68 AD. A madman rules Rome’s empire while its empress, born in Pompeii, tries desperately to restrain him as he plummets out of control. This is her story. A woman of strength and character, her personality is complex. Endearing and generous, she could also be cruel and calculating.

In Pompeii, vicious gladiatorial riots explode. A serial poisoner is at work in the shadows, as Rome burns and Christians are used as flaming human torches to light the palace gardens.

‘Empress of Pompeii’ reveals a rich tapestry of life, from the splendour of Rome’s royal palace and Nero’s golden house to Pompeii’s sordid, murderous laneways, the extravagant villas of the wealthy and the eruption of Vesuvius.

Nero rules Rome in a time of fear and turmoil. Desperately, the empress, Poppaea, attempts to protect Pompeii and save her young son’s life. Nero’s praetorian prefect, Tigellinus, cradles her head in his arms as she lies dying in a pool of blood on the marble palace floor, murdered by Nero in a fit of rage. After her death he orders the murder of her son and the boy’s life hangs in the balance. He was later found dead. Or was he? Does the answer lie in Pompeii?

2022 Edition