I, Claudius for the win!

[gurdymonkey]

  So I cracked open the shrink wrap on the "I Claudius" boxed set and have just surfaced for air after watching the first two episodes. Gods and Goddesses of Olympus, I knew it was marvelous (which is why I grabbed it when I saw it at BB for $35), but I'd forgotten just how marvelous. (Then again, it came out in the US my freshman year of college!)
Sian Phillips, OMG, Sian Phillips!!!! She makes the descriptions of Livia Augusta in Suetonius look tame and dull. Magnificent!