Editing Up Pompeii! (section)

==Plot==
The series is set in ancient, pre-eruption [[Pompeii]], with the players bearing Latinised names suggestive of their character. Howerd is the slave Lurcio (pronounced ''Lurk-io''); his bumbling old master Ludicrus Sextus ([[Max Adrian]], then [[Wallas Eaton]]), the promiscuous wife is Ammonia ([[Elizabeth Larner]]), their daughter Erotica ([[Georgina Moon]]) and their virginal son Nausius (Kerry Gardner). Other regulars are Senna the [[Fortune-telling|Soothsayer]] ([[Jeanne Mockford]]) who constantly warns of impending death and destruction and, in series one, [[Plautus]] ([[Willie Rushton]]) a semi-godlike figure, making pithy comments from a location somewhere between the clouds and Mount Olympus. Guest stars included several actresses from the ''[[Carry On (franchise)|Carry On]]'' film series, including [[Barbara Windsor]], [[Wendy Richard]] and [[Valerie Leon]].

The format was an exotic backdrop for an endless series of [[double entendres]] and risqué gags from Howerd, constantly breaking the fourth wall with [[aside]]s to the live studio audience which go unheard by the other characters (a device harking back to classical theatre). He also bemoans the quality of his script, complaining the other players have the best lines. Each episode starts with a [[prologue]] from Howerd – which is invariably interrupted by the doom-laden warnings of Senna, or the demands of his master or mistress.

Thirteen 30-minute episodes were made, in two series (March – May and September – October 1970). In between there was also a 13 minute ''Up Pompeii'' segment in the 1970 ''Royal Television Gala Performance''.<ref>https://genome.ch.bbc.co.uk/1b0478c5a0ed483e9e1b00818432a557 ''Royal Television Gala Performance'' on BBC Genome</ref>

In addition, it had been preceded by a [[Television pilot|pilot]] episode (1969) as part of [[Comedy Playhouse]], and it was followed up with two later special episodes both called ''Further Up Pompeii'', one in 1975 and the other, written by Brian Leveson and Paul Minett, in 1991 (the former with, and the latter without exclamation mark). The latter sparked speculation that there could be a new series, but Howerd's death in 1992 put an end to any such prospect.

Apart from the change to the actor playing Ludicrus Sextus, there are some differences between the two series of ''Up Pompeii'', the second series using noticeably fewer sets than the previous. This may have been due to the second series being commissioned, filmed and broadcast within four months from the end of the first.