte Higgins for Instant Classics — the weekly podcast that proves ancient history is still relevant. Read more

History

Episodes

Cleopatra 4: Cleopatra on the Page

Today (05/21/2026) 00:53:41BONUS Mary & Charlotte on the latest trailer for Christopher Nolan's Odyssey

05/17/2026 00:07:28 Cleopatra 3: Life After Death

05/14/2026 00:48:45Cleopatra 2: Cleopatra Meets the Romans

05/07/2026 00:46:16Cleopatra: Last Egyptian Pharaoh

04/30/2026 00:59:19 Show all episodes

Our take on Instant Classics podcast

Instant Classics is a history podcast by Vespucci.

Producer
Vespucci

Host
Mary Beard and Charlotte Higgins

Country
United Kingdom

Episodes count
47

Average duration
40'

Frequency
Weekly

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Listener reviews

Peter - 11/03/2025
What a refreshing and wonderful surprise. While Mary Beard is rightly well known for her writing and witty and iconoclastic commentary on classical history and literature, Charlotte Higgins is less well known as an expert on the classics, at least to on American audience, but like many successful podcasts, they are more than the sum of their individual contributions. A bow to «The Rest Is History» that recently featured Mary Beard and brought this new podcast to the attention of their large audience, including me. I look forward to more episodes and the «book club. »