Meet the presenter
The programme is presented by Adam Hart-Davis, possibly the most enthusiastic person in television today. He's Eton educated, with a first class chemistry degree from Oxford but his whole outlook seems infused with the mantra "let's make history fun". His boundless energy makes this series extremely compelling, as he uncovers the many ways the Romans transformed aspects of British life.

Life of leisure
In one episode, Hart-Davis checks out the forms of entertainment laid on by our Roman invaders and reveals that they had a whopping 176 public holidays per year. Music was always a large part of the festivities, and the show also looks at the 'hydraulis' which was the first keyboard instrument ever built.

Life of luxury
Not content with what we had to offer -- a mud hut here or there -- the Romans imported stone walls and mosaic floors, as well as vines, apples, carrots and other exotic foods. They also came up with the idea of the three-course meal.

My name is Gladiator
One particularly animated edition looks at the might of the Roman military, their advanced engineering, the skills of their cavalrymen and their formidable weaponry. Hart-Davis takes the opportunity to get fully decked out in Roman armour.

Building Britain
The Romans certainly were an ordered lot. While we were lumbering around the land, seeing who could grow the biggest beard, the Romans had already developed town planning using a grid pattern and intricate plumbing mechanisms, such as drains, bath houses, aqueducts and public lavatories. It's a safe bet that last one was a welcome invention, seeing as up until then, our outside conveniences would have likely been either a hedge or a neighbour's house.

Hunting for gold. With a wheel
Hart-Davis's favourite discovery is undoubtedly a massive water wheel the Romans used to prevent flooding while they were mining for gold in Wales. "These water wheels were like treadmills," he marvels, "12 feet in diameter, and they could pump 80 litres of water a minute about three metres upwards."