The historical drama I, Claudius, featuring Welsh actress Sian Phillips, is now available to stream on BBC iPlayer. The series, originally released in 1976, is described as an epic drama of madness, murder and debauchery, chronicling the early Roman Empire.
Welsh star Sian Phillips as Livia
Sian Phillips, who hails from the Neath Port Talbot village of Gwaun-Cae-Gurwen, portrayed Livia, the Roman empress from 27 BC to AD 14 and wife of first emperor Augustus. Her performance won her a BAFTA and captivated audiences at the time.
The series also stars Derek Jacobi as Claudius, alongside John Hurt and Brian Blessed. It has been praised as "excellent" by viewers and has developed a dedicated following, with many rewatching it repeatedly.
Viewer praise
One fan on IMDb.com said: "I've only watched it about 10 times over the years. Stellar cast, Jacobi is magic, Sian Phillips is menacing in a cat-like all possessing way, Brian Blessed delivers as always, direction, sets, costumes, storyline, drama, some comedy it's all there! Think I'll get some popcorn and watch it again."
Another IMDb user commented: "I, Claudius remains one of the handful of miniseries that actually improves upon repeated viewings."
A third viewer remarked: "This is truly a great Roman epic and without a single battle scene with a cast of thousands. I have watched the entire series at least four times and that may total a whole day or more of my life, but well worth it."
One fan recalled watching it for the first time as a child and later revisiting it: "I ended up watching the 650 minute saga three times, back to back in nine days. I watched nothing else on TV for nine days; no news, no sport, no music clip. It was I, Claudius and me."
On Facebook, a viewer described it as a "phenomenal" series, while another posted: "Have watched it a couple of times in more recent years. Each episode is like a play in itself. One of the best TV dramas ever."
I, Claudius is available to stream on BBC iPlayer.
