Was Nero really Rome’s worst emperor, or just history’s favourite villain? From the Great Fire of Rome to deadly scandal and intrigue, Dr Shushma Malik from the University of Cambridge joins us to dig into the truth behind the legend. 0:00 - Was Nero Rome's Most Evil Emperor? 11:45 - A Dysfunctional Dynasty: The Murder of His Mother & Wives 21:34 - The Unexpected 'Good' Side of Nero 29:43 - The Great Fire of Rome & Nero's Golden Palace 41:38 - The Civil War That Destroyed His Dynasty 48:07 - "What an Artist Dies With Me": Nero's Final Words Produced by Mariana Des Forges, edited by Natija Grauzinyte & the channel manager is Vilde Øksnes. Join Dan and the team for the first-ever LIVE recording of Dan Snow's History Hit on Friday 12th September 2025! To celebrate 10 years of the podcast, Dan is putting on a special show of signature storytelling, never-before-heard anecdotes from his often stranger-than-fiction career as well as answering the burning questions you've always wanted to ask! Get tickets here, before they sell out: https://www.kingsplace.co.uk/whats-on/words/dan-snows-history-hit/ You can find more Dan Snow's History Hit on the audio podcast here: https://podfollow.com/dan-snows-history-hit/view Sign up to History Hit for hundreds of hours of original documentaries, with a new release every week and ad-free podcasts. Sign up at https://www.historyhit.com/subscribe. All music from Epidemic Sounds. #DanSnowsHistoryHit #HistoryPodcast #Nero #AncientRome