''The Caesars'' is a British

television Television, sometimes shortened to TV, is a telecommunication medium for transmitting moving images and sound. The term can refer to a television set, or the medium of television transmission. Television is a mass medium for advertising, ...

series produced by

Granada Television ITV Granada, formerly known as Granada Television, is the ITV franchisee for the North West of England and Isle of Man. From 1956 to 1968 it broadcast to both the north west and Yorkshire but only on weekdays as ABC Weekend Television was its ...

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 In modern historiography, ancient Rome refers to Roman people, Roman civilisation from the founding of the city of Rome in the 8th century BC to the collapse of the Western Roman Empire in the 5th century AD. It encompasses the Roman Kingdom ...

, but differed in its less sensationalist depictions of historical characters and their motives; in particular, the Emperor

Tiberius Tiberius Julius Caesar Augustus (; 16 November 42 BC – 16 March AD 37) was the second Roman emperor. He reigned from AD 14 until 37, succeeding his stepfather, the first Roman emperor Augustus. Tiberius was born in Rome in 42 BC. His father ...

is portrayed much more sympathetically.

Major cast

The major cast included: * Roland Culver as

Augustus Caesar Augustus (born Gaius Octavius; 23 September 63 BC – 19 August AD 14), also known as Octavian, was the first Roman emperor; he reigned from 27 BC until his death in AD 14. He is known for being the founder of the Roman Pr ...

Eric Flynn Eric William Flynn (13 December 1939 – 4 March 2002) was a British actor. Early life Flynn was born on 13 December 1939 on Hainan Island, China, where his father was a customs officer for the Hong Kong government. After the outbreak of war a ...

Germanicus Germanicus Julius Caesar (24 May 15 BC – 10 October AD 19) was an ancient Roman general, known for his campaigns in Germania. The son of Nero Claudius Drusus and Antonia the Younger, Germanicus was born into an influential branch of the pa ...

André Morell Cecil André Mesritz (20 August 1909 – 28 November 1978), known professionally as André Morell, was an English actor. He appeared frequently in theatre, film and on television from the 1930s to the 1970s. His best known screen roles were as ...

* Barrie Ingham as

Sejanus Lucius Aelius Sejanus (c. 20 BC – 18 October AD 31), commonly known as Sejanus (), was a Roman soldier, friend and confidant of the Roman Emperor Tiberius. Of the Equites class by birth, Sejanus rose to power as prefect of the Praetorian ...

* Ralph Bates as

Caligula Gaius Julius Caesar Augustus Germanicus (31 August 12 – 24 January 41), better known by his nickname Caligula (), was the third Roman emperor, ruling from 37 until his assassination in 41. He was the son of the popular Roman general Germani ...

* Freddie Jones as

Claudius Tiberius Claudius Caesar Augustus Germanicus (; 1 August 10 BC – 13 October AD 54) was the fourth Roman emperor, ruling from AD 41 to 54. A member of the Julio-Claudian dynasty, Claudius was born to Drusus and Antonia Minor ...

* Sonia Dresdel as

Livia Livia Drusilla (30 January 59 BC – 28 September AD 29) was a Roman empress from 27 BC to AD 14 as the wife of Emperor Augustus Caesar. She was known as Julia Augusta after her formal adoption into the Julian family in AD 14. Livia was the ...

Nicola Pagett Nicola Mary Pagett Scott (15 June 1945 – 3 March 2021), known professionally as Nicola Pagett, was a British actress, known for her role as Elizabeth Bellamy in the 1970s TV drama series '' Upstairs, Downstairs'' (1971–1973), as well as bein ...

Messalina Valeria Messalina (; ) was the third wife of Roman emperor Claudius. She was a paternal cousin of Emperor Nero, a second cousin of Emperor Caligula, and a great-grandniece of Emperor Augustus. A powerful and influential woman with a reputation ...

* Suzan Farmer as Livilla *

William Corderoy William is a male given name of Germanic origin.Hanks, Hardcastle and Hodges, ''Oxford Dictionary of First Names'', Oxford University Press, 2nd edition, , p. 276. It became very popular in the English language after the Norman conquest of ...

Drusus Julius Caesar Drusus Julius Caesar (14 BC – 14 September AD 23), was the son of Emperor Tiberius, and heir to the Roman Empire following the death of his adoptive brother Germanicus in AD 19. He was born at Rome to a prominent branch of the ''gens Claud ...

