Vorenus' defense of Caesar lands him in an unexpected position of power within Rome. Meanwhile, Servilia hurls the final obstacle in her ambitious and complex revenge plan against Atia.
With the defeat of the Egyptian fleet at Actium, Mark Antony and Cleopatra retreat to their palace and await their fate. Believing that Cleopatra has taken her life, Mark Antony decides follow her ...
Rejected by Vorenus and Eirene and racked by guilt for the killing of Eirene's fiancé out of a jealous rage, Pullo has sunk to working as an assassin for the gangster Erastes. When Pullo gets ...
In this British historical drama, the turbulent transition from Roman republic to autocratic empire, which changed world history through civil war and wars of conquest, is sketched both from the aristocratic viewpoint of Julius Caesar, his family, his adopted successor Octavian Augustus, and their political allies and adversaries, and from the politically naive viewpoint of a few ordinary Romans, notably the soldiers Lucius Vorenus and Titus Pullo and their families.Written by
KGF Vissers
Virtually all extras in the crowd scenes are real-life Romans. The producers and directors feel that Italians have something special in their bearing that adds to the atmosphere of Ancient Rome. See more »
Goofs
In the series, candles are the primary source of lighting. Romans mostly used oil lamps. See more »
Quotes
Gaius Octavian Caesar:
You shall leave this city. You shall go to your Eastern provinces, and you shall not come back.
Mark Antony:
Or else what, boy?
Gaius Octavian Caesar:
You shall leave this city or I will declare our alliance broken. I will have this sad story read in the forum, I will have it posted in every city in Italy, and you know the people are not so liberal with their wives as you. They shall say you wear cuckolds horns; they shall say your wife betrayed you with a low-born plebe on my staff. You will be a figure of fun. The proles will ...
[...] See more »
Alternate Versions
Because episode three is 37 minutes long, it was hard for BBC2 to schedule in the UK, and it was also felt that the short running time would make the episode feel curiously light. The first three episodes were therefore edited down into episodes one and two for the UK. This was mostly achieved by trimming within existing scenes; few scenes were actually lost. The final two episodes of the first series were also edited into a single double-length episode, possibly because it was around the Christmas period and was easier to fit into the holiday schedule than two regular-length slots. See more »
Great. Loving classical literature and history, and the sometimes ridiculous film genre known as Sword and Sandal, I was thrilled by the first episode - I really feel like I'm getting something very like the grit and feel of the place and the politics for the first time. I've read some stupid comments here that somehow the series is less than authentic because these Romans speak English - and most absurd - that the actors are all too old because the average male died in his 40's. That figure - If true - is skewed tremendously by the fact that many died of childhood maladies that are easily treated today. Many men lived in to their 70's and 80's, especially in the aristocracy. Pompey - one of the oldest in the series - died at something like 58, and his death was anything but natural. Look, some suspension of disbelief is required every time you turn the TV on. I think they've done a great job with this series and I look forward to future episodes.
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Great. Loving classical literature and history, and the sometimes ridiculous film genre known as Sword and Sandal, I was thrilled by the first episode - I really feel like I'm getting something very like the grit and feel of the place and the politics for the first time. I've read some stupid comments here that somehow the series is less than authentic because these Romans speak English - and most absurd - that the actors are all too old because the average male died in his 40's. That figure - If true - is skewed tremendously by the fact that many died of childhood maladies that are easily treated today. Many men lived in to their 70's and 80's, especially in the aristocracy. Pompey - one of the oldest in the series - died at something like 58, and his death was anything but natural. Look, some suspension of disbelief is required every time you turn the TV on. I think they've done a great job with this series and I look forward to future episodes.