Claudius is urged to marry and chooses the poisonous Agrippinilla so that he can use her talents to help him govern. He knows that she has imperial ambitions for her son Nero but intends to out-manoeuvre her and implement his plan for a restored Republic.
Welcome to the 'I, Claudius' guide at TV. com. This is the story about the emperors of Rome, from Augustus down to Nero (the last Claudian emperor of Rome), told by Claudius, an unlikely emperor. The show originally aired back in 1976, by BBC Television. The cast contains of a couple of Britains… More finest Shakespeare actors, including Derek Jacobi in the title role. A real classic.
what a heavenly cast of actors playing a heavenly cast of characters, with a heavenly script and heavenly direction! and jacobi amid them all! someone say something deep, i'm too starry-eyed here. g
I loved "I Claudius", but at times it got a little bit tough to follow who all the characters where. Not only did a lot of the characters have similar sounding names, but they where also constantly talking about characters who had barely appeared (or in some cases hadn't appeared at all) in… More the series. This was especially problematic in the first couple of episodes when we haven't had enough time to familiarize ourselves with the primary characters. Luckily for me though, I watched "I Claudius" the first time with my brother who was a classics major in collage. Thus he knew who all the people where. So whenever I got lost (which happened a lot over the first 3 or 4 episodes) I could just pause the DVD and ask him who the heck they where talking about.
My first foray into "culture". hide show
I just happened to find this on our PBS station, although I've learned this originally aired on the BBC. I had to be in my early teens when I first saw it, and for something like this to hold my interest other than The Dukes of Hazzard (or some other show like that) had to be good. And it was. An outstanding dramatic interpretation of not only the story of Claudius, but basically starting from Augustus to Claudius' reign. When I saw the series in later years, I almost had a coronary when I realized that was Patrick Stewart (with hair!). I'd definitely watch it again.
Great PBS production! hide show
I loved the min-series where it first aired originally before my time in the 1970's and glad that it re-aired
When it was brought back in the early 1990's. The cast
Both supporting and lead were very good along with great
Writing. Derek Jacobi carries the role very good and it is
A shame he doesn't get much work these days you know!
A series for the ages. Brilliantly written and acted.
The story is absolutely genius. The detail that has put in the characters and their background is just marvelous.
The story of Claudius. Claudius, the cripple. Claudius, the stutterer. The one, who out lived them all.
But my all-time favorite emperor is 'Caligula'...Megalomaniac, psychopath. But everybody did what he asked even if it was to fight versus Poseidon in Gaul.
It is nice to see certain actors when they were younger. Like Patrick Stewart. It is good to see him as the baddie 'Sejanus' for once.
All in all worth the buy. It will definitely be watched again.
I Claudius, a production of the BBC consists of 13 one-hour episodes beginning prior to Claudius' birth and continue through to his death. It is Rome through the imperial families when Augustus reigned; his wife Livia, her sons Drusus and Tiberius, Antoni hide show
This remains one of the most entertaining series created for televsion. It set a standard that the new "Rome" does not even approach. I think it is more brutal and sexier then "Rome" and yet it does not show as much nudity or blood. From episode to episode the complexity of characters is captivating. You truly mourn the passing of each character no matter who brutal, ambitous and vile they actualy were. The acting is extraordinary. The characters are actors dreams and they a completely brought to life by this ensemble cast. The black box falls away and time stands still as you devour each moment of viewing.
BBC production! Best show ever made; Set new standards of quality on TV; An amazing cast with perfect writing - what more can one ask? hide show
I guess I was one of the very first people to buy the 1991 VHS edition of 'I, Claudius' when the BBC decided to (finally!) sell it to the public. I quickly added the DVD edition in 2000, as soon as it was available (in USA, not UK!),
and I am, off course, the proud owner of the 2 novels written by Robert Graves 'I, Claudius' & 'Claudius the God' on which the TV show is based upon.
By all means, this TV show is the most captivating, extremely well acted and juicy as ever you are going to see on your TV screens - even in today's standards.
It deals with most human attributes: Love, hate, murder, intrigue, incest, power, politics, hereditary monarchy and it goes on; Truly the 'bible of TV' as I call it.
I am still surprised to find people who did not see it, nor even heard of it! Shocking! ;-)
If anyone reads this review and haven't watched it - please, run to your nearest Blockbuster or other shop, get it, and watch it - it's a must for all those who appreciate good TV.
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