A caustic and often funny romp set 24 BC during the reign of Augustus Caesar, Rome's first emperor, and ending in AD 54 with Nero on the throne. Claudius (Jacobi) is Tiberius Claudius Nero Germanicus, grandson of Mark Antony, who bears witness to the ruthless ambition, shocking debauchery and murderous intrigue of his remarkable family. For the most part he escapes their evil scheming by virtue of a stutter and limp that mark him as a fool. A remarkable, ground-breaking series, with towering per find out more...

A superbly crafted melodrama, even if it never manages to top the moody montage with which it opens - moon scudding behind clouds, rubber dripping from a tree, coolies dozing in the compound, a startled cockatoo - as a shot rings out, a man staggers out onto the verandah, and Davis follows to empty her gun grimly into his body. The contrivance evident in Maugham's play during the investigation and trial that follow is kept firmly at bay by Wyler's technical expertise and terrific performances, n find out more...