I, Claudius (1976– )

The history of the Roman Empire as experienced by one of its rulers.

Stars:

Derek Jacobi, Siân Phillips, Brian Blessed

Won 1 Primetime Emmy. Another 5 wins & 3 nominations.

Cast

Complete series cast summary:
Derek Jacobi	...	Claudius (13 episodes, 1976)
George Baker	...	Tiberius (10 episodes, 1976)
Margaret Tyzack	...	Antonia (9 episodes, 1976)
Siân Phillips	...	Livia (8 episodes, 1976)
Brian Blessed	...	Augustus (6 episodes, 1976)
James Faulkner	...	Herod Agrippa (6 episodes, 1976)

Storyline

The mini-series follows the history of the Roman Empire, from approximately the death of Marcellus (24/23 BC) to Claudius' own death in 54 AD. As Claudius narrates his life, we witness Augustus' attempts to find an heir, often foiled by his wife Livia who wants her son Tiberius to become emperor. We also see the conspiracy of Sejanus, the infamous reign of Caligula, and Claudius' own troubled period of rule.

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Plot Keywords:

claudius | emperor | roman empire | conspiracy | roman salute | 

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Taglines:

Let all the poisons that lurk in the mud hatch out.

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Genres:

Drama | History

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Certificate:

Not Rated

Details

Country:

UK

Language:

English German

Release Date:

6 November 1977 (USA)

Also Known As:

Jag, Claudius

Company Credits

Production Co:

British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC), London Film Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

669 min 650 min (13 parts) 669 min (DVD) (13 episodes)

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

The series spans 77 years, from 23 BC to 54 AD.

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Goofs

The characters are shown eating with forks, which was not actually done until the middle ages.

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Quotes

[about Augustus]
Tiberius: Are you drinking because he nearly died or because he didn't?
Livia: Sarcastic aren't we this morning?

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Connections

Referenced in The Facts of Life: Teenage Marriage: Part 2 (1981)

User Reviews

The British show the world how to make a TV drama.

Nobody, absolutely nobody on planet Earth could do such an intelligent, superbly acted and brilliantly directed drama series like I, Claudius than the British. If one wanted to learn how to act, they should watch I, Claudius, if one wanted to learn to write drama, they should watch I, Claudius. In an age of dull, repetitive and childish immature television, I, Claudius stands out as a show that seems to good to be true. The viewer is spoiled with the staggering quality offered by the series.

With all due respect to American actors, and there are some very fine ones, they could never have achieved what the British actors did in I, Claudius. What we see are actors doing what they love so effortlessly without the benefit (or hindrance??) of mega-Hollywood bucks.

The show is, and I know this from my own experiences and from seeing the reaction of others, incredibly addictive. One simply cannot get enough of it. The series treats its audience as intelligent individuals which is such a refreshing change from the attitude of most current and past programs.

Without any hesitation, watch this series. Television can never get any better than this!