Lloyd Llewellyn-Jones

What role have other nations played in shaping Iran's fate?

And as the regime faces economic pressures, regional setbacks and a disillusioned younger generation,

What comes next for a civilization that has outlasted empires?

Expect sharp analysis and the usual storytelling and warmth and wit and the usual mischief that you've come to expect from us two.

The Rest is Fest runs from the 4th to the 6th of September at London's Southbank Centre.

Empire members, you can get your tickets on the 28th of May.

General sale opens on the 2nd of June at 10am.

Visit southbankcentre.co.uk to find out more.

You want to steal a statue, but... I saw the opera Akhnaten in 1984 when I was about 19 years old, and it had the most mesmeric effect.

I mean, I find it difficult to sort of divorce the historical Akhnaten from the glorious image that I am a romantic.

We haven't talked about motives, and your friend Don Redford has an inscription where Akhenaten seems to be saying, because it's a broken inscription, and it's fragmentary, and there's these kind of frustrating gaps, but he seems to be saying the old gods aren't working anymore.

Plus they found sort of secret Amun worshippers in Amarna, haven't they?

You've hinted at it before, but he does not believe that there are no other gods.

It's just that he's not worshipping other gods.

So you could technically still have the Sky Goddess swallowing you.

You could technically.

There's lots of letters from the King of Byblos saying, I'd be surrounded by enemies.

Please send help.

Please send help.

Then another one saying, and they're getting closer, you haven't sent any troops, please.