I, Claudius to be repeated on BBC4!

[Gasp0deTheW0nderD0g]

Starts 16th August. Presumably this means it will be on i player for a reasonable time too. If you've never seen it, I strongly recommend it. Made in the late 70s. Everything about it hit the spot. Stars Derek Jacobi, Sian Phillips, Brian Blessed, John Hurt and lots of other top actors. Based on the novels by Robert Graves. Set in Ancient Rome, starting at the point when Julius Caesar's great-nephew and adopted son, Octavian, has beaten Mark Antony and become the first Emperor, taking the name Augustus. Historical drama, and you can see how it influenced Game of Thrones and various other subsequent dramas focussing on political power struggles and family feuds.

It will be interesting to see what a modern audience makes of it! It caused quite a stir at the time.

The Julio Claudians are one of the great soap operas in history. On a par with the Tudors. So I'm kind of surprised that 'I Claudius' hasn't been remade in the 40 years since the original.

I agree with others that this is a masterpiece. It was low tech even by the standards of the 1970s, and the sets are visibly cheap and rickety. The acting is also very 'theatrical' by modern standards. And yet somehow it doesn't really seem dated. Sian Phillips and Sir Derek Jacobi were pure genius.

Yes. Mary Beard has pointed out that the books are actually quite action packed and wide ranging, taking in Claudius' adventures on the shores of Britannia. But the TV series is entirely set in Rome and is a rather claustrophobic family drama rather than a tale of empire.

I guess budget was the main reason for that. As someone said, it appears to have been filmed in a warehouse and gives the impression of a televised play. Even scenes in theatres and on the street featured very few extras and clunky sound effects. And yet, somehow, it works. You get the 'feel' for the intrigue and drama of the early days of the Roman empire far better than you would in a modern drama with 'authentic' props and CGI imagery.

Can someone send a link to the original
foetus-chomping episode 8?

NDN’s in tears cos she’s waited 40
years to watch it again to get over it as an adult. All we got was a dripping beard.

I’m put off almost all dramas set in this period due to the CGI and the fact I just can’t buy the characters (suspiciously modern hairstyles often, too many muscle-bound lowering men and overly sultry scheming women). This might have sets made out of cardboard, but the overall effect is far better.

The period is so fascinating that it’s a shame it hasn’t generated more ‘serious’ film, TV and literature. I’d love to see a really good film or series about Julius Caesar and the rise of Augustus.

Completely different, but I also love the surreal effect of things like the 60s Jason and the Argonauts film. Zero interest in seeing that with CGI as it’s the weirdness of the special effects that makes it.

Has it ever been shown ? I can't recall it from the original showing. Although I was quite young - it may not have been the "original" original showing ...

Speaking of Mary Beard, some on here might appreciate another show set in ancient Rome with a slightly different take ... this also has her seal of approval.

https://www.itv.com/watch/plebs/2a1873

No, they never filmed foetus-chomping.

Derek Jacobi mentioned it in his interview a few weeks ago. There was a discussion with the execs, and it was decided that a more graphic scene would constitute "gratuitous violence" (against the guidelines), and that the story could be conveyed very well without showing it.

Which they memorably did.😱

A shout out for Margaret Tyzack as Claudius's mother too. She was an excellent supporting character actress who was the epitome of Roman matron honour, despite disliking her son, and was a counterbalance to Livia.

She'll never get to see it. This BBC blog has so much fabulous information: https://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/genome/entries/2d039235-8a57-4265-a607-7f534af7950f

I was watching some episodes last night, and was thinking exactly the same about Margaret Tyzack'z portrayal of Antonia. She's one of the best characters throughout the series.

I watched this back in the day and slightly more recently on a video(!) boxset from the charity shop.

I was surprised how watchable it remains but I do love a swords 'n' sandals.

If anyone wants another such recommendation, try 'Rome'. Fictional characters in the main roles but a good watch nevertheless.

