--- title: "I, Claudius" year: 1976 kind: "series" canonical: "https://film.one/tv/i-claudius" fi1m_id: "i-claudius" imdb_id: "tt0074006" tmdb_id: 5487 wikidata_id: "Q135096" fi1m_score: 90 critics_score: 88 critics_reviews: 6 published: "2026-09-13" updated: "2026-09-16T00:07:29.211125+00:00" region: "IT" licence: "© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL." --- # I, Claudius (1976) Created by Martin Lisemore, Herbert Wise, Jack Pulman · 55m · Drama, War & Politics ## Identity I, Claudius - **Canonical:** https://film.one/tv/i-claudius - **Type:** Series - **Fi1m ID:** i-claudius - **IMDb ID:** tt0074006 - **TMDB ID:** 5487 - **Wikidata ID:** Q135096 - **Same entity:** https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0074006/, https://www.themoviedb.org/tv/5487, https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q135096 **Fi1m score: 90** · Critics 88 from 6 reviews *In a sentence:* The family has excellent manners and should never be left alone together > Derek Jacobi leads a political family drama whose wit makes its cruelty more disturbing. The sets have aged, and some performances lean towards the stage, but the writing and acting make this an easy recommendation. ## Synopsis Derek Jacobi plays Claudius in a family drama of political intrigue, where private relationships carry consequences beyond the people involved. Around him are Augustus (Brian Blessed), Antonia (Margaret Tyzack), Sejanus (Patrick Stewart) and Germanicus (David Robb), among a large cast of relatives and political players. Courtesy leaves room for threats, and family loyalty offers little protection from the struggle for power. Directed by Herbert Wise and written by Jack Pulman from Robert Graves’s work, the 12-part series follows characters for whom knowing whom to trust becomes as pressing as knowing what to say. ## Review *I, Claudius* makes political intrigue worth following because the people conducting it are such good company, even when they are behaving appallingly. Herbert Wise’s series is funny, cruel and exceptionally well acted, and we recommend it despite some conspicuously dated presentation. There is no need to pretend the sets are convincing or every performance restrained. The attraction is the chance to listen to people being clever at one another’s expense, with considerably more at stake than wounded pride. Jack Pulman, adapting Robert Graves, gives the actors dialogue in which courtesy does little to conceal malice. We laughed more than we expected at the courteous threats, then felt uneasy about it. The cast make the polite savagery so enjoyable that it takes a moment to notice how readily we have accepted the cruelty as entertainment. Pulman keeps the characters recognisable beneath their wickedness, which prevents the writing from becoming a succession of clever insults. Derek Jacobi’s Claudius is the strongest reason to stay. There is an intelligence to his performance that makes following a complicated family feel like a pleasure instead of an examination, and he does not need to be the loudest presence to hold our attention. Brian Blessed’s Augustus, Margaret Tyzack’s Antonia and Patrick Stewart’s Sejanus belong to a company whose distinct personalities keep the intrigue from becoming a list of names. The performances give the political manoeuvring its human interest. Wise’s trust in the actors pays off most when the drama relies on conversation. He makes listening to an exchange feel consequential, and David Hillier’s editing keeps those exchanges easy to follow. Some of the playing is too emphatic, particularly when the wickedness is already obvious from the writing. A little less insistence would let us do more of the noticing ourselves. Tim Harvey’s production design is the more immediate difficulty. The dated sets can make it harder to accept the characters’ surroundings, and their limitations are not automatically charming because the programme is old. Once the dialogue takes hold, we stop inspecting them, but they remain a fair obstacle for anyone who needs a costume drama to look persuasive. Wilfred Josephs’s score suits the formality of the drama; the cast’s delivery of polite speech supplies much of the menace. Political dramas can demand a good deal of remembering names before offering much