Britannia

With its ruthless power struggles, epic clashes and touch of magic, Sky’s Britannia, set in the Roman invasion of 43AD, will thrill fans of Game Of Thrones

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One is a plain- speaking Roman officer on a mission to expand his nation’s empire. The other is a bald, tattooed Druid who – unlikely as it may seem – could possibly thwart his ambitions.

The two foes – General Aulus Plautius (played by David Morrissey) and holy man Veran (Mackenzie Crook) – are the stars of Sky Atlantic’s epic new nine-part series Britannia, which is set during one of the most significant events in British history – the Roman invasion of 43AD. With a cast of wonderful and bizarre characters and spectacular battle scenes, it should appeal to fans of another Sky Atlantic series, Game Of Thrones.

The saga begins almost 100 years after Julius Caesar failed to conquer Britain, a land populated by warring Celtic tribes ruled over by the mystical Druids. Plautius lands on the south coast and advances his 20,000 troops inland, overcoming hostile locals along the way. ‘Plautius is brave and ruthless, determined to extend the Roman Empire with his army,’ says David. ‘He privately has a high regard for the Druids, believing them to hold the secrets of the universe.’

Mackenzie adds, ‘Veran is the most powerful man that Plautius has to confront once he’s on British soil. He is said to speak for the gods and has command over the two native tribes featured in Britannia, the Regni and the Cantii.

‘He understands the might of the Romans but has enormous power himself, only his is mystical, spiritual – perhaps even supernatural.’

Plautius feels on safer ground dealing with tribal leader of the Regni Queen Antedia (Zoe Wanamaker) and Cantii princess Kerra (Kelly Reilly). He offers an alliance to Queen Antedia hoping to divide and conquer the tribes. Also in the action is Cait, a teenager about to be initiated into womanhood at her village’s Solstice Eve ceremony when the Romans attack. She goes on the run with outcast Druid Divis and her influence grows over the course of the series.

Although much of the conquerors’ side of the story is true, the Druids’ part is fictional. Mackenzie says, ‘The writers, Tom and Jez Butterworth, let their imaginations run wild because one of the few things known about the Druids is that soon after the Roman invasion they were wiped out, leaving little factual detail about them.’

And the brothers were so inventive with Mackenzie’s character that the actor, a BAFTA winner for his sitcom Detectorists, had to spend five hours each day in the make-up chair to become Veran. ‘The silicone prosthetics and tat-

toos totally transform me and I look as imposing as the writers intended,’ he says. ‘Even after several months of filming, I was getting double takes from the cast and crew when I left the make-up trailer and walked to set.’

The cast faced extreme temperatures while filming in the Czech Republic – 40°C in summer and -10°C in winter. ‘I don’t think I’d ever been so cold and that was despite devices all over my body to keep me warm,’ says Zoe Wanamaker. ‘It was so warm in summer we had members of my character’s tribe falling over from sunstroke.

‘But it was worth it. Britannia is like nothing you’ve seen on TV before. It’s strange, off the wall, and it takes you on the most amazing journey.’