Natalie Haynes and the classics as comfort blanket

Natalie Haynes Stands Up for the Classics is being re-broadcast on Radio 4 .

Haynes brings the classical world to life with a mix of textual analysis and comedy.

Each episode takes as its subject a figure from antiquity, either real or mythological.

The ninth series opens with Martial , a satirical poet whose work blends lofty musings on Rome with filthy jokes about oral sex.