pleasure. Here, the individual voices do much of that work for us, and the comedy makes even appalling behaviour worth attending to. The family setting also keeps the struggle for power recognisable, rather than leaving it to titles and formal speeches. We remain interested in how these people treat one another long after any sympathy for them has run out. We would recommend it even to someone who usually avoids costume drama. There are 12 episodes, so a viewer who cannot tolerate theatrical acting has a fair reason to decline. For everyone else, there is considerable pleasure in getting to know these voices well enough to hear the threat inside a courtesy. Start for Jacobi, and allow the family time to become disagreeably familiar. *Fi1m score 90, published 13 September 2026.* ## What the critics say All six reviews are positive, and the consensus is unusually settled: this is a classic of British television, and the praise sits almost entirely with the writing and the cast. Derek Jacobi’s Claudius and Siân Phillips’s Livia are named again and again, Phillips in particular for a performance the Guardian calls chilling. The script draws repeated notice for its dry wit and its willingness to go where 1970s television rarely went, and IndieWire treats it less as costume drama than as a family saga of intrigue closer to Dallas or The Sopranos. The reservations are small and shared. Most critics concede the sets look cheap, the wigs are wigs and the acting is stagey by current standards; the Guardian and Den of Geek both raise this, and both decide it does not matter. The Times is the most restrained, saying the story wins out even on a BBC budget. Nobody dissents. ## Straight answers **Is I, Claudius worth watching?** *I, Claudius* is worth watching for anyone who can accept dated sets and some theatrical acting in exchange for exceptionally well-written and well-acted political drama, and we scored it 90. Derek Jacobi's Claudius is the strongest reason to stay, and the courteous threats are funny enough that the cruelty takes a moment to register. Twelve episodes is a commitment, but the voices earn it. **How long is I, Claudius, and what is it rated?** *I, Claudius* has episodes of about 55m. It is a drama and war & politics series. **Where can I watch I, Claudius in Italy?** *I, Claudius* is not on any streaming or rental service in Italy at the moment. It is available in 2 other countries; change your country at the top of the page to see where. Availability is checked daily. **How violent or frightening is I, Claudius, and is it suitable for children?** *I, Claudius* carries a UK 12 certificate, and its cruelty arrives mostly through conversation rather than shown violence. The menace is in polite speech: threats delivered with excellent manners, and a family whose loyalty offers little protection. Older teenagers who can follow a large cast will manage it; younger children would be bored before they were frightened. **How does I, Claudius compare to Succession?** *I, Claudius* and [*Succession*](https://film.one/tv/succession) are both family dramas in which affection is negotiable and sharp dialogue leads to appalling consequences. The earlier series is the stagier of the two, with dated sets and some emphatic playing, while the later one looks far more persuasive and is slower to let you in. Choose Claudius for wit and a pleasure in company; choose Succession for a colder, more contemporary edge. **Is I, Claudius based on a true story or a book?** *I, Claudius* is adapted by Jack Pulman from Robert Graves's novel, so it is fiction built on a historical family rather than a documentary record. The series follows Graves in making the intrigue personal and the dialogue witty, and knowing the book is not required. The individual voices carry the names for you. **What should I watch after I, Claudius?