Oh but for the BBC

I have been addicted to some of the brilliant classic serials that BBC radio have sent out into the world over the last year. I was transfixed by the genius adaptation of John Le Carre's Smiley series. From 'Tinker, tailor, soldier, spy', 'Honourable Schoolboy', 'Smiley's People'. What is labelled the Karla trilogy too has been a revelation with George Smiley played by Simon Russel Beale and played so well over the radio, such a voice, and well worth checking out if you happen to be snowbound, or borrow the recordings from the library and listen to them in the car, etc. Now didnt think that this could be improved on so imagine my delight when the BBC decided to adapt what I think was their best TV series, ever released, yep that's right you all know. Right now and over the next six weeks we have Radio Adapting Robert Grave's 'I, Claudius'. Having heard the first episode, it is marvellous as it always has been, classics are timeless. Yet for the I, Claudius anoraks amongst us, those who enjoy the Roman style, murdering, incestuous, orgiastic Julio-Claudian emperors Derek Jacobi, who played Claudius in the BBC TV drama, over 30 years ago, and made it famous, actually has been bought into play Augustus, who as we all know, was originally played in the TV Drama, by the one and only Brian Blessed. So we have the original Claudius, playing Augustus. A little weird to get used too!


The original 1976 'stammering' Claudius, Sir Derek Jacobi.








The 2010 production, Sir Derek Jacobi is the Emperor Augustus, Tom Goodman-Hill plays Claudius.





The joy of I, Claudius is the level of the acting and the original was packed full of the finest actors of their generation. And some of the scenes have now become legend. Here's my particular favourite;



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