University of Warwick Classicist, Dr Michael Scott will give viewers a fresh perspective on Roman Britain in a one-off documentary ‘Roman Britain from the Air’ which will be shown on ITV on December 23^rd.

Joined by presenter Christine Bleakley, Dr Scott will examine Roman Britain from both the ground and the air, giving a unique perspective on the 370 year occupation and its lasting legacy, from the city of London to the immense military and architectural undertaking of Hadrian’s Wall.

Dr Scott said: “It’s easy to overlook the incredible impact the Roman Empire had on the country we live in today. From Oxford Street in London, to our language and even our toilets! It is easy to find traces of their civilisation in our society’.

“This programme gives the viewers an opportunity to see Roman Britain from the skies – where you can truly appreciate the enormous scale of their architecture from 6000-seater amphitheatres to the 73 miles of Hadrian’s Wall.”

From one of the best preserved Roman walls in a London underground car park, to the grave of a 100 year old Roman veteran, the filming of the programme has given Dr Scott the opportunity to see a side to Roman Britain even he hadn’t yet encountered and he hopes that the programme will encourage people to find out more about the influence of the Romans on our country.

The University of Warwick Classicist said: “I would encourage anyone interested in finding out more about Roman Britain to get out and look in their local area, they’ll soon find traces of the Roman occupation, its impact on their region and often an aspect of Roman culture that cant be seen anywhere else. Just 10 minutes from the University for example, we have Lunt Roman Fort, first built as a headquarters in the final stages of the Roman suppression of Boudica’s rebellion against Roman rule in 60 AD. It is the only Roman fort known today from the whole Roman Empire to have incorporated a circular horse training arena, and as such to have a significant bend in one of its main defensive walls!

The full press release on the programme and a detailed Q&A with Dr Scott and Christine Bleakley can be found at (http://www.itv.com/presscentre/ep1week52/roman-britain-air)

Read a blog on the filming by Dr Scott: http://michaelscottweb.blogspot.co.uk/

Follow Dr Scott on Twitter - @drmichaelcscott

Notes to editors:

To interview Dr Michael Scott, please contact Alison Rowan, Communications Manager by email - a.rowan@warwick.ac.uk or by telephone on 024 7615 0423 or 07876 218166

All ITV enquiries and requests to interview Ms Bleakley should be directed to stephen.barber@itv.com