Britannia (TV series)
Britannia is a historical fantasy drama[4] television show. It was created by Jez Butterworth and Tom Butterworth.[5] The show was the first co-production between Sky and Amazon Prime Video and stars Kelly Reilly, David Morrissey, Zoë Wanamaker, Mackenzie Crook, Nikolaj Lie Kaas, and Eleanor Worthington Cox.[6] It first aired on Sky Atlantic in the UK beginning 18 January 2018 and on Amazon Prime Video in the US beginning 26 January 2018.[3] The first series aired on Epix beginning 2 August 2020.[7]
| Britannia | |
|---|---|
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| Genre | |
| Created by |
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| Starring | |
| Opening theme |
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| Composer | Neil Davidge |
| Country of origin |
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| Original languages |
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| No. of series | 2 |
| No. of episodes | 19 (list of episodes) |
| Production | |
| Executive producers |
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| Producer | Rick McCallum[1] |
| Production locations |
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| Running time | 40 - 73 minutes |
| Production companies |
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| Distributor | NBCUniversal Global Distribution[2] Sky Vision[3] (previously) |
| Release | |
| Original network | UK and Ireland:
US:
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| Original release | 18 January 2018 – present |
| External links | |
| Website | |
Synopsis
"Britannia" is set in A.D. 43, when the Romans invaded Britain led by General Aulus Plautius, who is determined to succeed where Julius Caesar failed and conquer this mythical land on the very end of the Roman Empire, through any means necessary. Young Cait of the Cantii tribe loses her family in the resulting invasion and finds an unlikely protector in Divis "The Outcast"; a former druid and apparent madman sent into exile by Veran, leader of the Druids in Britannia. Meanwhile Kerra, daughter of the Cantii King, must find a way to protect her people not only from the returning Romans but also the Regni, who look to seize on the new opportunity to defeat their long-standing rivals.
Cast and characters
Romans
- David Morrissey as Aulus Plautius
- Fortunato Cerlino as Vespasian (Series 1)
- Hugo Speer as Lucius
- Daniel Caltagirone as Brutus (Series 1, guest Series 2)
- Aaron Pierre as Antonius (Series 1)
- Zaqi Ismail as Philo (Series 1, guest Series 2)
- Gershwyn Eustache Jnr as Vitus
- René Zagger as Decimus (Series 1)
- Gerard Monaco as Roman Deserter 2 (Series 1)
- Steve Pemberton as Emperor Claudius (Series 2)
Cantii
- Kelly Reilly as Kerra (Series 1)
- Ian McDiarmid as King Pellenor (Series 1)
- Julian Rhind-Tutt as Phelan
- Annabel Scholey as Amena
- Samantha Colley as Andra (Series 2)
- Barry Ward as Sawyer (Series 1, guest Series 2)
- Callie Cooke as Islene (Series 1)
- Eleanor Worthington Cox as Cait
Regni
- Zoë Wanamaker as Queen Antedia (Series 1, guest Series 2)
- Joe Armstrong as Gildas (Series 1)
- Liana Cornell as Ania
Druids
- Mackenzie Crook as Veran and Harka
- Gianni Calchetti as Rork Druid and Moss Face
- Jodie McNee as Willa
- Jack Roth as Ossian (Series 1)
- David Bradley as Quane[8]
- Abigail Rice as Elder 1
- Peter Hosking as Elder 2 (Recurring)
Other
- Nikolaj Lie Kaas as Divis / The Outcast
- Stanley Weber as Lindon of the Gauls (Series 1)
- Gary Oliver as Jhehutamisu (Guest)
- Tolga Safer as Aziz (Guest)
- Laura Donnelly as Hella
- Liran Nathan as Crucified Man (Guest)
Episodes
Series overview
| Series | Episodes | Originally aired | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| First aired | Last aired | ||||
| 1 | 9 | 18 January 2018 | 15 March 2018 | ||
| 2 | 10 | 7 November 2019 | |||
Series 1 (2018)
| No. overall | No. in series | Title | Directed by | Written by | Original air date | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1 | "Woe to the Vanquished" | Metin Hüseyin | Jez Butterworth and Tom Butterworth | 18 January 2018 | |
| In 43AD, a nation is rocked by the arrival of an Empire. | ||||||
| 2 | 2 | "Secret Alliances" | Sue Tully | Tom Butterworth | 25 January 2018 | |
| Having marked Rome's arrival with blood, Aulus sends envoys to parley with the tribes of Britannia, while also looking to learn more about the Druids. | ||||||
