| Genre | Comedy |
|---|---|
| Running time | 30 minutes |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Languages | English |
| Home station | BBC Radio 4 |
| Starring | Stephen Moore, Alan Cox, Robert Hardy, Tom George |
| Writers | Lynne Truss |
| Air dates | 19 December 2000 to 9 April 2002 |
| No. of series | 2 |
| No. of episodes | 12 |
Acropolis Now is a BBC Radio sitcom set in Ancient Greece, written by the author of Eats, Shoots & Leaves, Lynne Truss. It was broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in two series in 2000 and 2002, with subsequent reruns on BBC 7 in 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009 and 2010.
Acropolis Now follows the fictional adventures of historical Greek characters in Athens: Heraclitus, Aristophanes, Socrates, Plato, Xanthippe, and the Oracle. It is loosely narrated by a chorus, in the convention of Greek dramas.
Aristophanes and his brother, Heraclitus, run a fish restaurant. Oracle, their mother, is a former keeper of the Oracle at Delphi. She constantly "sees signs", most of which turn out to be commonplace 20th century traffic signs and posters.
Xanthippe is a pervert, that is a heterosexual, in a society where homosexuality is normal. She has a crush on Socrates' friend Plato, who is oblivious to her advances.
Frequent mention is made of Cynthia the Contortionist Flute-girl in suggestive contexts, but she never appears in person.
The nature of the chorus varies from episode to episode. It may be the fish deliverymen on their daily round, a gang of former Olympians looking for a free meal, or the "unbelievably affable ones" (cheerful versions of the Furies) come to collect Socrates and take him to Hades. Several male voices speak in unison, with a lead voice underlining the occasional detail.
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