Who deserves to be thrown overboard?
Four infamous figures from the ancient world are on a rapidly sinking mythical ship. Four brilliant experts make the case for why their iconic classical character should be the one consigned to the depths. Who will sink, and who will swim? The final decision rests with you.
On Thursday 1 October 2026, Overboard! returns to London for an evening of witty arguments, sharp rhetoric and ruthless audience judgment. Hosted in collaboration with Bloomsbury Academic and generously supported by Linklaters, this year's event will take place in Linklaters new auditorium at 20 Ropemaker St, EC2Y 9AR. Doors open at 6:30pm with the debate beginning at 7pm. Canapés, drinks and riveting conversation will follow. Bloomsbury will also be selling books by our speakers: Caroline K Mackenzie, Dr David Bullen, Dr Gina Bevan and James Renshaw.
Don't miss this hilarious live debate rife with impossible choices and audience-led drama.
Book your tickets today: Overboard 2026
Livestream tickets also available here: Overboard 2026 Livestream
A little more about our speakers:
Caroline K. Mackenzie read Classics at Cambridge and practised as a Private Client solicitor in London for over a decade. A career in teaching followed, first as a lecturer at a London law school and then as Head of Classics at a school in Sevenoaks. Founder of Classics Club, an online reading group for all ages and backgrounds, Caroline also teaches Greek and Latin to students aged 8-88 across the UK and the US. Caroline’s publications include Pocket GCSE Greek Etymological Lexicon (Bloomsbury, 2026) Pocket GCSE Latin Etymological Lexicon (Bloomsbury, 2022), A Latin Lexicon: An Illustrated Compendium of Latin Words and English Derivatives (Archaeopress, 2020) and Culture and Society at Lullingstone Roman Villa (Archaeopress, 2019).
Dr Gina Bevan is an academic, writer and public speaker. Her research specialises in classical reception and popular culture, with a particular focus on Medusa and the ways myth is reclaimed by women and marginalised communities. She is the author of the forthcoming The Mythical Medusa in Pop Music Performance, published by Bloomsbury Academic, and co-founder of The Feminist Gaze, a community project bringing accessible talks and workshops on gender and storytelling to public audiences.
David Bullen is Associate Professor of Drama and Theatre at Royal Holloway, University of London, as well as a writer, director, and dramaturg. His research and practice focus on the adaptation of traditional narratives in theatre and film, especially queer, feminist, and ecocritical adaptations of Greek myth and tragedy. Recent and forthcoming books include a new edition of Antigone for Methuen Drama's Student Editions, Shakespeare in the Theatre: Phyllida Lloyd (co-written with Elizabeth Schafer), and Greek Tragedy as Twenty-First-Century British Theatre: Why, What, How. He is co-artistic director of theatre collective the Gentle Furies.
James Renshaw is an experienced teacher of classics at secondary level in the UK, and is also the Team Leader for Ancient History on the Classical Association Teaching Board. His books include In Search of the Greeks (2nd edn, Bloomsbury, 2015) and In Search of the Romans ( 2nd edn, Bloomsbury, 2019) and he is General Editor of the suite of books for OCR Classical Civilisation and Ancient History (Bloomsbury, 2017). He is currently working on a new book for Bloomsbury: The Marathon: An Epic History is due out in October 2027 and will tell the story of how the marathon race came to be invented based on a folktale from the battle of Marathon in 490 BCE.