They wouldn t let me build my new Rome But if the old one is burned Brilliant! Brilliant! The year is AD 64, and the TARDIS travelers are enjoying a restful time in a villa close to Rome. Their peace and quiet is shattered when a visit to the city sees the Doctor mistaken for a lyre player, and him and Vicki subsequently pursued by an assassin. Meanwhile, Ian and Barbara are kidnapped and sold as slaves Ian on a galley in the Mediterranean Sea, and Barbara to serve in the court of Nero himself. Using all his ingenuity to gain the freedom of Nero s court, the Doctor inadvertently inspires the Emperor s plans to completely rebuild Rome. Can the Doctor, Vicki, Ian, and Barbara escape with their lives before the city becomes a cinder? William Russell, who played Ian Chesterton in the series, provides additional linking narration, and a selection of bonus archive radio items looks at the real-life Nero, and the life and career of William Hartne."