I, Claudius (Season 1)

I, Claudius (1976) is the BBC's landmark historical drama, free to watch online on iFILM. Stammering, limping Claudius — written off as a fool by his own family — narrates the bloodshed and scheming of imperial Rome from the inside.

The story runs from the early reign of Augustus to Claudius's own death. He watches his grandmother Livia quietly poison rival after rival to the throne, Tiberius curdle into paranoia on Capri, and the mad Caligula declare himself a living god. Claudius lasts precisely because nobody thinks he's worth killing.

Adapted from Robert Graves's two novels, the series lets Derek Jacobi carry Claudius from awkward youth to grey old emperor, with Siân Phillips as the icy Livia, John Hurt as Caligula and a young Patrick Stewart in the ranks. Twelve episodes, studio-bound sets, an almost theatrical staging — and still one of the sharpest political dramas British TV ever made. Stream every episode of I, Claudius online on iFILM.