** After *I, Claudius*, try [*Succession*](https://film.one/tv/succession) (2018, Fi1m 88): Another family makes affection negotiable, with sharp dialogue and appalling consequences. Then [*The Lion in Winter*](https://film.one/film/the-lion-in-winter) (1968, Fi1m 81): Royal relatives negotiate succession with the intimacy and spite of a marriage; and [*The Leopard*](https://film.one/film/the-leopard) (1963, Fi1m 88): A family watches political change threaten the habits it considers civilisation. ### Reviews we read (6) - **The AV Club**, Noel Murray (A): The review hails the miniseries as a defining 1970s TV event and benchmark for excellence with a phenomenal cast bringing vivid, recognizable characters to life through dry wit, polite savagery, and memorable wicked scenes. [Read](https://www.avclub.com/i-claudius-the-complete-series-1798172139) - **IndieWire**, Aljean Harmetz (90/100, inferred): The piece calls the 1976 BBC miniseries brilliant and praises its splendid performances, especially Derek Jacobi as Claudius and Siân Phillips as Livia, while noting it as a family drama full of intrigue like Dallas or The Sopranos. [Read](https://www.indiewire.com/features/general/bbcs-i-claudius-the-accidental-emperor-on-dvd-181630/) - **The Guardian** (90/100, inferred): The critic praises I, Claudius as a great classic and masterpiece of writing and acting despite its stagey sets and wigs. They single out the elegant, taboo-breaking script and standout performances, especially Siân Phillips as the chilling Livia. [Read](https://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/tvandradioblog/2010/feb/24/tv-club-i-claudius) - **The Telegraph**, Ben Lawrence (85/100, inferred): The piece hails the 1976 series as a powerful and compelling drama that remains influential. It singles out Derek Jacobi's extraordinary performance as Claudius for particular praise. [Read](https://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/tvandradio/10096739/I-Claudius-what-HBO-can-learn-from-the-BBC-classic.html) - **The Times**, Hugo Rifkind (80/100, inferred): The review recommends the series as a cracker whose story wins out, even on a BBC budget. It singles out the tangled depravity of early imperial Rome as drawn from Robert Graves's books. [Read](https://www.thetimes.com/culture/tv-radio/article/i-claudius-review-the-majesty-of-rome-done-on-a-bbc-budget-6gkgwkm2t) - **Den of Geek**, Juliette Harrisson (90/100, inferred): The article recommends the series despite its dated sets and stagey acting, calling it the author's favourite for its compelling characters, unforgettable scenes, sexy and funny elements, and surprising historical accuracy rooted in ancient sources. [Read](https://www.denofgeek.com/tv/dont-let-dated-sets-and-stagey-acting-keep-you-from-this-brilliant-bbc-drama/) ## Details - **Created by:** Martin Lisemore, Herbert Wise, Jack Pulman - **Creator:** Martin Lisemore, Herbert Wise, Jack Pulman - **Director:** Herbert Wise - **Writer:** Jack Pulman - **Novel:** Robert Graves - **Editor:** David Hillier - **Music:** Wilfred Josephs - **Production design:** Tim Harvey - **Costume design:** Barbara Kronig - **Producer:** Martin Lisemore - **Cast:** Derek Jacobi as Claudius; Margaret Tyzack as Antonia; Brian Blessed as Augustus; James Faulkner as Herod Agrippa; Fiona Walker as Agrippina; Kevin McNally as Castor; Bernard Hepton as Pallas; Sheila White as Messalina - **Runtime:** 55m - **Release (Italy):** 20 September 1976 - **Genres:** Drama, War & Politics - **Trailer:** https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T40mDHDKqWM ## Where to watch in Italy Not streaming, renting or buying in Italy at the last check. Also available in: GB, US. Add `?region=XX` to this URL for another country. ## If you liked this - *Succession* (2018), Fi1m 88: Another family makes affection negotiable, with sharp dialogue and appalling consequences — [Fi1m page](https://film.one/tv/succession.md) - *The Lion in Winter* (1968), Fi1m 81: Royal relatives negotiate succession with the intimacy and spite of a marriage — [Fi1m page](https://film.one/film/the-lion-in-winter.md) - *The Leopard* (1963), Fi1m 88: A family watches political change threaten the habits it considers civilisation — [Fi1m page](https://film.one/film/the-leopard.md) - *Raise the Red Lantern* (1991), Fi1m 91: Household etiquette becomes a means of control, and every favour has consequences — [Fi1m page](https://film.one/film/raise-the-red-lantern.md) - *The Death of Stalin* (2017), Fi1m 83: Political terror and personal vanity make an uncomfortably effective comedy — [Fi1m page](https://film.one/film/the-death-of-stalin.md) --- © Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL. Canonical: https://film.one/tv/i-claudius