An anthology docu-drama series chronicling six pivotal moments in the history of the Roman Empire.
This anthology serial presents six self-contained dramas about pivotal moments in Roman history. The first episode documents the tyrannical reign of Emperor Nero (Michael Sheen). The second recreates Julius Caesar’s (Sean Pertwee) civil war against Pompey (John Shrapnel). Subsequent instalments recount the story of the populist reformer Tiberius Gracchus (James D’Arcy), the great Jewish revolt led by Josephus (Ed Stoppard), the conversion to Christianity of Constantine the Great (David Threlfall), and the final sacking of the city by the Goth warlord Alaric (Mark Lockyer), an event which precipitates the fall of the Western Roman Empire. Alisdair Simpson provides narration for the entire series.
The series employed a hybrid format, blending dramatic reconstruction with documentary narration. Each of the six instalments functions as a self-contained one-hour play, isolating a pivotal moment in the empire’s history and examining it through the actions of a key historical figure. This anthology structure allowed the production to tackle a vast historical canvas without the burden of a continuous narrative. By casting notable actors in the lead roles, the production aimed for a level of dramatic intensity not always present in historical documentaries, grounding epoch-defining events in personal, character-driven conflict.
Broadcast: BBC One, 6 Episodes, 21 September – 26 October 2006
A BBC / Discovery Channel / ZDF co-production
Writers: Nick Murphy, James Wood, Jeremy Hylton Davies, Christopher Spencer, Andrew Grieve, Colin Heber-Percy, Layall B. Watson
Directors: Nick Murphy, Nick Green, Christopher Spencer, Andrew Grieve, Tim Dunn, Arif Nurmohamed
Series Producer: Mark Hedgecoe
Executive Producer: Matthew Barrett
Main Cast: Michael Sheen (Nero), Sean Pertwee (Julius Caesar), James D’Arcy (Tiberius Gracchus), Ed Stoppard (Josephus), David Threlfall (Constantine), Mark Lockyer (Alaric), Peter Firth (Vespasian), Catherine McCormack (Poppaea), Tom Bell (Nasica), Alisdair Simpson (Narrator)
