I'll have to give it a look. I like the actors in the US version and certainly understand a lot more of the political machinations but I'd be surprised if your version weren't better. Just like the office.

What isn't made better with an English, Scottish, or Irish accent?

It's an oldie, but did you ever watch I Claudius?

They've been rerunning them recently. Real classic.

If you havent seen it, here's the first few mins of the opening episode. Don't be fooled by the gentle lead in. This is a dark drama, full of the viciousness of imperial gameplaying. But it takes its time to build. I've often thought there's something about Game of Thrones puts me in mind of I Claudius. Something in the stately pace and grand game of it. Of course, it's a BBC drama from before BBC dramas had anything approaching a budget. I would love to see it done with today's production values, but with the original lead actors (as they were ...not as they are - and you can recast a lot of the smaller roles ;P)




[probably should say nsfw because of the bare breasted dancing girls about 5 mins in...]

I watched some of it it originally - I think.
In the days before things were repeated and you had to record on videotapes - which your Dad taped over with Match of the Day to your chagrin.

I read the books - I, Claudius, and Claudius the God because they were written by Robert "Goodbye to All That" Graves. Books is always better of course.

But I'd quite like to watch it again now.
I will do searching things.

Oh, ETA - I had a wonderful History teacher. He brought every era he taught to life. Inc Claudius' Empire.
Man should have had his own TV show - he never dumbed down but I remember pretty much all of what he taught us (except the dates.) I took History for GCSE purely based on the joy of his lessons.

Got a different teacher, but had a schoolgirl crush on her anyway.
Got an A.
Of course.

I think all or most are available as full episodes on Youtube.

An electric clip:

I Claudius is amazing. Stellar cast.

I'm in one of those youtubey moods :p

I know I've posted about this before, but a long time ago. Have you ever seen Ideal? The Johnny Vegas sitcom. I think it's one of the funniest British shows in recent years. dark at times. And odd. Actually, odd at times during the first series and then increasingly odd, until the final series or two were downright bizarre.

Here's a couple of clips off've the toob:

My wife and I watched I Claudius on PBS soooo many years ago.
For years, I thought Derek Jocobi really did have that speech
impediment, and was only able to overcome it by acting !

It was a wonderful series.
Unfortunately the following series of Caligula failed to maintain the standard.

It was almost certainly on when it first aired, but I was too young to notice the first run. When it was repeated three or four years later it was something we watched as a family.

Just finished watching all 8 series of Foyle's War over the past weeks - enjoyed immensely and hoping for a series 9 - interesting that the tone/tenor/even the look got much darker in series 7 and 8 which makes sense - but is pretty stark contrast to the early series.... still it happened quite seamlessly

I seem to recall the creators recently saying that series 8 would be the last.

Pete's Uncle, a Professor at Gallaudet, told me he did the close caption for that when he saw me reading the book. I haven't seen the series...

heh.. true, but then they said that about series 6 - and then brought it back
(no doubt annoying the living heck out of the writer who'd dropped two series worth of stories in the circular file when told him they would be canning it and had to come up with a whole new story line for after the war)