''I, Claudius'' is a six-part 2010 radio adaptation of

Robert Graves Captain Robert von Ranke Graves (24 July 1895 – 7 December 1985) was an English poet, soldier, historical novelist and critic. His father was Alfred Perceval Graves, a celebrated Irish poet and figure in the Gaelic revival; they were b ...

' 1934 novel '' I, Claudius'' and its 1935 sequel ''

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

''. Broadcast as part of the '' Classic Serial'' strand on

BBC Radio 4 BBC Radio 4 is a British national radio station owned and operated by the BBC. The station replaced the BBC Home Service on 30 September 1967 and broadcasts a wide variety of spoken-word programmes from the BBC's headquarters at Broadcasti ...

, it was adapted by

Robin Brooks Robin Brooks (born 1961) is a British radio dramatist, actor, and author. Selected credits Adaptations * 2000 – '' The Art of Love'', a comedy, emphasizing Ovid's role as lover, with Bill Nighy and Anne-Marie Duff * 2004 – '' Mort'' by T ...

and directed by

Jonquil Panting Jonquil Panting (born 26 February 1966) is a British radio director, notable for her work for BBC Radio 4 BBC Radio 4 is a British national radio station owned and operated by the BBC. The station replaced the BBC Home Service on 30 Septemb ...

, with music composed by David Pickvance. Claudius was played by

Tom Goodman-Hill Tom Goodman-Hill (born 21 May 1968) is an English actor in film, television, theatre and radio. He has acted for over 30 years, and in 2024 he was nominated for a Primetime Emmy Award for his role in the Netflix drama '' Baby Reindeer''. Early ...

and the series' cast is also notable for including

Derek Jacobi Sir Derek George Jacobi (; born 22 October 1938) is an English actor. Known for his roles on stage and screen as well as for his work at the Royal National Theatre, he has received numerous accolades including a Tony Award, a BAFTA Award, two ...

, who played Claudius in the 1976 BBC TV adaptation of the same works, now in the role of

Augustus Gaius Julius Caesar Augustus (born Gaius Octavius; 23 September 63 BC – 19 August AD 14), also known as Octavian (), was the founder of the Roman Empire, who reigned as the first Roman emperor from 27 BC until his death in A ...

. The series was released as a BBC Audiobook on 6 January 2011. It won the 2012

Audie Award The Audie Awards (, rhymes with "gaudy"; abbreviated from ''audiobook''), or simply the Audies, are awards for achievement in spoken word, particularly audiobook narration and audiodrama performance, published in the United States of America. They ...

in the "Audio Dramatization" category.

Cast

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

Harriet Walter Dame Harriet Mary Walter is an English actress. She has received an Olivier Award and nominations for a Tony Award, five Emmy Awards, and a Screen Actors Guild Award. In 2011, Walter was appointed Dame Commander of the Order of the British E ...

Livia Livia Drusilla (30 January 59 BC AD 29) was List of Roman and Byzantine empresses, Roman empress from 27 BC to AD 14 as the wife of Augustus, the first Roman emperor. She was known as Julia Augusta after her formal Adoption ...

Tim McInnerny Timothy L. McInnerny ( ; born 18 September 1956) is a British actor. He is known for his many roles on stage and television, including as Lord Percy Percy and Captain Kevin Darling in the 1980s British sitcom ''Blackadder''. Early life McInner ...

Tiberius Tiberius Julius Caesar Augustus ( ; 16 November 42 BC – 16 March AD 37) was Roman emperor from AD 14 until 37. He succeeded his stepfather Augustus, the first Roman emperor. Tiberius was born in Rome in 42 BC to Roman politician Tiberius Cl ...

