The Cleopatras (1983)

Genre

historical drama

Country

United Kingdom

Length

1 season, 8 episodes

Rating

3.8 of 10 from 4 voters

Elsewhere

IMDb

How it feels

This is a BBC historical drama set in ancient Egypt during the later Ptolemaic dynasty. It focuses on the various queens named Cleopatra and their reigns. The series was intended as a serious epic but ended up feeling more like a farce.

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What happens

The Cleopatras is a 1983 BBC Television eight-part historical drama serial. Written by Philip Mackie, it is set in Ancient Egypt during the latter part of the Ptolemaic Dynasty with an emphasis on the Cleopatras. Intended to be the I, Claudius of the 1980s, The Cleopatras met with a decidedly mixed critical reaction, and was regarded and portrayed as a gaudy farce. It also produced a number of complaints due to scenes of nudity. The title and incidental music was written and composed by Nick Bicât. In January 1983 a 7" vinyl was released to tie in with the original broadcast. Although the show has never been rebroadcast or released on DVD, clips were featured in a 2015 BBC documentary about how Cleopatra VII has been depicted and presented in film and on television. (from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA)

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• Cleopatra
• Ancient Egyptians (2003)