Mr Benn visits a costume shop, where by choosing a costume and going through a special door, he can travel to the era represented by the costume. Mr. Benn decides that he likes the Romans, because they made good roads - so he chooses the Roman costume, which is that of a gladiator. Suddenly, as if by magic, the shopkeeper appeared... and he is transported to ancient Rome. But he has forgotten that gladiators fought each other. The Emperor is inspecting the road building, and when he sees Mr Benn, he has him carried off to the arena. The worried gladiators there explain that they must fight, even though fighting is wrong. Will it be thumbs down for the alternative entertainment Mr Benn proposes? Four Mr Benn books were published in the 1980s.