Episode 1
Imagine waking up in Pompeii, 2000 years ago - what does your day have in store? What's it like to live and work here? Maybe you'll spend the day trampling clothes in the laundry, up to your ankles in human urine to bleach the togas, or perhaps you're working in the notorious ‘wolf's den' or brothel, having to satisfy the man who the ancient graffiti tells us was known as ‘Mr Garlic Farts', or maybe you're a wealthy landowner, living in luxury and checking the accounts of your lush vineyards.
In this first episode, Dan Snow and Kate Lister explore the working lives of Pompeii's people, from the very rich to the very poor. The town was a buzzing hive of activity as almost everyone, from wealthy merchants to lowly slaves, was busy making a living. Archaeologists have discovered more than 30 bakeries, hairdressers, pubs, places to buy dinner plates and lamps, shops selling everything from wine to oil, ship supplies and hardware. We even have the names of some of the tradespeople, like Nigella, the public pig keeper who kept her hogs right in the centre of Pompeii.
The Pompeii working day wasn't 9-5. Dan discovers that many Pompeii people had two sleeps - getting up in the middle of the night to do some extra work before falling back into bed again. Others woke in the early hours to feed the city. Kate visits a perfectly preserved bakery where workers laboured in suffocating heat and flour-choked air, alongside donkeys turning the millstones. The job was so horrific that criminals were often sent to work here as a punishment.
Pompeii could only operate on the backs of slaves. Thirty percent of the workforce were enslaved, from household slaves to sex-workers and gladiators. Surprisingly, some people doing what we might think of as well-paid ‘professional' jobs – the teachers, accountants, medics, and estate agents – were often slaves too. We explore Pompeii's large slave market, where men, women, and children were sold - ancient accounts show that a human could be bought for the price of three mules.
But there was a glimmer of hope for everyone. Working hard and wheeling and dealing in Pompeii could make you rich. With luck and ambition, even former slaves could rise as traders. Kate explores the lavish house of the Vettii brothers, believed to be entrepreneurial ex-slaves who built the vast fortune that paid for this over-the-top luxury home, full of the latest styles in statues and paintings.
Trailer
Recently Updated Shows
Gordon Ramsay's Secret Service
Restaurateurs who are looking for a quick fix or social media glow-up are in for the surprise of their lives when famed culinary titan Gordon Ramsay trades his signature chef knives for a state-of-the-art surveillance vehicle and cutting-edge spyware in FOX's all-new unscripted series, Gordon Ramsay's Secret Service. In a Gordon Ramsay series first, Chef Ramsay will venture into struggling restaurants under the cover of night. With the help of a secret source on the inside, he'll gather raw, unfiltered evidence and get a 360-degree view of the major issues facing each restaurant. This insider will not only remain a secret to the staff, but will also help Ramsay infiltrate the restaurant after-hours for a dramatic nighttime black light kitchen investigation that reveals more filth and grossness than ever before. By the time Ramsay reveals his identity, it will be too late for staff to cover up their culinary crimes. Gordon Ramsay's Secret Service will be his toughest assignment yet as he takes drastic measures to transform not only the restaurant but also the staff, because Gordon knows he can upgrade the menu and renovate the restaurant, but the most important change has to come from the people. Are the restaurant and staff willing to accept Gordon's mission, or are they too far gone to be saved?
Karen Pirie
True to Val McDermid's iconic character, DS Karen Pirie is a young and fearless Scottish investigator with a quick mouth and tenacious desire for the truth.
When teenager Rosie Duff was found brutally murdered in the Scottish university town of St Andrews in 1996, suspicion fell on the three drunken students who were discovered at the scene of the crime, claiming to have found her body. But with a lack of forensic evidence, no charges were brought and the police investigation floundered.
Twenty-five years on, someone appears to be willing to risk everything to keep the secrets surrounding the case hidden. Do the three men know more than they previously revealed? How flawed was the original investigation? And can Karen uncover the truth of what happened to Rosie that fateful night?
Grimsburg
Marvin Flute may be the greatest detective ever to catch a cannibal clown or correctly identify a mid-century modern armoire. But there's one mystery he still can't crack - his family. Now that he's back in Grimsburg, a town where everyone has a secret or three, Flute will follow every lead he's got to redeem himself with the ex-wife he never stopped loving, even if it means hanging out with the son he never bothered to get to know.
Universal Basic Guys
In Universal Basic Guys brothers Mark and Hank Hoagies suddenly find themselves with no jobs when the Glantontown Hot Dog factory switches over to automation. Lucky for them, the town started a radical Universal Basic Income pilot program, giving all residents of Glantontown $3,000 per month with no strings attached. Now, Mark, Hank and the rest of their local buddies are once again kids in the summertime, overflowing with the perilous combo of free time and stupid ideas. This is a show about men trying to find purpose in a world where they're no longer needed.
Big Brother
Big Brother follows a group of people living together in a house outfitted with dozens of high-definition cameras and microphones recording their every move, 24 hours a day. Each week, the Houseguests will vote someone out of the house. At the end, the last remaining Houseguest will receive the grand prize of $500,000.