Every year Classics for All – a national charity which supports the teaching of Classics in state schools, many in areas of socio-economic disadvantage – hold a fantastic and hilarious annual balloon debate called Overboard! at Linklaters, one of the world’s leading law firms, to raise money to support their work.

On the evening of Thursday 25th September evening, a group of our GCSE and A level Latin and Greek students watched it beamed live to the school, and had some food beforehand.

We were entertained by the wit and wisdom of some the UK’s top classicists each in the guise of a famous character from the past – Cicero, Critias, Sappho and Odysseus – as they battled it out in an energetic debate to persuade us to cast their adopted character off the (metaphorically) sinking ship! The audience, including us watching it online, decided who is the most odious villain, then consigned Critias to the depths of the river Styx (got our vote too!).

Debaters included Dr Henry L. Spelman, University of Cambridge; Dr Danny Pucknell, Cardiff and Vale College and Dr Benjamin Cartlidge, University of Liverpool) and comedian John Harvey.