Your Reviews
You sent in your comments about Episode 8, read a selection below.
"A fantastic graphic recollection of Rome in its early years."
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"I have found the series to be compelling and compulsory viewing. It is without doubt one of the finest drama series ever shown on BBC TV. A fantastic graphic recollection of Rome in its early years. The drama now sits alongside my overall view of the city itself - magnificent."
Paul Gurney, Knutsford
"We have stopped watching this twee Americanised production of what should have been a great series. Did the Romans really call their spouse 'Honey'? How ridiculous. The BBC is far more sophisticated than this and has no need to spend vast sums of money buying in a series of obvious inferior quality."
Jean Holt, Lancashire
"Like many other viewers, I had found I Claudius* to be the best example of BBC historical drama. For the current generation of drama, Rome is earthy, gaudy, violent, and in many respects camply entertaining - it's terrific.
"What was in the mind of the screenwriter?"
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It is just as well that it is not possible to libel the dead otherwise Octavia's legal representatives might be on the case. The depiction of her committing incest with her brother in the 8th episode is so far from the extremely virtuous Octavia portrayed in the sources as to be verging on the amusing. What was in the mind of the screenwriter? Was he in some way trying to prefigure the complex intra-dynastic marriages that saw Octavia, her brother Augustus (as Octavius came to be known) and his second wife Livia all independently the great-grandparents of the delightful Caligula and his sisters, one of whom was the mother of the equally delightful Nero? No matter - it is tremendous fun!"
Paul Lattin, Brighton, UK
"TV doesn't get much better than this. The BBC is shedding its lifestyle/makeover shows in favour of top quality drama. Rome stands proud in schedules that include the recent Bleak House, Egypt, Shakespeare Re-told and Doctor Who. This is what the BBC is about, keep it up.
Ray Stevenson deserves a BAFTA, (they all do). But Pullo is such a great character, just wonderful."
Mark, Horncastle
"I look forward to Wednesday nights and Rome. It's the best thing on TV at the moment and Ray Stevenson as Titus Pullo is a delight to watch."
Angela Edmondson, Southport
"Rome is not serious drama, just an entertaining romp."
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"I am very disappointed with this series. I had hoped to see a historically accurate drama on the ending of the Roman republic. Instead we get a soap opera with an emphasis on bloodlust and promiscuous sexuality. Would a BBC drama on the English Middle Ages concentrate on burning people at the stake for their religious beliefs? Hanging for stealing a sheep? Executing your wife for not providing a male child to succeed to the throne? How can you take this drama seriously when we are expected to believe that Caesar's child was actually the illegitimate son of the fictional character Titus Pullo? Rome is not serious drama, just an entertaining romp."
G.E. Crowe, Hackney
"Given that the last episode closed with the baby Caesarion being presented to the crowd in Egypt, I thought that the opening scene was a bit confusing, being the aftermath of a battle. I found it hard to put it in context until the scene where Lucius Vorenus was explaining it to his child.
I was (and still am) in agony for Lucius Vorenus. I really thought that the end had come with his confrontation with that gangster. And then Julius Caesar saves the day by visiting him at the hour of doom. Vorenus's integrity is beautifully brought out by the screenplay, as is Caesar's pragmatism, generosity and humanity. The secret of Vorenus's wife is out amongst the patricians and a tragedy is in the making when that comes back to poor old Vorenus. It would be better if it were hidden forever.
I like the references to Caesar's incredible skill as a military man. One of his trusted commanders during the Gallic campaigns, Titus Labienus, turned against him in the Civil wars. I think that that clash could have made for a good story. Labienus evidently thought that he was responsible for Caesar's successes but was outclassed in battle against him.
This is absolutely compelling viewing. The BBC has always produced some of the best dramas and documentaries that I have ever seen and this ranks with the best."
Gerard Farmar, Verulamium
*Please note the BBC is not responsible for the content of external websites.
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Actor Biographies
Kevin McKidd
Lucius Vorenus
Ray Stevenson
Titus Pullo
Ciarán Hinds
Julius Caesar
James Purefoy
Mark Antony
Polly Walker
Atia of the Julii
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Related Links
Best of Drama
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Best of BBC
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