Romans, Celts and druids in epic period fantasy Britannia

In 55 BC, Julius Caesar invaded Britannia. He turned his armies around and went straight home. Nine decades later, the Romans are back.

But this is a land of magic and curses, and the fearless soldiers of the mighty Roman army are right to be afraid. 

The first two seasons of the epic, bloody and unexpectedly irreverent period fantasy Britannia are now available to stream first on Showmax. 

Britannia has an 87% critics rating on Rotten Tomatoes, where it’s described as “brilliantly bonkers.” 

A tale as old as time

It’s 43 AD, and the Roman Army – determined and terrified in equal measure – returns to crush the Celtic heart of Britannia, a mysterious land ruled by warrior women and powerful druids who can channel the forces of the underworld. Or so they say.

The story follows two enemies: Kerra, the rebellious daughter of the King of the Cantii, and her ruthless arch-rival, Queen Antedia, leader of the Regni, who are forced to unite against the invading Roman army, led by General Aulus Plautius. 

The cast includes BAFTA winner Mackenzie Crook (Gareth in The Office) as the druid Veran; Royal Television Society winner David Morrissey (The Governor in The Walking Dead) as Aulus Plautius; BAFTA nominee Zoë Wanamaker (Prime Suspect, Harry Potter, My Family) as Queen Antedia; and Empire Award winner Kelly Reilly (Mrs Henderson Presents, Pride & Prejudice, Flight) as Kerra. Multi-award-winning Danish actor Nikolaj Lie Kaas (Mathias Borch in The Killing) and BAFTA nominee Eleanor Worthington-Cox (Aurora in Maleficent) also feature. 

Britannia is created by writer-producers Jez Butterworth (Saturn and Hugo Award nominee for Edge of Tomorrow and co-writer of the 2020 Oscar winner Ford v Ferrari), and Tom Butterworth (Fortitude). The series’ exec producers include Oscar winner Sam Mendes (1917, Skyfall, American Beauty) and Oscar nominee and BAFTA winner Pippa Harris (1917, Call the Midwife).

Jez says it all started with one idea: “What must it feel like when you have a whole pantheon of gods of your own and someone shows up with a whole new set?”

“43 AD was pretty brutal,” says commanding comedian and star Zoë Wanamaker. “The whole of England was split up into tribes, constantly at war with each other.”

But rather than rehashing the epic historical fantasy mores we’ve seen before (and up against Game of Thrones and Vikings), the creators set out to give the show a modern feel, and made the choice to shoot for “a rock n’ roll spirit, rather than a classical spirit”, says co-creator and exec producer James Richardson (Monsters), complete with “offensive humour, without the kind of po-facedness of a classic period show.”

“I get very tired of counterfeit versions of arcane [jargon],” says Jez. “The idea that because we’re set in the past, we’ll just address each other in a slightly odd register, and that will somehow impart some kind of authenticity… well that’s just nonsense, isn’t it?”

His take is a mix of epic, bloody action; strange, dark magic; and unexpected humour. 

“It’s very touching, very human, very … unseen before, very natural and very… weird. Really weird,” laughs director Christoph Schrewe (Mr. Robot, Fear The Walking Dead).

“You have these Romans, you have druids and you have Celts,” says James, “and it kind of felt to me like a Star Wars in ancient Britain.” 

But it’s a Star Wars that’s out to push fantasy fans’ buttons. “I write to make people feel things before they can think them, and before they can think to not feel them,” says Jez.

Britannia has also been described as biblical. “The scale of what we’re doing here has been breathtaking,” says actor David Morrissey. 

“The costumes were incredible, the make-up is incredible, the design, it’s mind-blowing, and the locations – every time you arrive at a new location it literally takes your breath away,” says Annabel Scholey (Harry Potter’s Ginny Weasley), who plays Amena.

On location – not in Britain

The series was filmed in the Czech Republic. “You are out there in the country, an hour away from Prague. You drive through a little forest in a bus, and suddenly you come out and you see this massive historical monument,”  Cristoph says.

“They built me a Stonehenge,” head-druid Mackenzie Crook marvels. “A full size Stonehenge out here in the Czech Republic, which they built to align with the sun as it set on the day that we were filming, as if it were the solstice.”

“When I was standing up there, on the top of Stonehenge, if I looked this way, I could see the camera crew. Everywhere else, I could have been 2000 years ago. There was nothing to connect me to the 21st century. If that’s not time travel, I don’t know what is.”

Times UK says Britannia “is weird and druggy and at times howling mad” but also “rather funny. It definitely won’t be everyone’s cup of tea, but it is a bit of a riot. You might not expect that of something that has extreme violence as its meat.”

Or as The Telegraph puts it, “This may be the new drama Game of Thrones fans have been waiting for.”