| 3 | 3 | "Honor and Betrayals" | Sue Tully | Jez Butterworth and Richard McBrien | 1 February 2018 | |
| Aulus is reborn, but his destiny remains unclear. Cait is able to locate her father, but she can't free him from the Roman camp alone. | ||||||
| 4 | 4 | "Judgment of the Gods" | Luke Watson | Tom Butterworth | 8 February 2018 | |
| King Pellanor disowns Kerra and leaves her life in the hands of the Druids. But the gods' judgement is not what he expected. | ||||||
| 5 | 5 | "Tractations" | Luke Watson | Jez Butterworth | 15 February 2018 | |
| The gods have spoken, but Kerra must decide if she will accept their ruling. Antedia seals an alliance with Rome - on one condition. | ||||||
| 6 | 6 | "The Chosen One" | Sheree Folkson | Tom Butterworth | 22 February 2018 | |
| After their long ordeal, Cait and her father finally arrive at the safety of the Cantii citadel, but a demon is on her trail. | ||||||
| 7 | 7 | "Alone in the World" | Sheree Folkson | Jez Butterworth | 1 March 2018 | |
| Cait and her father seek shelter in the ruins of their old home, where she is visited by someone she never expected to see again. | ||||||
| 8 | 8 | "Initiation" | Christoph Schrewe | Jez Butterworth | 8 March 2018 | |
| The battle of wills between Kerra and Antedia intensifies, as the Regni play their trump card. Aulus enlists deadly exiles to find Cait. | ||||||
| 9 | 9 | "Pax Romana" | Christoph Schrewe | Tom Butterworth | 15 March 2018 | |
| The end appears to be close for the Cantii, as Aulus unveils how the Roman Empire truly conducts business. | ||||||
Series 2 (2019)
| No. overall | No. in series | Title | Directed by | Written by | Original air date [9][10] | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10 | 1 | "Imperial Visit" | Luke Watson | Tom Butterworth | 7 November 2019 | |
| Two years after the invasion, a dead man awakens who could spell the end of everything. | ||||||
| 11 | 2 | "May the Gods Speak" | Luke Watson | Jez Butterworth | 7 November 2019 | |
| The Dead Man sends Hella on a mission. Phelan's new life comes crashing down and Rork's suspicions about Veran lead him into a duel. | ||||||
| 12 | 3 | "Genesis" | Luke Watson | Tom Butterworth | 7 November 2019 | |
| Veran gives Ania a terrible choice. Harka brings Phelan under his spell and the next stage of Cait and Divis's prophecy begins. | ||||||
| 13 | 4 | "Dark Game" | Rob Savage | Jez Butterworth | 7 November 2019 | |
| Hella makes Aulus an offer she knows he cannot resist. Phelan fulfils his mission and Cait and Divis' dreams spell new danger. | ||||||
| 14 | 5 | "My Sister, the Queen" | Rob Savage | Tom Butterworth | 7 November 2019 | |
| A dream causes tension between Cait and Divis. Harka sends Love on a heart-breaking mission and Veran commits the ultimate betrayal. | ||||||
| 15 | 6 | "The Eagle's Arms" | Rob Savage | John Henry Butterworth | 7 November 2019 | |
| Philo and Brutus play a prank, but their timing could not be worse. Harka sends Veran a message. Contains very strong language. | ||||||
| 16 | 7 | "Alliance of Dark Forces" | Lisa James Larsson | John Henry Butterworth | 7 November 2019 | |
| Vitus returns with a message for Aulus. Ania is placed in an impossible situation and The Traveller tracks down Lucius. | ||||||
| 17 | 8 | "A Painful Truth" | Lisa James Larsson | Tom Butterworth | 7 November 2019 | |
| Aulus outrages Domitius with a confession and Andra discovers the truth about her family. Divis tries to use his powers on Love. | ||||||
| 18 | 9 | "The Crossroads" | Issa López | Jez Butterworth | 7 November 2019 | |
| Divis gets one last chance to prove himself. Meanwhile, Cait's newfound happiness is cut short as Phelan tries to right his wrongs. | ||||||
| 19 | 10 | "The Challenge" | Issa López | Tom Butterworth | 7 November 2019 | |
| Veran and Harka face each other in a challenge only one of them can survive. Cait is forced to face her destiny. | ||||||
Series 3
| No. overall | No. in series | Title | Directed by | Written by | Original air date |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 20 | 1 | "TBA" | TBA | TBA | TBA |
Production
The first series was produced by Rick McCallum, Vertigo Films and Neal Street Productions and shot on location in Czech Republic and Wales.[11] Most dialogue in the series is spoken in English, which is used mostly to represent Vulgar Latin spoken by the Romans and Brythonic spoken by the Celts. Latin and Welsh are also used to represent Vulgar Latin and Brythonic, respectively.
