He’s a dead ringer

An evil twin from beyond the grave turns up to cause double trouble as the psychedelic fantasy set in savage Roman Britain returns

Believe it or not, Britain wasn’t always a polite society obsessed with impeccable manners, chivalry and tea and biscuits.

In 43AD, it was a savage hellhole populated by vicious warring tribes, debauched Druids, warrior queens and invading berserkers. That’s the brutal backdrop to the second series of this historical fantasy drama, about the Roman conquest. With blood-soaked battles, orgies, treachery, hallucinogenic drug abuse and foul language, it’s very adultorientated... and all the more fun for it. We’ll see General Aulus (David Morrissey) continue his attempts to ‘Romanise’ Britannia by any means necessary. Hampering his work is his superior Emperor Claudius, a new character played by Steve Pemberton. Even more of a threat are the mysterious Druids, led by Veran. Mackenzie Crook reprises his role as the mystic – but now also plays his embittered twin Harka, apparently back from the dead.

The former Office star said: “I wasn’t convinced that I could pull it off. There were moments of crushing self-doubt.

“Veran is a Dalai Lama type figure. Harka, on the other hand, has to be completely different. He’s more like a wayward brother who’s just been released from jail.

“For inspiration, I looked at a combination of David Bowie and Iggy Pop in their younger days. The make-up process was quite gruelling. Both characters have extensive prosthetics. In total I’ve spent weeks in that make-up chair.’

David Morrissey has also fully immersed himself in the project – listening to a playlist of heavy metal to get into the mindset of power-mad Aulus.

He said: “The Romans have begun to settle in and Aulus is here to stay.

“He does brutal things, but that’s the world he’s part of and everyone speaks that language, whether they’re Romans, Druids or tribespeople.

“Aulus has to defer to Claudius and he’s caught between two powerful sources. He’s loyal to Rome but is also in awe of the Druids – Veran especially. He thinks they have a connection to the Underworld. He wants what they’ve got spiritually.”

So pour yourself a cup of mead and enjoy the carnage...

‘Veran’s a Dalai Lama type... Harka’s like a wayward brother just out of jail’ Mackenzie Crook