Alexander Armstrong has the best job on TV

[senua]

Did anybody else watch Italy's invisible cities last night. We saw a (?) pilot programme last year on Rome and I doubted that it could be matched but I am happy to be proved wrong. We spent the programme being alternately astonished by ancient Roman infrastructure and modern-day imaging technology.

I am looking forward to the rest of the series. And I am so envious of AA.

He also narrates Hey Duggee - now there's a great job!

I saw the first one and am glad there's a series. I enjoyed it (am really looking forward to the Florence one) but wonder are they are trying to popularise the subject by adding Armstrong since he is probably well known to people who might not normally watch an archaeology programme? Michael Scott is a well known Ancient Historian who has solo presented quite a few programmes on BBCs 2and 4 and is bloody good at his job. He's also very down to earth, enthusiastic and rather attractive

I'm thinking of the Locatelli/Andrew Graham Dixon programmes. AGD had done loads of art stuff for the BBC but a lot of people had apparently never heard of him until he and Locatelli got together.

I think it will be great if it gets a wider audience to these sort of programmes but I'm wondering if they are going to dare pair Mary Beard up with someone and if so, who?

Loved this! And am very taken with Michael Scott who has passed me by up to now. I'm not keen on Dan Snow who they usually wheel out for these programmes so it's nice to see someone so engaging and knowledgeable. Alexander Armstrong is a good foil I think, asks the questions we want to know the answers to.

Michael Scott has a new series on BBC 2 in March about Sicily. One of my favourite islands and one of my my favourite historians. Can't wait!

I saw the first bit of this - got up to the bit where they're descending through the gates into the "underworld" before the DC interrupted my viewing. I've got the rest recorded to catch up with later. I thoroughly enjoyed the bit I did see. The scale of the tunnels under Naples was amazing.

And I'd never heard of this super-volcano under Naples before. I didn't realise Italy was so volcanically active.

I had seen the Rome one by accident last year, when it was put on as a last minute replacement for another programme. I loved it so much I made DS watch it on iPlayer.

The two presenters work really well together (I think they are friends irl) and the actual programmes are fascinating.

And he's Dangermouse...

I was in Venice in may and he was there in the square filming. Obviously it was this!

Enjoyed the programme although felt it slow to get going and not keen on AA. Was he really so ignorant of where he was visiting or was it just show? Intend to visit the Naples area in the summer and wanted to visit the underground theatre but apparently it is closed due to h and s .

i loved his aurora hunting thing he did....was that for itv? C4?? It was also very good

Was he really so ignorant of where he was visiting or was it just show?

I tend to assume with this kind of programme - i.e. where presenter is asking experts things - that regardless of how much the presenter actually knows, they're asking questions as if they know nothing, for the benefit of viewers who genuinely may know less than nothing about the subject.

It just felt so fake though. Margaret Mountford did a programme walking around Pompeii a year or two back , claiming never to have visited previously , which also didn't ring true.

That's one of the reasons I prefer the programmes where the historians do it on their own. I am aware that because I studied Ancient History I probably know more than the average viewer (although I've also forgotten loads) but I think it's a bit patronising of the producers really to assume that the viewers need this spoonfeeding. Most people who are interested enough to watch are going to be bright enough to either learn from the programme or look up a few bits afterwards. If you look at programmes from the past they worked on the assumption that the viewers were more than capable of this.

But, as I said earlier, if that approach gets more people interested in the subject, which for some reason is seen as a bit rarified, then it can't be a bad thing. So many people nowadays seem to have very little knowledge of history that it may be more necessary to do this than I think because they just don't know the basics.

Definitely! In the Rome programme he was in a Roman bath with dd1 PhD supervisor 😄😄

I enjoyed the Rome programme too - he also did a travelogue series last year about 'cold' places (Scandinavia etc) which was fun. And Pointless chugs on....and there's his CD....and the voiceovers....AA must have one hell of an agent. He's everywhere at the moment.

Don't get me wrong, I rather like him, and I'm pretty sure he's a lot smarter than his amiable on-screen persona, but I hope they don't make the mistake of sticking him in so many other formats that his appeal will start to wear thin.

Watching it now. Have sky+ the 3 episodes.
It is totally fantastic.

Wasn't so enthused by last night's episode. Less undiscovered.

Does anyone else desperately want to ruffle Dr Michael Scott's hair?

Oh yes, definitely!

I thought it was an interesting programme and I've got a lot of time for AA. Agree he's got a great set up; all those kids TV shows and pointless etc. I also like Lucy Wolsey.