In March 2018, it was announced that Sky Atlantic had renewed the show for a second series.[12] Amazon was not involved in production and did not stream the second season.[13]
The show was renewed for a third series in January 2020.[13] In June 2020, U.S. premium network Epix announced it would partner with Sky to produce the third series. It would also air the first series beginning August 2, 2020, and the second series beginning October 4, 2020.[7] Filming of the third series was shut down in March 2020 due to the Coronavirus pandemic,[14] and resumed in September 2020.[15][16]
Reception
| Season | Critical response | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Rotten Tomatoes | Metacritic | ||
| 1 | 71% (21 reviews) | 64 (5 reviews) | |
| 2 | 100% (6 reviews) | TBD (0 reviews) | |
The first season received positive reviews. The review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes reported a 71% approval rating, with an average rating of 6.57/10 based on 21 reviews, with site's critics consensus saying "Brilliantly bonkers, Britannia's duplicitous characters and campy fantasy won't be for everyone, but those looking for less-serious swords and sorcery may enjoy its spellbinding madness".[17] On Metacritic, which uses a weighted average, it scored 64 out of 100, based on five reviews, indicating "generally favorable reviews".[18] The series premiered to over 1 million viewers according to BARB, but the final episode finished with only 159,000 viewers, a drop of around 90%.
References
- Tartaglione, Nancy (3 August 2016). "Sky & Amazon To Rule 'Britannia'; Jez Butterworth Penning Event Period Drama". Deadline.com. Archived from the original on 15 November 2020. Retrieved 17 April 2020.
- "Anarchic drama Britannia lands on EPIX (Sky Group)". CompanyNewsHQ. 30 June 2020. Archived from the original on 15 November 2020. Retrieved 4 August 2020.
- Ritman, Alex (3 August 2016). "Sky, Amazon Team on Roman Invasion Drama 'Britannia'". The Hollywood Reporter. Archived from the original on 15 November 2020. Retrieved 17 April 2020.
- Grebey, James (17 January 2018). "'Britannia' Looks Likes Like 'Game of Thrones,' But Proudly Dumb". Inverse. Archived from the original on 18 February 2018. Retrieved 18 February 2018.
- "Britannia: Jez Butterworth talks his first major foray into TV, druids and Brexit". Gerard Gilbert. The Independent. Archived from the original on 15 November 2020. Retrieved 1 May 2020.
- Barraclough, Leo (3 August 2016). "Amazon, Sky Team on Jez Butterworth's 'Britannia,' Starring Kelly Reilly". Variety.
- White, Peter (29 June 2020). "Epix Boards Sky Historical Drama 'Britannia', Will Co-Produce Season 3, Air Seasons 1 & 2". Deadline. Archived from the original on 22 July 2020. Retrieved 15 July 2020.
- Mariola, Tay (29 January 2018). "Crítica | Britannia – Primeira Temporada (Amazon)". Volts. Archived from the original on 2 February 2018. Retrieved 1 February 2018.
Há até uma participação especial de ninguém menos que David Bradley, O Walter Frey de Game of Thrones.
- "Britannia – Listings". Next Episode. Archived from the original on 15 November 2020. Retrieved 2 July 2019.
- Jeffery, Morgan (13 October 2019). "Britannia season 2 reveals striking new cast pictures – with Mackenzie Crook as TWO characters". Radio Times. Archived from the original on 15 November 2020. Retrieved 4 November 2019.
- Harrison, Ellie (18 April 2018). "Where is Britannia filmed?". Radio Times. Retrieved 11 February 2020.
- McLennan, Cindy (16 March 2018). "Britannia: Season Two; British Historical Fantasy Series Renewed". TV Series Finale. Archived from the original on 17 May 2020. Retrieved 29 March 2018.
- White, Peter (15 January 2020). "Britannia'Britannia' Renewed For Third Season By Sky Atlantic As Amazon Exits Fantasy Drama". Deadline. Archived from the original on 15 November 2020. Retrieved 12 July 2020.
- Kanter, Jake (17 March 2020). "'Britannia': Sky's Historical Drama Shuts Down Over Coronavirus". Deadline. Archived from the original on 23 March 2020. Retrieved 27 October 2020.
- "And we're back!". Twitter. @Britannia_TV. 1 September 2020. Archived from the original on 15 November 2020. Retrieved 27 October 2020.
- "Geograph:: Filming props at side of track © Phillip Williams". www.geograph.org.uk. Archived from the original on 15 November 2020. Retrieved 27 October 2020.
- "Britannia: Season 1". Rotten Tomatoes. Flixster. Archived from the original on 15 November 2020. Retrieved 29 June 2018.
- "Britannia: Season 1". Metacritic. CBS Interactive. Archived from the original on 15 November 2020. Retrieved 29 June 2018.