Ben Fogle’s Endurance returns alongside Dan Snow Pompeii four-parter.

Channel 5 has ordered a trio of historical docs fronted by Siân Phillips, Dan Snow and Ben Fogle.

Actor Phillips, who notably played Livia Drusilla in the classic 1970s BBC series I, Claudius, will present three-part Emperor: The Rise and Fall of a Dynasty, delving into the most tumultuous era in Roman history.

Making her C5 debut, Phillips will help tell the tale of the turbulent years of the first five emperors and the powerful women behind them.

Produced by October Films and GroupM Motion Entertainment, the series was commissioned by Federico Ruiz who serves as commissioning editor for factual for Channel 5.

Elsewhere, Dan Snow returns to the channel to host Life and Death in Pompeii (working title) alongside ancient world specialist Jasmine Elmer. The four-part series will explore the renowned ancient Italian city, which continues to serve as an incredibly detailed time capsule for the lives of the ancient Romans.

Snow’s label and streaming service History Hit will produce the doc, which was ordered by Lucy Willis, commissioning editor for factual at C5.

Finally, October Films and Krempelwood will join forces for a second run of expedition series Endurance with Ben Fogle and Dwayne Fields.

Two-part Endurance: Race to the Nile will see the adventurers step back intime to tell the story of Dr. David Livingstone, the Victorian explorer who sought the source of the Nile. It was commissioned by factual commissioning editor Denise Seneviratne for Channel 5.

All factual titles series will premiere later this year and into 2025, and join recent orders including The Great Explorers with James May, To The Glory of God: Building Britain’s Cathedrals and Jason Watkins’ Tower of London specials.

Chief content officer Ben Frow said premium factual content “continues to attract strong audiences for us and we are keen to offer our viewers more of what we know they enjoy.”

This article first appeared on our sister site, Broadcast.