It's 43 AD. The Romans have tried tried to conquer Britannia once before, and failed. Now the Romans have returned and a battle of powerful personalities (fuelled by secrets, tribal rivalries and more than a few hallucinogenic drugs) is about to unfold, with the future of the land at stake.
When General Aulus Plautius (David Morrissey), tasked by the Emperor Claudius to conquer the land of Britannia, arrives, he has to contend not only with the local Celts, but an army that doesn't want to be there. The Celts themselves are divided. The Cantii, led by King Pellenor (Ian McDiarmid) are embroiled in a fierce war with the Regni, led by Queen Antedia (Zoe Wanamaker).
Here's a guide to who's who, and the stellar cast playing them.
Aulus Plautius - David Morrissey
This is not the David Morrissey you know from his endearingly fumbling father in Daddy Issues. Instead, think of his role as the ruthless Governor, Philip Blake, in The Walking Dead, with a dose of the charisma he’s brought to an impressive range of screen and stage characters, including his BAFTA-nominated role as politician Gordon Brown in The Deal and his acclaimed turn as policeman Ian St Clair in the critically acclaimed crime drama Sherwood.
Fearless, ruthless, perceptive, and shrewd, Aulus is one of the greatest Generals to have commanded a Roman legion. He’s been charged by Emperor Claudius to conquer Britannia. However, instead of attempting to crush the island’s tribes by sheer force, his methods are more meticulous. He is particularly skilled at turning foes against each other, earning the trust of those who might otherwise be his enemy, and then disposing of them if they have outlived their usefulness to him.
With utter belief in his own strength, Aulus has kept one thing from even those closest to him. He believes the Druids hold the secrets to the universe, and may be the key to his own personal agenda, one that goes beyond Rome.
King Pellanor - Ian McDiarmid
King of the Cantii, Pellanor’s conviction in the ancient ways is total, which may be why he sees Rome’s arrival on Britannia as an affront in and of itself. Believing, for all their words, they will go the same way as Julius Caesar, he is more preoccupied by the ongoing war in the hated Regni tribe, and the troubles within his own family – primarily surrounding his unruly daughter Kerra. Perhaps his defining trait is his unswerving faith in the Druids, believing them to be vessels of the divine. Whatever their demand, Pellanor will obey. No matter what the sacrifice may be.
Ian McDiarmid’s career has had a strong stage focus but he’s also known for playing the Emperor Palatine in several Star Wars films.
Kerra - Kelly Reilly
Daughter of King Pellenor, Kerra is as skilled a warrior as any other member of the Cantii tribe, but her headstrong nature has fed the bitter animosity between the Cantii and Regni, and, afraid of incurring even more of the gods’ anger, her father treats her like a prisoner in her own home. She loves her father, but is trapped by his convictions and unswerving faith. She has hated those that he reveres – the Druids – ever since they cast judgement upon her mother, sentencing her to be flayed alive as she and her father watched. More than anything she dreams of a life free from the shackles of both her tribe and the gods. But destiny has more in mind for Kerra, and she will discover that the fate of her people will be placed squarely in her hands.
English actress Kelly Reilly has built an impressive international career, with roles ranging from the 2012 film Flight, opposite Denzil Washington, to the fierce Beth Dutton in drama series Yellowstone and recently, appearing in TV series Under Salt Marsh.
Veran - Mackenzie Crook
Veran is an enigma. It is claimed he is 10,000 years old and was the second man placed on the planet. He is said to know the secrets of both this world and the next. But there is one thing the tribes believe that gives him and his Druids immense power: he speaks for the gods. This has made his word law, and given the Druids the status to command both the Cantii and Regni, even as they fight among themselves. We may never know if Veran truly communes with the divine, but his status and uncanny powers of precognition have made him the most powerful man on the island – although there are those who would gladly see his demise. As Rome sets foot on Britannia, Veran welcomes it in his own unique fashion. Could he sense opportunity with this new arrival, or merely his own amusement?