Alison Pettitt Alison may refer to: People * Alison (given name), including a list of people with the name * Alison (surname) Music * Alison (album), ''Alison'' (album), aka ''Excuse Me'', a 1975 album by Australian singer Alison MacCallum * Alison (song), ...

as Julia * Sam Dale as Athenodorus/Sejanus/Tacitus *

Sean Baker Sean Baker (born February 26, 1971) is an American filmmaker. He is a director, writer, editor, and producer of Independent film, independent narrative feature films which are most often about the lives of marginalized people, especially immi ...

as Thrasyllus/Pomponius/Cremutius/Asiaticus *

Christine Kavanagh Christine Mary Kavanagh (born 24 March 1957) is an English actress. Early life Kavanagh was born in Prescot, Lancashire. She was educated in Brussels, and trained as a drama teacher at Bretton Hall College and as an actor at Bristol Old Vi ...

as Antonia * Samuel Barnett as

Caligula Gaius Caesar Augustus Germanicus (31 August 12 – 24 January 41), also called Gaius and Caligula (), was Roman emperor from AD 37 until his assassination in 41. He was the son of the Roman general Germanicus and Augustus' granddaughter Ag ...

* Henry Devas as Postumus/Callistus *

Trevor Peacock Trevor Edward Peacock (19 May 1931 – 8 March 2021) was an English actor and songwriter. He made his name as a theatre actor, including for his roles in Shakespeare. He later became known for playing Jim Trott in the BBC comedy series ''The V ...

as Pollio *

Hattie Morahan Harriet Jane Morahan (born 7 October 1978), better known as Hattie Morahan, is an English actress. Her roles include Sister Clara in ''The Golden Compass'' (2007), Gale Benson in '' The Bank Job'' (2008), Alice in ''The Bletchley Circle'' (20 ...

Agrippina the Elder (Vipsania) Agrippina the Elder (also, in Latin, , "Germanicus's Agrippina"; – AD 33) was a prominent member of the Julio-Claudian dynasty. She was the daughter of Marcus Vipsanius Agrippa (a close supporter of the first Roman emperor, Aug ...

* Zubin Varla as Herod Agrippa *

Jude Akuwudike Jude Akuwudike (born 1965) is a Nigerian actor. He has mostly worked in the United Kingdom, on screen and stage. He has appeared in productions of the Royal Shakespeare Company and the Royal National Theatre. Early life Born in Nigeria, West ...

as Cato/Cassius Chaerea/Plautius/Burrhus * Tony Bell as Macro/Frontinus * Sally Orrock as Calpurnia * Claire Harry as Agrippinilla (

Agrippina the Younger Julia Agrippina (6 November AD 15 – 23 March AD 59), also referred to as Agrippina the Younger, was Roman empress from AD 49 to 54, the fourth wife and niece of emperor Claudius, and the mother of Nero. Agrippina was one of the most prominent ...

) * Harvey Allpress as Young Claudius *

Jessica Raine Jessica Raine (née Lloyd; born 20 May 1982) is an English actress. She is best known for her roles as Jenny Lee in the television series ''Call the Midwife'' (2012–2014) and Verity Lambert in the television film ''An Adventure in Space and T ...

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 ...

Robin Soans Robin Soans (born 20 June 1946) is a British actor, and a playwright specialising in verbatim and documentary plays. These plays include ''Across the Divide'' (2007); ''A State Affair'' (2000) which looked at life on a Bradford estate, produced ...

as Narcissus * Ryan Watson as

Britannicus Tiberius Claudius Caesar Britannicus (12 February AD 41 – 11 February AD 55), usually called Britannicus, was the son of Roman Emperor Claudius and his third wife, Valeria Messalina. For a time, he was considered his father's heir, but t ...

Adeel Akhtar Adeel Akhtar is a British actor. He is known for his role in '' Murdered by My Father'', for which he won the British Academy Television Award for Best Actor in 2017. He is also known for ''Utopia'', '' Ali & Ava'', '' Showtrial'', and '' She ...

as Euodus * Iain Batchelor as Soldier

Episodes

# ''Augustus'' (broadcast 28 November 2010) # ''Tiberius'' (broadcast 5 December 2010) # ''Sejanus'' (broadcast 12 December 2010) # ''Caligula'' (broadcast 19 December 2010) # ''Claudius'' (broadcast 26 December 2010) # ''Messalina'' (broadcast 2 January 2011)

References

{{I, Claudius 2010 radio programme debuts Radio programmes based on novels British radio dramas Historical radio series Radio programs set in ancient Rome I, Claudius Cultural depictions of Augustus Cultural depictions of Claudius Cultural depictions of Livia