Classic Chats: Tom Hiddleston on Pompeii

Classic Chats: Tom Hiddleston on Pompeii

From Instant Classics by Vespucci

July 30, 2026 · 55 min

About this episode

Tom Hiddleston discusses his new series on Pompeii and his passion for the ancient world.

Last week, actor Tom Hiddleston launched his new series - not the further adventures of Loki (at least, not yet), but Pompeii: Out of Time with Tom Hiddleston. Mary and Charlotte talk to Tom who reveals his life-long fascination with the ancient world, including a degree in Classics at Cambridge where he attended the lectures of one Professor Mary Beard.  Tom talks about the impact Mary’s teaching had on him and how that fascination for the Classics has never gone away. His new series, available to watch on Disney+ and National Geographic, focuses on several real people and the decisions they made in the hours before the eruption of Vesuvius in AD 79. It draws on new research and technology to uncover the hidden lives of some of those who survived - and some who didn’t.  Further reading  Mary Beard’s book Pompeii is strongly recommended by Charlotte! And there is a recent book by Jess Venner, The Lost Voices of Pompeii (Harper Collins, 2026), which picks up and develops some of the same themes. In one of his first roles, Tom appeared in the Cambridge Greek play. You can find out more about this marvellous institution here…

People in this episode

Hosts: Mary, Charlotte

Guest: Tom Hiddleston

Topics covered

Keywords

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Disney+, National Geographic, Harper Collins

Books & works: Pompeii: Out of Time with Tom Hiddleston, Pompeii, The Lost Voices of Pompeii

Places: Cambridge

More episodes of Instant Classics

Explore listener stats, chart rankings, contacts and more on the Instant Classics podcast page.