Versatile British actor Mackenzie Crook has brought his experience as a stand-up comedian to a series of quirky roles, from Gareth Keenan in The Office to Ragetti in two Pirates of the Caribbean movies, and he’s impressively off-the-wall here, radiating ‘unhinged Druid’ and physically unrecognisable in a role that took up to five hours a day in make-up and prosthetics. It doesn’t stop there – when the series moves into season two he plays TWO characters.
Queen Antedia - Zoë Wanamaker
It is said that hatred is more reliable than trust. And no one hates like Antedia, Queen of the Regni. She is as fierce and unforgiving as anyone you could ever meet, and she will never, ever forget a slight. The Regni and Cantii borders have been a scene of bloodshed for an age, but things intensified after a failed attempt to unite the warring factions. By edict of the Druids, Antedia was forced to see her son and only heir Gildas wed to the Cantii princess Kerra. Their union was extremely short-lived, and prematurely cut Antedia’s bloodline short. Humiliated and betrayed by both the Cantii and the gods, Antedia has been seeking her revenge ever since. And with the arrival of Rome, she may finally have the means to get it.
An actress with an impressive screen and stage career, including two Laurence Olivier awards, Wanamaker has been seen in everything from Prime Suspect and My Family to Doctor Who.
Cait - Eleanor Worthington-Cox
A young Cantii, Cait is soon to be initiated into womanhood in her village’s Solstice Eve ceremony. However, before the rite-of-passage can be completed, Roman soldiers attack the settlement, setting her home ablaze, killing her sister and leaving her “betwixt”, stuck in a limbo-like space where she is neither a girl nor a woman. With everything she has come to know and love gone and not knowing if she will ever find safety again, she is forced to draw on reserves of mental and physical strength she never knew she had in order to survive. However, there is far more to Cait than meets the eye. No one, least of all herself, could have fully predicted the importance she will go on to have for her tribe, the Druids, Rome and the future of Britannia itself.
After winning an Olivier award at the age of 10 for playing the title role in Matilda the Musical, her onscreen appearances have included children’s period drama series Hetty Feather and horror flick Gwen.
Divis - Nikolaj Lie Kaas
Fans of Nordic Noir classic The Killing, or the original Danish films that inspired Netflix’s Successful Dept. Q series might recognise Danish actor Nikolaj Lie Kaas, albeit here playing a bearded, stumbling outcast. Once a Druid, Divis has fallen out of favour and is now a loner living off the land. Callous, shambolic, self-serving, and with his sanity questionable, the neighbouring tribes keep him at arm’s length – exactly what he wants. But on the fateful Solstice Eve that brings Rome to Britannia, Divis has a vision. One that makes clear the Roman army is not merely a construct of flesh and steel, but a living incarnation of the Earth demon Lokka, who has come to lay waste upon the land. Seeing himself as the only one who can stop this, Divis sets forth on his own personal mission, only to be reluctantly saddled with an often antagonistic companion, Cait.
You can also catch Nikolaj Lie Kaas at SBS On Demand in 3 seasons of Danish series Face to Face, and powerful climate-change drama Families Like Ours.
Phelan - Julian Rhind-Tutt
Son to Pellanor, Phelan is the de facto heir to the Cantii throne and his right-hand man. More strategic and rational than his wrathful father, he attempts to add more diplomacy to his father’s leadership. However, in Cantii terms this has done nothing for his own standing, and many in the tribe see him as a weak proposition for the Cantii throne. This outrages his wife, Amena, whose only attraction to Phelan is her own path to the crown, and whose attempts to lead his ambition have thus far led to nothing. As a result their marriage is an unhappy affair, with Amena emasculating him at any opportunity – not that he’d give her the satisfaction of knowing she gets to him. The arrival of Ania, a Regni captive, finally injects a little adventure into his life.
Wondering if you’ve seen that face before? Rhind-Tutt has appeared in smaller roles in high-profile projects including Notting Hill, Lara Croft: Tomb Raider and Silent Witness and is best-known for playing a doctor in comedy series Green Wing.
