The ruins of Pompeii are all around us, as are some of the thousands of tourists who flock to the archeological site every day to bear witness to the devastation caused by Mount Vesuvius’s eruption in 79AD.
Despite the searing 32 degree heat, Tom Hiddleston looks effortlessly cool, dressed all in cream. He’s miles away from his Loki persona, more akin to Jonathan Pine right now, with his experience acting in The Night Manager in Colombia clearly helping with the blistering sun.
He’s at home in Pompeii, having visited multiple times in his life after first visiting in 1998 when he was teenager, ahead of a degree from Cambridge in Classics. Since then, Hiddleston has been captivated by the story, the town and the people, most of whom died in the natural disaster. His passion for the subject is on full display in National Geographic’s three-part docu-drama, Pompeii: Out of Time, which is fronted and executive produced by Hiddleston.
Throughout the series, he chooses three individuals who lived in Pompeii (according to records) to investigate what might’ve happened to them over 2,000 years ago. Written and produced by Kevin R Wright (Loki and other entries in The Avengers canon) offers the programme a modern feel, blending sci-fi effects with ancient history, fact with fiction; above all it makes for a compelling and exciting retelling of the story of Pompeii.
Speaking to Radio Times in the middle of the Forum in the Pompeii ruins, Hiddleston can’t hide glee on his face, surrounded by his favourite part of history. “I genuinely, sincerely, completely, earnestly love this story. I love the ancient world. It was a real passion of mine as a student. The more I learned about Ancient Rome, the more I realised that, specifically in Western Europe, the Ancient World and Ancient Greece, they are our beginnings, who we are, how we think, our culture, our politics, our philosophy.”
Explaining his specific connection to the story, he continues: “I came here at the end of my lower six. I was 17, summer of ’98, with two friends – first trip away with no grown-ups, no parents, no teachers. I was studying Latin and Greek, and until that time, all my interests had been in a book. The Ancient World was something that was in the classroom.
“We’d been to Rome and we were travelling around Italy, but nothing prepared me for being here and the scale of it. I always knew the story, but there was something about that you can walk through the past. We talk about following in people’s footsteps all the time, but in Pompeii, you can follow in the footsteps, quite literally, of people who lived 2,000 years ago. Those 2,000 years compress in an instant and it’s a magical feeling to be connected to these people who, in so many ways, were so similar to us.”
The documentary for some will be an entry into the inner depths of Pompeii. You’d be hard-pressed to find someone who didn’t know the basic facts, but with a charismatic face of Marvel in the lead, there’s an opportunity for many to learn more. Hiddleston says of his own hopes: “If you know about Pompeii and you know the story, I hope you learn something new.
“I hope it’s a dynamic, immersive, emotional experience that we bring Pompeii back to life and replay the events of that day, the choices that those real people made, and that creates empathy and compassion for a group of people going trough a terrifying and traumatising natural disaster.”
Hiddleston’s passion for Pompeii is infectious. Given the chance, he’ll point out where you can find enlightening bits of grafitti (“some of it is quite rude!”) or guide you as to which part of the town you’re standing on as we speak (“this is the marketplace, the old forum where they sold bread and fish, and they came to trade and do business and gossip and pray”). It’s clear that he isn’t quite finished with Pompeii – or the ancient world – just yet.
“There are more discoveries all the time. I’ve always loved the ancient world as I find it very reassuring. Any investigation into the past is really a re-engagement with the present, and we tell stories about the past to understand who we are now.
“We can’t escape it – we come from the ancient world. Ridley Scott makes Gladiator, Christopher Nolan makes The Odyssey, HBO made Rome. We will always return to our beginnings. It makes my life feel very small, and I feel very reassured by that.”
When we shake hands, I explain it’s my first time visiting the site. He asks if I have felt the magic of the place as he did when he was 17, and honestly, I did.
Not only is the place a magnificent tribute to archeological discovery, but with a man like Hiddleston combining his genuine passion with his charismatic storytelling, it’s hard to not be drawn into the fascinating classical world.
Want to see this content?
This page contains content provided by Google reCAPTCHA. We ask for your permission before anything is loaded, as Google reCAPTCHA may use cookies and other technologies. To view this content, choose ‘Accept and continue’ to allow Google reCAPTCHA and its required purposes.
Pompeii: Out of Time airs on National Geographic via Disney+ on 23 July. You can sign up to Disney+ from £4.99 a month now.
Add Pompeii: Out of Time to your watchlist on the Radio Times: What to Watch app – download now for daily TV recommendations, features and more.
Check out more of our Documentaries coverage or visit our TV Guide and Streaming Guide to find out what’s on. For more TV recommendations and reviews, listen to The Radio Times Podcast.
