Ooh, I didn't mean to be insulting. I think you misunderstood my post totally MamaCaz - I was not meaning that I think of them as 'plebs', rather that (imo) Ms Beard does.
Moreover, she is not above throwing out insults in RL to people whom she considers inferior to her (and who, in fact are just as highly educated but not as high profile as her) and inferring that most people are her intellectual inferiors.
(from the way they speak and their lack of formal education) you personally would probably dismiss as 'plebs' and / or 'the lowest common denominator', as you put it, but who are hugely interested in history and would definitely watch programmes like this.
Like me you mean? But even I do not like being 'talked down to'.