I, Claudius: Patrick Stewart Delivers a Masterclass in Political Storytelling Across 12 Parts of Historical Drama
A self-contained Roman saga
I, Claudius was released in 1976 and based on Robert Graves’s 1934 novel. Created by Martin Lisemore, Joan Sullivan, Herbert Wise and Jack Pulman, it recounts the rise and fall of the doomed emperor Claudius, played by Derek Jacobi.
The story begins amid the early Roman Empire’s succession struggles. Siân Phillips plays Livia, Augustus’s calculating wife, who works to place her son Tiberius in line for power.
Power changes hands
Tiberius is eventually displaced by Sejanus, who is later overtaken by Caligula. Claudius ultimately ascends to the throne, after a sequence of shifting alliances and violent political contests.
The series combines double-crosses, poisonings and assassinations with its period setting. Its succession battles make the drama far less restrained than the costume-drama image its title might suggest.
Stewart’s standout Sejanus
Stewart appears as Sejanus, a determined Praetorian prefect who rises during Tiberius’s reign. The character matches Livia in ambition and wit, while turning the Praetorian Guard into a political force that effectively runs Rome under Tiberius.
The role showed Stewart’s screen presence years before Star Trek made him widely known as Picard. Sejanus also displays the sinister edge and resolve that Stewart would bring to later comedic and serious roles.
A lasting miniseries legacy
The miniseries format lets creators tell a complete story without depending on renewals, spinoffs or sequels. That quality has helped works such as Band of Brothers, Chernobyl, Brideshead Revisited and Over the Garden Wall earn lasting acclaim.
I, Claudius remains both an early showcase for Stewart and a celebrated standalone drama. Its political intrigue and tightly contained story have sustained its reputation across the decades.
Key points
- I, Claudius premiered in 1976, based on Robert Graves’s 1934 novel.
- Patrick Stewart plays Sejanus, a powerful political rival in Tiberius’s Rome.
- The story traces succession struggles leading to Claudius’s rise as emperor.
- The miniseries format gives I, Claudius a complete story without relying on sequels.