When Julius Caesar landed on Britain’s shores in 55 BCE, he took one look at the crazy-eyed Celts and turned around and went home. At least that’s what hit new series Britannia would have you believe. Set 90 years after Caesar (who is, incidentally, the cover star of our latest issue), the show follows another invasion of Blighty, led by Aulus Plautius (David Morrissey), a rock-star Roman general who acts like he owns the place.
The epic drama also stars chariot-riding warrior queen Antedia (Zoë Wanamaker), who’s caught up in tribal conflict. On the periphery, Mackenzie Crook stars as a cadaverous Druid shaman channeling the mysterious forces of the Underworld. Can the Celts unite to resist the might of the Roman army once more? While the story bears as much resemblance to the actual Roman invasion of Britain as Game of Thrones does to the War of the Roses, the first series is a thrilling romp nonetheless. Creator Jez Butterworth throws in psychedelic drugs, mysticism, folk horror (the Romans were the first to claim the Brits built ‘wicker men’, after all) and a surprising amount of humour to produce a strange brew that’s like nothing else.
Thanks to Sony Pictures Home Entertainment, we have five boxsets of Britannia series one on Blu-ray to give away. One lucky overall winner will win a boxset and one year’s family membership to English Heritage, which will give you access to over 400 historic monuments across ancient Albion.
The competition closes 26 April 2018.