Asterix and the Roman Agent by René Goscinny and Albert Uderzo

About this episode

The episode celebrates 'Asterix and the Roman Agent' with discussions on its history and significance during Christmas.

Merry Christmas! Join Andy and Una, plus authors Louie Stowell and Robert Shearman, for a post-solstice celebration of Asterix and the Roman Agent (1972) by René Goscinny (words) and Albert Uderzo (pictures), first published in France in 1970 as La Zizanie, and freely translated into English by Anthea Bell and Derek Hockridge. Christmas was a festival unknown to the residents of the little Gaulish village, whose adventures took place circa 50 BC. Few childhood Christmases of the 1970s and 80s were complete, however, without one or more Asterix adventures under the tree, so we do our best to mention every single one in this episode. We hear an archive interview with Goscinny and Uderzo themselves, and delve into the history behind the history of one the most successful comic strips in history. In addition, this is probably the most visual episode of Backlisted to date, so it's just as well we filmed it - the video is available on YouTube, and contains all manner of special treats. May we take this opportunity to thank you for your support in 2025, by Toutatis, and wish you all a magic potion-fuelled Christmas and New Year. *For £150 off any Serious Readers HD Light and free UK…

People in this episode

Hosts: Andy, Una

Guests: Louie Stowell, Robert Shearman

Topics covered

• Asterix
• comic strips
• Christmas
• Gaulish village
• history of comics

Keywords

• Asterix
• René Goscinny
• Albert Uderzo
• comic history
• Christmas traditions

Sponsors

Serious Readers

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: UK independent bookshops

Books & works: Asterix and the Roman Agent, La Zizanie

More episodes of Backlisted

• Look At Me by Anita Brookner - rerun · June 9, 2026 · 1h 8m
• Beloved by Toni Morrison - rerun · June 2, 2026 · 1h 7m
• Springs of Affection by Maeve Brennan - rerun · May 11, 2026 · 1h 18m
• De Profundis by Oscar Wilde · April 27, 2026 · 1h 21m
• Human Voices by Penelope Fitzgerald - rerun · April 14, 2026 · 1h 11m
• Alma Cogan by Gordon Burn - Rerun · March 31, 2026 · 1h 3m