Amena - Annabel Scholey
Amena is the wife of both Phelan and Lindon, and queen-in- waiting for the Cantii throne. The crown is all that matters to her – everything else is a means to an end. While she seems supportive of those within the royal circle, many are wise to her ambition, and are aware she will manipulate and exploit others to meet her own goals. Even knowing this, one would be foolish to underestimate Amena. She is a born survivor, quick to adapt and very resourceful in adversity. Moreover, there is nothing she will not do to get what she wants.
Annabel Scholey’s early career included hit series Being Human. More recently, she’s been seen in compelling drama The Sixth Commandment, legal drama series The Split and doco-drama The Salisbury Poisonings.
Lindon - Stanley Weber
Son of a Gallic chieftain, Lindon was married to Amena by decree of the Druids to strengthen the bond between the two nations. Lindon has not been among the Cantii for long, but already has a reputation as one of the tribe’s greatest assets on the battlefield. He is a fierce warrior, masculine and powerful, putting him in direct contrast with Phelan – a fact that Amena delights in rubbing in Phelan’s face. Lindon is not blind to Amena’s ambition, nor her cruelty, and dislikes her, only continuing to perform his role as her husband out of loyalty to the tribe. He forms a more spiritual bond with Kerra, and longs for a time when the two of them could be together away from the yoke of the tribe and the Druids.
French-born actor Stanley Weber’s CV includes TV series Outlander, Drops of God and The Head.
Lucius - Hugo Speer
Aulus’s prefectus (second in command), he has been at the general’s side for a long time. He is a strict commander, bordering on cruel, and will not suffer any indignation against him or his men. Upon landing in Britannia, his faith in Aulus begins to be shaken by his long-time friend’s fixation with the strange ways of the Druids and their beliefs that sit so uncomfortably with his own. As time draws on, and as he and his men grow increasingly fearful of the cursed land they have been sent to, Lucius senses his leader is drifting away, and slipping into secrecy. It is a conflict of loyalties that weighs heavy on Lucius’s mind.
Hugo Speer first found fame in The Full Monty, and has since been seen in Bleak House, Echo Beach, Bedlam, The Muskateers, Father Brown and Shadow and Bone.
Vitus - Gershwyn Eustache Jnr
Vitus is a legionaire who at first swears he would follow Aulus into hell. But Aulus’ merciless pursuit of Cait and his first meeting with Cait herself disturbs him. Then, in season two, when high from drinking mushroom-spiked water, Vitus is reminded of his past trauma. Vitus is from Kush, which had several run-ins with the Romans. Some outlying areas of Kush held out against the Romans and some rural Kushites continued to try and make Roman lives difficult. Vitus’ whole family was murdered when the Romans launched a counter-raid into the countryside during this time of tension. Vitus was the only survivor.
English actor Gershwyn Eustache has also been seen in TV series including Andor, A Spy Among Friends and Get Millie Black.
Sawyer - Barry Ward
Father to Cait, Sawyer’s life is turned upside down on the day the Romans ransack his village. He is taken as a slave by the invaders, and his defiance does not go unpunished. As he suffers hardship upon hardship, it is Cait who takes it upon herself to care for her father and pull him through. It’s through this that Sawyer is able to recognise the strength that has grown within his daughter, and how through her, there may still be hope.
Irish actor Barry Ward has a long CV including an award-winning role in the 2020 film Dating Amber, and more recently appeared in TV series including Bad Sisters and Trespasses.
Hemple - Sophie Okonedo
Season three sees the impressive talent of Academy Award nominee Sophie Okonedo joining the cast. We’ll avoid spoilers, but let’s just say Hemple has played a key role in Aulus’s life, and brings tension and drama with her when she comes to find Aulus in Britannia, with a entourage of dangerous characters in tow (including two dogs and an owl!).
Along with her Oscar nomination for Hotel Rwanda, Okonedo’s impressive career more recently includes TV series The Wheel of Time and Slow Horses.
This article includes information provided by Sky UK.
Britannia seasons 1-3 are now streaming at SBS On Demand.
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