HIT comedy programmes and theatre today have their roots in the ancient world, according to a leading professor who gave a lecture in Bolton.

Michael Scott, Associate Professor of Classics and Ancient History at Warwick University spoke in Bolton School's girls division Great Hall on "Why study the ancient world in the 21st century".

Dr Scott said: "This is a fascinating subject and these people got up to some weird stuff.

"The study of the ancients allows us to throw a mirror back at our own world.

"It is interesting to think about how we interpret the ancient world and how this directly reflects our own current concerns. It helps us understand ourselves a little bit better and the world we live in."

Pupils from across Bolton heard about how much this world owes a debt to this past one — Olympics, language, drama , art sculpture, architecture and warfare.

The themes of love, hate, war, betrayal, right and wrong are still explored in today's theatre and Greek comedy was based on political satire, such as Have I Got News for You or Mock the Week.

And Dr Scott asked if the fashion of men dressing up as women was coming back given that Mrs Brown’s Boys recorded the highest Christmas Day viewing figures.

Dr Scott added it was important to treat with caution the concept that democracy was introduced to the world in 508 BC in Athens, remembering that in a city with 60,000 male residents, there were also 100,000 slaves.

Summarising Alexander the Great as “completely bonkers” but also a “complete visionary”, Dr Scott described how he believed he could do anything he wanted to do and would throw himself into battles without having his full strength army.

He carved out an Empire stretching from Greece to India and managed to assimilate different cultures through showing religious tolerance, deference to other cultures and himself marrying a woman from Afghanistan

He was asked: "Why do we keep on getting history wrong?” with Dr Scott reminding the audience of the quote: “Only the future is certain, the past keeps changing", adding that reasons included lack of evidence and the discovery of new evidence can mean a re-evaluation of that era.

Meanwhile, Dr Julia Sarginson will speak at Bolton School on Monday, March 23 at 7pm about her work in the field of facial reconstruction of burns victims.

Tickets can be obtained through the school.