Vaya Pashos and Night Terrace co-star and writer Ben McKenzie talk about his episode “Ancient History”!

After disobeying Anastasia’s orders one too many times, Eddie is in the doghouse – or at least, the pantry – while Anastasia and Sue try to enjoy the peace and quiet of the woods where they’ve landed. But Eddie soon gets them caught up in iron age politics among a violent people they know nothing about. How do you avoid changing history when you don’t know how it’s supposed to go? Can Sue out-enigma a druid? And is it really all Eddie’s fault? The housemate’s frayed tempers come to a head…

Vaya and Ben talk all things Asterix, enthuse about this episode’s guest stars Adam Samuel, Dave Callan and Brianna Williams, compare Anastasia Black to Principal Susan Kennedy, avoid mentioning the accents too much and explain why time travel never really makes sense. Plus Ben reveals some exciting news about our impending season three Kickstarter campaign!

We’d love to hear what you thought of “Ancient History” – let us know via Twitter (use the hashtag #NightTerrace) or leave us a comment on Facebook.

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 34:16 — 16.2MB)

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Episode five of Night Terrace series two, “Ancient History”, is available on BBC Radio 4 Extra for 30 days after broadcast. You can listen to the very first episode, “Moving House”, and purchase both series and a variety of Night Terrace extras via nightterrace.com or the Splendid Chaps Bandcamp store. Find Vaya on Neighbuzz at neighbuzzpod.com.

Show Notes

• The Adventures of Asterix is a hugely popular series of French comic books created by writer René Goscinny and illustrator Albert Uderzo. Set in 50 BCE, it follows the brave and shrewd Gaulish hero Asterix and his best friend, the oafish Obelix. Their village is the last to resist the Roman occupation, thanks to the magic potion brewed by their druid Getafix which gives them superhuman strength. As well as the series of 37 books there have been more than a dozen animated and live-action feature films, video games and even a theme park, Parc Astérix near Paris.
• When Ben says we don’t know much about the Gauls, he’s talking specifically about pre-Roman Gaul. By the time this story is set, the first century BCE, Gaul was the centre of La Tène culture for around four centuries. The major Roman literary source for them is Julius Caesar’s “On the Gallic Wars”. Archaeology has learned a fair bit about them: they were led politically by druids and bards, and worked bronze iron and gold. While many sources reinforce the idea of druids sacrificing people, it should be noted that some historians argue the earliest reports may have been Roman propaganda, repeated by later authors who had no other information.
• Mackenzie Hargreaves, played by Georgie Stone, is the first transgender character on Neighbours, and only the second transgender character to be played by a transgender actor on Australian television. Georgie will also star as Mackenzie in the upcoming Neighbours spin-off web series, Erinsborough High.
• Brianna Williams is an actor, comedian and improviser (most often with The Big Hoo-Haa). She’s the longest-running host on The Bachelor Unpacked, Channel Ten’s after-show for The Bachelor, Bachelor in Paradise and The Bachelorette. She’s also very funny on Twitter @willsybee.
• Dave Callan is an Irish stand-up comedian well-known in Australia, originally for his regular appearances on the talk shows Rove and Rover Live, and as a DJ for Australian youth radio station triple j.
• “From Aussie battler to icon of democracy — the history of the sausage sizzle” by Mike Williams was originally an episode of the ABC podcast The History Listen, hosted by Dr Rebecca Huntley. You can find the podcast episode here, or read the article version at ABC News.
• To hunt down the best sausages next election day, visit democracysausage.org.
• High school work experience is common in the United Kingdom, New Zealand and Ireland, as well as Australia. In the US, unpaid internships fill much the same role, though there are many problems with that system.
• The Mackenzie story arc on Neighbours comes to the fore in episode 8193. You can stream it via 10play in Australia, or via my5 in the UK.
• The Doctor Who episode “The Eaters of Light“ is the tenth episode of season ten. Rona Munro was the first person to write for both the original and new series of Doctor Who. The episode is available on Netflix in most regions.
• Asterix in Britain is the English title of Astérix chez les Bretons, the 1986 French animated film adapting the Asterix album of the same name.