The Caesars (TV series)
| The Caesars | |
|---|---|
 The Caesars DVD release. | |
| Genre | Drama |
| Written by | Philip Mackie |
| Directed by | Derek Bennett |
| Starring |
Freddie Jones Caroline Blakiston William Corderoy André Morell |
| Composer(s) | Derek Hilton |
| Country of origin | UK |
| Original language(s) | English |
| No. of series | 1 |
| No. of episodes | 6 |
| Production | |
| Producer(s) | Philip Mackie |
| Running time | 55 minutes |
| Production company(s) | Granada Television |
| Release | |
| Original network | ITV |
| Picture format | Black-and-white 405-line 4:3 |
| Audio format | Mono |
| Original release | 22 September – 27 October 1968 |
The Caesars is a British television series produced by Granada Television for the ITV network in 1968. Made in black-and-white and written and produced by Philip Mackie, it covered similar dramatic territory to the later BBC adaptation of I, Claudius, dealing with the lives of the early emperors of Ancient Rome, but differed in its less sensationalist depictions of historical characters and their motives, in particular the Emperor Tiberius is portrayed much more sympathetically.
Major cast
The major cast included:
- Roland Culver as Augustus
- Eric Flynn as Germanicus
- André Morell as Tiberius
- Barrie Ingham as Sejanus
- Ralph Bates as Caligula
- Freddie Jones as Claudius
- Sonia Dresdel as Livia
- Nicola Pagett as Messalina
- Suzan Farmer as Livilla
- William Corderoy as Drusus Julius Caesar
- Derek Newark as Agrippa Postumus
- Caroline Blakiston as Agrippina the Elder
- Martin Potter as Nero Julius Caesar
- Jonathan Collins as Tiberius Gemellus
- Pollyanna Williams as Julia Drusilla
- Jenny White as Julia Livilla
- Karol Keyes as Agrippina the Younger
- Barbara Murray as Milonia Caesonia
- Jerome Willis as Naevius Sutorius Macro
- Kevin Stoney as Thrasyllus of Mendes
- Donald Eccles as Marcus Cocceius Nerva
- John Phillips as Gnaeus Calpurnius Piso
- John Paul as Cassius Chaerea
- Joan Heath as Munatia Plancina
- Wanda Ventham as Ennia Thrasylla
- Sean Arnold as Marcus Aemlius Lepidus
- John Normington as Gaius Julius Callistus
- John Woodvine as Publius Vitellius the Younger
- Gerald Harper as Lucius Vitellius the Elder
- Mark Hawkins as Mnester
- Roger Rowland as Quintus Veranius
- Charles Lloyd-Pack as Crispus
- George Sewell as Ennius
Episode list
| Episode # | Title | Directed by | Written by | Original airdate | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | TBA | "Augustus" | Derek Bennett | Philip Mackie | 22 September 1968 |
| 2 | TBA | "Germanicus" | Derek Bennett | Philip Mackie | 29 September 1968 |
| 3 | TBA | "Tiberius" | Derek Bennett | Philip Mackie | 6 October 1968 |
| 4 | TBA | "Sejanus" | Derek Bennett | Philip Mackie | 13 October 1968 |
| 5 | TBA | "Caligula" | Derek Bennett | Philip Mackie | 20 October 1968 |
| 6 | TBA | "Claudius" | Derek Bennett | Philip Mackie | 27 October 1968 |
Connections to I, Claudius
The Caesars features several actors who later appeared in I, Claudius. Kevin Stoney played the astrologer Thrasyllus of Mendes in both productions. Donald Eccles (Nerva) played Gaius Asinius Pollio in I, Claudius and John Paul (Cassius Chaerea) went on to portray Marcus Vipsanius Agrippa in the later production.
DVD release
The Caesars was released on DVD (Region 2, UK) by Network in April 2006.