Two tribes go to war
BRITANNIA SKY ATLANTIC, 9pm EPIC historical dramas are certainly all the rage. Fighting, murder, sex... and all the better if you can throw in a couple of dragons.
Okay, this is not Game of Thrones, and there are no dragons so far. But there is a lot of strange, mystical behaviour in this latest saga about a Roman invasion and warring Celtic tribes.
It’s AD43 – nine decades after Julius Caesar landed in Britannia to exploit the place, took one look at the Druids and scarpered straight home.
But now the Romans are back! Cue pounding soundtrack and swooping camera shots. And they are tougher than ever. David Morrissey is our leading man General Aulus, who is in charge of the Roman army and is about to lead 20,000 men into battle.
Well 19,996 to be accurate – four tried to escape, terrified of the myths that Britannia is ruled by the dead and has scary sea serpents and giant squid. Predictably, there’s a murder within the first five minutes.
This is a production on a huge scale, filmed in Prague with plenty of real mud and dirt, horses and dogs, and apparently no green screen.
And Morrissey is joined by an A-list cast, too. Zoe Wanamaker plays the powerful queen Antedia, Kelly Reilly is warrior princess Kerra, and watch out for an almost unrecognisable Mackenzie Crook as the leader of the Druids.
There are moments when you might wonder what’s going on, but just succumb to the madness and enjoy the ride.