this no doubtedly be the best miniseries ever make for television . yes and it be 11 hour plus long and but it be certainly worth it . from episode to episode and you feel closer and closer attach to each of the character and their feeling and passion for power and lust . never before have i see such a well orchestrate soap opera a this and display the history of the 1st century go through the julian dynasty . heck and if it wasn not for the intense nudity of the series and i would recommend this to every classroom across the globe . the character of i and claudius be unforgetable . brian bless ( gladiator ) a augustus do a wonderful job and you will really admire his effort a the portrayal of rome first emperor . another notable performance be from john hurt a caligula and who light up the screen with his psycho fantasy and and unpredictable hatred towards others . lastly and the glory and all the credit go to derek jacobi ( gladiator ) and who turn a risky and grueling role into a soft symphony and despite the mental retardation inflict on the character of claudius . i bet no actor would have do a good job than jacobi and so hat off to him . overall and this movie be about 99 % accurate to the real thing so you can not get any good than that folk . gladiator . fall of the roman empire . spartacus . caligula . none of these movie match up to this miniseries which be not afraid to tell the fact of the first five emperor while augustus and tiberius and caligula and claudius and and nero . don not even think about pass this one on this be a must see and who care if it take 11 hour of your time it just like any other tv show on a dvd pack and but good .