Larry Lambs breathless account of the history of the Eternal City did away with the nuances and was all the better for it

Sometimes you just dont want any fannying about. Sometimes you want big chunky facts marking a wide, boldly slashed path through the thickets of your ignorance and to worry about the details later. And if you can find a cheerful guide to accompany you, so much the better.

So it was with the opener to Channel 5s new three-part series Rome: the Worlds First Superpower. It hacked and slashed its way through the first three-and-a-half centuries of the Eternal Citys history, gladly accompanied by actor Larry Lamb, whose undisguised enthusiasm and joy at the prospect of a journey through Italian time and space was well, just smashing, really.