@CrossPurposes

Thanks for the link, and the family tree it includes!

Thanks so much. NDN moody at being gaslit by Beeb but resigned to life without re-seeing the original cut.

I’m still mesmerised by Caligula and his cheeky miniskirt. Bootees!

Rome was brilliant. I'm still sore about it getting cancelled so soon.

Some of the history was dodgy and the attitudes towards women a bit off, especially in series two. But the acting and scripts were fab. James Purefoy in one particular scene was an added bonus!

Some of the history was dodgy and the attitudes towards women a bit off, especially in series two. But the acting and scripts were fab. James Purefoy in one particular scene was an added bonus!

I think it also captured the casual attitude to cruelty and how slavery was just part of the everyday background. Get conquered, expect to be shipped off to Rome. The attitude to women was partly a depiction of the paterfamilias concept, I think. There was real ambivalence as to who the ‘good guys’ were from a modern perspective. Lucius Vorenus and Titus Pullo had admirable qualities as soldiers but were awful to the women in their lives.

The women are strong in it and think it stands up better than lot of stuff from the same era. I’m predicting in a few years there could be a backlash against tge Skandi dramas and others with narratives with nasty murders in. They are often women.

I was thinking more of how the women were all sexualised and their lives revolved around cat fights with other women. Only exception was Niobe. I Claudius was made back in the 1970s, yet the attitudes towards women seem more 'modern' than in Rome. A lot has changed in the nearly 2 decades since it was made. I wonder if it would be different now?

I agree about how violence and slavery were totally normalised, which of course was how it would have been for the vast majority of people in Rome. I'm glad that none of the characters spoke up about the cruelty of slavery. Even the 'nice' characters like Vorenus and Octavia saw nothing wrong with it. It was just how things were. Which of course is how pretty much all Romans of their day would have felt. Again, I wonder if it would be treated differently if the series were to be made today?

I thought this watching the dance where Messalina is introduced! Just thought "fucking hell, he's really enjoying this!".

I think some of the things that's it's a shame are missed out are the things like the divorce laws of the time, or adoption - yep, I'll adopt this adult man so I have an heir, but whoops, I want him to marry my daughter too, so she'll need adopting so that it's not incest.

I am amazed at how much of it my brain has remembered, clearly my synapses were sparking a lot more efficiently in those days.

I am rather enjoying the clunky cardboard feel, so often with present day dramas I get distracted by the settings, or the extraneous noise of the production ( there are only so many old motorcars, motor bikes, country buses, cardboard suitcases, wicker baskets , ladies with hats and gloves that I can take at one sitting. Ditto candlelit dinner tables , heaving bosoms, tiled entrance halls and elegant drawing rooms) it gives me a chance to concentrate on the dialogue and the acting. And I love the enunciation of clear voices, no muttering.

I kind of love how attitudes towards divorce and adoption were so pragmatic in ancient Rome.

No son? No problem! Just 'borrow' one from another noble family. Problem solved. You get an heir and they get to avoid all the expenses of raising a son in the Roman aristocracy. Plus, he won't even have to give up his relationship with his birth family and can even keep the old family name.

An arrangement like this would have avoided a lot of the unpleasantness of Good King Hal getting through all those wives in pursuit of a son.

I kind of love how attitudes towards divorce and adoption were so pragmatic in ancient Rome.

And religion ...

That too.

I think the Romans were a pretty no nonsense bunch in general. Even the way they ran their empire was pragmatic. They didn't much care what the locals got up to so long as it didn't threaten their interests.

Nigel from The Archers with a Pudding bowl haircut.

Her from Corrie and Doctors

Random mentions of Colchester

Just came on to say thank you for the recommendation. I’ve got up to part 7 and have not enjoyed a programme as much in such a long time. Also thanks for the family tree link upthread, I was nearly making my own to keep up 😂

DD has proposed watching the series “Domina” on Sky, featuring the story of Livia Drusilla. Sian Philips will be a hard act to follow…