When this film (entire series) is viewed by any student of history or for that matter, anyone " wishing to see Rome, . . .as it truly was " will hardly be surpassed for enjoyment. The story told here is that of the first five emperors of Ancient Rome. Brian Blessed plays Augustus and is very accepted as the benevolent dictator. Siân Phillips plays Livia, his scheming wife. George Baker is Tiberius, who waited too long to become emperor and was despised during his tenure. John Hurt plays Caligula who garnered more praise for his role than nearly everyone else. Christopher Biggins plays the fiddle playing Nero. James Faulkner is Herod Agrippa, the jovial friend from the East. His was a particularly sympathetic soul and friend of Claudius. But it is Derek Jacobi as Claudius who tells the tale of his family and does such a fantastic job, that this series has created such a high plateau, he may never surpass it. An excellent series which should also establish for itself the crown of Classic. *****