* Derek Newark as Agrippa Postumus *

Caroline Blakiston Caroline Georgiana Blakiston (born 13 February 1933) is an English actress. She is best known in her native United Kingdom for her role in the television comedy series ''Brass'', to international audiences as Mon Mothma in the '' Star Wars'' fil ...

as Agrippina the Elder * Martin Potter as

Nero Julius Caesar Nero Julius Caesar (c. AD 6–31) was the adopted grandson and heir of the Roman Emperor Tiberius, alongside his brother Drusus. Born into the prominent Julio-Claudian dynasty, Nero was the son of Tiberius' general and heir, Germanicus. Afte ...

* Jonathan Collins as

Tiberius Gemellus Tiberius Julius Caesar Nero Gemellus, known as Tiberius Gemellus (Latin: ''Tiberius Caesar Drusi filius Tiberii Augusti nepos divi Augusti pronepos'', 10 October AD 19–37/38) was the son of Drusus and Livilla, the grandson of the Emperor ...

* Pollyanna Williams as

Julia Drusilla Julia Drusilla (16 September AD 16 – 10 June AD 38) was a member of the Roman imperial family, the second daughter and fifth child of Germanicus and Agrippina the Elder to survive infancy. She was the favorite sister of Emperor Caligula, w ...

* Jenny White as Julia Livilla * Karol Keyes as

Agrippina the Younger Julia Agrippina (6 November AD 15 – 23 March AD 59), also referred to as Agrippina the Younger, was Roman empress from 49 to 54 AD, the fourth wife and niece of Emperor Claudius. Agrippina was one of the most prominent women in the Julio-Clau ...

Barbara Murray Barbara Ann Murray (27 September 1929 – 20 May 2014) was an English actress. Murray was most active in the 1940s and 1950s as a fresh-faced leading lady in many British films such as ''Passport to Pimlico'' (1949) and ''Meet Mr. Lucifer'' (19 ...

Milonia Caesonia Milonia Caesonia (died AD 41) was Roman empress as the fourth and last wife of the emperor Caligula from their marriage in AD 39 until they were both assassinated in 41. Life Early life The daughter of Vistilia, Milonia was born toward the beg ...

* Jerome Willis as Naevius Sutorius Macro * Kevin Stoney as

Thrasyllus of Mendes Thrasyllus of Mendes (; grc-gre, Θράσυλλος ), also known as Thrasyllus of AlexandriaLevick, ''Tiberius: The Politician'', p. 7 and by his Roman name Tiberius Claudius ThrasyllusLevick, ''Tiberius: The Goat '', p. 137 (fl. second ha ...

* 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 Ennia Thrasylla, (about 15 – 38, ''Ennia'' in Greek el, Έννίας, ''Ennia Thrasylla'' in Greek el, Έννία Θράσυλλα) was a Roman noblewoman who lived in the 1st century AD in the Roman Empire. Family background Ennia was of La ...

Sean Arnold Sean Arnold (30 January 1941 – 15 April 2020) was an English actor. For his role as Harry Fisher in the BBC soap opera '' Doctors'', he was nominated for Villain of the Year at the 2005 British Soap Awards. Arnold was born in January 1941 ...

as Marcus Aemlius Lepidus * John Normington as

Gaius Julius Callistus Gaius Julius Callistus (flourished 1st century) was a Greek imperial freedman during the reigns of Roman Emperors Caligula and Claudius. Callistus was originally a freedman of Caligula, and was given great authority during his reign, which he used ...

* John Woodvine as Publius Vitellius the Younger * Gerald Harper as Lucius Vitellius the Elder * Mark Hawkins as Mnester *

Roger Rowland Roger Rowland (1 April 1935 – 14 January 2011) was a British TV actor predominantly working in the 1970s and 1980s. He made quite a number of UK television appearances, including some well-remembered series (though none were starring roles). ...

as Quintus Veranius * Charles Lloyd-Pack as Crispus * George Sewell as Ennius

Episode list

All six episodes were written by Philip Mackie and directed by Derek Bennett.

DVD release

''The Caesars'' was released on DVD (Region 2, UK) by Network in April 2006.

External links

* ITV television dramas Period television series Television dramas set in ancient Rome 1968 British television series debuts 1968 British television series endings 1960s British drama television series 1960s British television miniseries Television series by ITV Studios Television series set in the Roman Empire Television series set in the 1st century Television shows produced by Granada Television English-language television shows Black-and-white British television shows British historical television series Depictions of Augustus on television Depictions of Caligula on television Cultural depictions of Messalina Cultural depictions of Tiberius Cultural depictions of Agrippina the Elder Cultural depictions of Agrippina the Younger Cultural depictions of Claudius Cultural depictions of Julia Drusilla Cultural depictions of Germanicus {{UK-tv-prog-stub