C4 commissions DSP’s ‘Roman Villa’

Darlow Smithson is putting six British builders to the test in a new series for Channel 4. Roman Villa (w/t) challenges those builders - a foreman, plumber, plasterer, carpenter, bricklayer and laborer - to leave behind their power tools to build a roman villa using tools and materials known to the Romans and abiding by the manual to Roman building, written by Roman engineer and architect Vitruvius in 25 BC. The full-sized Roman villa will be built in Shropshire and once complete, will be open to the public. The series will also test archeologists' theories as to how the Romans built their villas. Roman Villa was commissioned by Channel 4's history commissioning editor, Julia Harrington, and will be executive produced by Darlow Smithson's Julian Ware. Endemol Worldwide Distribution will be distributing the title internationally.