| Cast overview, first billed only: | |||
| Alex Kingston | ... | ||
| Steven Waddington | ... | ||
| Emily Blunt | ... | ||
| Leanne Rowe | ... |
Siora
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| Ben Faulks | ... |
Connach
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| Hugo Speer | ... |
Dervalloc
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| Gary Lewis | ... |
Magior the Shaman
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| Alex Hassell | ... |
Roman Officer
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James Clyde | ... |
Roman Sergeant
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| Angus Wright | ... |
Severus
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Steve John Shepherd | ... | |
| Jack Shepherd | ... | ||
| Gideon Turner | ... |
Didius
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| Frances Barber | ... | ||
| Andrew Lee Potts | ... | ||
It's the first century, and Rome rules the world. After her husband's death, it's left to Boudica -fierce Iceni warrior, wife of a king, and proud mother of two daughters- to unite the fractious tribes of Briton and stand against the oppressive Roman Empire. Written by L. Hamre
Boudica is, by TV standards, a big-scale romp, with large battle scenes and predictable displays of Roman decadence sitting alongside an attempt, expected from writer Andrew Davies, to add some historical focus and modern relevance.
Alex Kingston is in commanding form as the flame-haired warrior queen. It's the type of role she is moulded for - feisty and forceful with just a hint of no-nonsense sex. She does seem to look more like Mel Gibson in Braveheart as the film progresses, but her big pep talk to the troops is at least as powerful as Mel's. In the generally fine supporting cast, Gary Lewis is stoutly impressive as a seemingly magically abled priest supporter of Boudica; Jack Shepherd makes the most of the stammering Claudius, and Andrew Lee Potts, despite coming across like a spoilt brat and a half-dressed drag act, has fun with the positively loathsome Nero.
Add in some fairly strong gore, amusing sex and tolerable use of modern language and Boudica falls somewhere between bodice-ripper and historical epic. Good fun all round. 7/10