I, Claudius

By: Robert Graves

Narrated by: Derek Jacobi, Full Cast, Tom Goodman-Hill

A BBC Radio 4 full-cast dramatisation of Robert Graves' brilliant account of the madness and debauchery of ancient Rome, starring Tom Goodman Hill as Claudius and Derek Jacobi as Augustus. The wickedly entertaining inside story of the lives and deaths of the Imperial dynasty from Augustus to Caligula is told by their obscure relation, Claudius. In public, Claudius is a stammering, drooling weakling, whose reputation as an idiot keeps him safe from office and assassination. But in private, he's as sharp as they come, and keeps a secret history of everything he discovers. Until one day, as one of the few of his family left alive, he's acclaimed Emperor against his will. Can he save Rome from the corruption he's grown to detest? Featuring Derek Jacobi (who won a BAFTA for his performance as Claudius in the acclaimed 1977 BBC television production) as Augustus, and with an all-star cast, this gripping dramatisation will enthral anyone who loves the decadence of Ancient Rome.

Excellent

I loved the original TV drama when it first aired, & this version is equally excellent.

If you loved the TV series, you'll also love this.

The voice of Claudius is not Derek Jacobi, but that's of no concern, because he sounds very similar and his stuttering skill is identical. You might even be surprised to learn it's not Jacobi's voice. You will feel comfortable and happy about the Claudius voice. Derek Jacobi himself does a short stint in the story as Augustus, and does not sound like Claudius from the show, but like Augustus (go figure). Some things are a little different than the show but in an interesting way. That is, they add info to the situations that made me think these bits of info were supposed to be part of the show but were cut. Anyway, the facts work nicely into the facts from the show. The music was fitting and the cast superb; it was just a good time revisiting our old friend Claudius from the series.

Masterpiece

What made the experience of listening to I, Claudius (Dramatised) the most enjoyable?

Unbeatable recording. Every nuance of the language and affliction is audible and extremely well executed. A completely immersing ride.

There are times, when I didn't want the traffic to clear.

Great Audio Theater

As a fan of both the book and the classic BBC TV miniseries starring Derek Jacobi, I couldn't resist trying out this audio drama version of I, Claudius--especially as it stars some of the great British theater actors, including Jacobi as Augustus, and it recently won an Audie Award for full cast recordings.

What a great piece of audio theater it was! I was so drawn into the story, the characters, and the life of the early Roman Empire that I literally couldn't stop listening. (Since I normally listen as I walk, this was also quite good for my figure!) You find you don't miss the visual element at all--each character is clearly separate and your imagination paints the scene. Great story, great acting--who could ask for more?

Not quite the mini-series but still brilliant

I was a huge fan of the BBC mini-series and couldn't help comparing this to that. While there were, naturally, a lot of similar moments, there were also a ton of differences. Specific moments I loved from the mini-series just don't appear here, while there are scenes and characters from the audiobook that are completely absent from the mini-series. One big difference is that Herod plays a much smaller role here than he did on screen. He is still part of the story, but appears far less often and is much less important. Still, the audiobook was great in it's own right and it was a pleasure listening to Derek Jacobi playing Augustus. I will definitely listen to this again.