I, Claudius

Livia, wife of the Emperor Augustus, is determined to see her son from an earlier marriage, Tiberius, succeed Augustus, but she must first remove the emperor's first choice as heir, his son-in-law, Marcellus. / Livia has poisoned Agrippa and Tiberius is being forced to divorce his wife Vipsania to marry Julia. / Whilst Tiberius in exile derives some comfort from hearing of the mysterious death of Gaius, Antonia confesses to Julia her disappointment in Claudius.

Germannicus has joined Tiberius in the Germanian campaign, to avenge the Roman legion slaughtered at the Battle of the Teutoburg Forest. / Germannicus returns from Germania in triumph and he and Claudius catch up on family news - Claudius now has a son but is not enjoying married life. / Tiberius, aided by Sejanus, is proving to be a harsh ruler with only Germannicus able to keep him under control. However, whilst he is in Syria Germannicus is mysteriously poisoned.

Tiberius embarks on a series of acts of debauchery, having sex with anybody he pleases, with Caligula a willing participant. / Sejanus divorces his wife in order to marry Livilla but Tiberius refuses permission and suggests that he marries Livilla's daughter Helen instead, which so enrages Livilla that she poisons Helen. / Tiberius summons Caligula and his cousin Gemellus to Capri, declaring them his joint successors. / Caligula has not only made his horse a senator but has turned the palace into a brothel, selling off senators and their wives for sex.

Claudius accepts the crown and spares all the conspirators except Cassius for killing Caligula's wife and family. / Whilst Claudius is invading Britain, Messalina is challenging the prostitute Scylla to see who can take the most partners. / AD 54: Claudius feels that Rome should return to be a Republic but nonetheless marries his niece Agripinilla and makes her son Nero co-heir with his own, teen-aged son Britannicus.