Andrew Weale

As an archaeologist and not currently living under a rock, I thought I would see what all the bother was about. Wow, just Wow. I could go the same route as my colleagues have done and point out in detail how much and where this is totally wrong, but I won’t. I will tell you how this show can be somewhat saved. Can the documentary label in the title and just call it a Historical Drama, getting rid of the very bad talking head bits. No one will call you a racist with a historical drama tag and you can include all the modern day politics into it you want. It would not be a problem, Egypt won’t care with the overt American Racist politics, and it would be fine. After all they don’t care about any other fictional portrayal of Cleopatra, whether it is done by a European Actor, African, Chinese, Russian or Brazilian, all of which have been done and not one figs were given, as they can tell the difference between what is called fiction and what is called fact. Unlike the producers and Director of this show. Then of course we would be left with a Historical Drama, which is badly written, badly acted, with bad sets and bad costumes, overtly modern set pieces and overall terrible. Writing 0 out of 10, acting 1 out of 10, sets 2 out of 10. Costumes 1 out of 10 (yes they are really that bad). Cinematography a solid 5.5 out of 10, lighting 5 out of 10, sound however 4 out of 10. None of these technical points however can save this as a Historical Drama as it is just awful, you even end up rooting for Octavian just to finish it all off, blimey what a bummer when he becomes the Hero of the Hour (or 4) and this appalling drama comes to its death.