I, Claudius 40th Anniversary: A God in Colchester

Episode 12: A God in Colchester
Original Broadcast Date: November 29, 1976 US: January 22, 1978)
Studio BBC/London Film Productions Ltd.
Producer Martin Lisemore
Director Herbert Wise
Writer Jack Pulman (Based on the novel Claudius the God by Robert Graves)
Starring Derek Jacobi, Sheila White, Bernard Hill, Bernard Hepton, John Cater, Moria Redmond, the voice of James Faulkner, Jo Rowbottom
Guest starring: Nicolas Amer as Mnester, Charlotte Howard as Scylla, George Innes as Quintus Justus, Manning Wilson as Marsus Vibius, and Stuart Wilson as Silius

44 AD As Caesar Claudius stretches Roman control in Great Britain, he is set by betrayal by his unfaithful wife, and his remaining friend.

Death in this episode: Herod: multiple afflictions; Messalina: beheaded

Memorable quotes:
"Permit me to introduce myself. My name is Mnester, I'm an actor. Most people have heard of me." –Mnester
"My name is Scylla, and I'm a whore. Everybody's heard of me." -Scylla

"The difference between you and me, actor, is you're a snob and I'm not. And the difference between this great lady and myself is that my work is her hobby. My hobby happens to be gardening, for which I don't expect to be paid." -Scylla

“Let us begin. Which side of the bed do you prefer? Left or right?” –Messalina
“Lady, give me a support for my back, and let the games begin as they say!” -Scylla

"What am I to do?" -Quintus Justus
"What can a dead man do? Go and get buried." –Pallas

“Victory has conceded thee. The Queen is dead. Long live the Queen!” –Mnester
“Come back whore! We aren’t finished!” –Messalina
“She’s inhuman. Her insides must be made out of old army boots…Amateur!” -Scylla

“A Roman triumph is seldom granted, but they granted one to me. Me, Claudius the Idiot, the Stammerer, the Fool. But what life gives with one hand, it takes back with the other. I would have gladly forgotten my triumphs but for the tragedies about to unfold.” -Claudius

“Before he[Silius] knew it, he was comforting her[Messalina]. Before he realized it, he was making love to her. He was as much her abject slave as I was.” -Claudius

“Marmoset, I am dying. My body is full of maggots. Forgive me, forgive your old friend who loved you dearly, but tried to take the East away from you. I have failed. I have played too dangerous a game. Little Marmoset, you are a fool but I envy you your folly. Do not weep for me. My punishment is just. I have offended the only living god. Farewell my friend, whom I loved more truly than you supposed. Farewell Marmoset my school fellow, and trust no one. No one. Your dying friend. Herod Agrippa.” -Herod's last letter
“I was alone. For the first time in my life, I was alone. They were all gone now, those friends off my youth: Germanicus, Postumus, Castor, Herod. There was no one now I can turn to except Messalina.” -Claudius

"Where is he? Where is my husband?" –Messalina
"He doesn't wish to see you." –Narcissus
"Out of my way, Greek! You dare stand between me and my husband?" -Messalina
"Which husband, you whore! Which one?" -Narcissus

“What do you want?” –Messalina
“Your life, lady. Your husband’s orders.” –Guard
“No. He wouldn’t do that. My husband wouldn’t do that.” -Messalina
“Read it. It has his signature. I am to offer you the dagger first if you have it. Then to cut off your pretty head and put it on a spear.” –Guard
“No! No! Not my head! Not my head!” –Messalina
“Child! My child. Your life is done. Take the dagger and use it!” –Domitia
“No. Don’t let them take my head… No. No. He wouldn’t do that. Not Claudius.” -Messalina
“Use it. Use it quickly!” –Domitia
“I can’t. I can’t. No! Not my head! Not my..." -Messalina

Trivia:
-Around this time, Messalina influenced Claudius to execute his sister's daughter Helen and his brother's daughter Livilla/Lesbia for treason.
-Claudius’ account that he started the histories around this time conflicts with the time-setting of Episode 1. There he was paranoid about assassination attempts, hardly the calm atmosphere he felt in this episode. Perhaps he was writing about Julius Caesar, Marc Antony, and Cleopatra?
-This episode has the longest time span: four years.
-The importance of Bethlehem being the birthplace of the Messiah is based on the words of the Prophet Micah: “But thou O Bethlehem, though you are lowest of all places, from you shall come forth for me one who is to be ruler of all Israel.”
-Joshua Ben Joseph is actually the Hebrew name of Jesus. The account of being the son of a soldier is based on anti-Christian Roman propaganda.
-Herod Agrippa’s persecution of the Apostles and horrible death are known to Christians in The Acts of the Apostles part of the New Testament.
-Marsus Vibius’ line about Jesus’ parentage, ‘a greek soldier was supposed to have seduced his mother’, was deemed too blasphemous for American Television and excised by WGBH-TV. The station also cut an overhead shot of Messalina and Silius making love, as well as bits exposing the former’s breasts.​