General Aulus Plautius and his second-in-command, Lucius are determined to succeed where Julius Caesar failed, by any means necessary. An experienced warrior, Aulus establishes a fortified camp, gathers information from captives, even children, and learns that the Druids are the driving force behind the many tribes he faces. He determines that "you don't conquer the people, you must conquer their gods." He meets the Druids and undertakes a vision quest. Soon, he is talking aloud to Lokka, a demon king.
Young Cait of the Cantii tribe is about to take part in a ceremony to mark her becoming an adult woman when the Romans attack and largely destroy her tribe. She is forced to flee and wanders the forest, where she encounters and attaches herself to an unlikely protector, Divis "The Outcast".
Divis is a Druid with some mystical powers—divination, hypnosis, visions—but seems mad and has been driven into exile by Veran, leader of the Druids in Britannia. Divis roams the countryside seeking clues to the meaning of his apocalyptic visions, and believes he is on some kind of mysterious "mission".
Kerra, a princess as the daughter of the Cantii King Pellenor, frets for her people's safety. The Cantii are in a perpetual feud with the Regni, a powerful and large tribe. The Cantii's only protection is an impregnable natural fortress formed from granite. Yet, King Pellenor makes no preparations to resist the Romans, other than relying on vague hints from the Druids to set policy. Kerra's brother, Phelan, appears weak. Kerra ambitiously takes her own steps to address the Roman threat, calling for a parley and venturing into Regni territory. Her actions enrage her father, who sends her to be judged by the Druids, and possibly flayed alive, as happened to her mother.
In the maelstrom of confusion and fear caused by the invasion, Romans and Britons ally with, and betray, each other as the Romans consolidate their position and disaster looms.
Divis gets one last chance to prove himself. Meanwhile, Cait's newfound happiness is cut short as Phelan tries to right his wrongs.
19
10
"The Challenge"
Issa López
Tom Butterworth
2 January 2020 (2020-01-02)
Veran and Harka face each other in a challenge only one of them can survive. Cait is forced to face her destiny.
Series 3 (2021)
Note: Every episode was available in the United Kingdom by download from Sky "catch up" following the first episode satellite broadcast. Episodes 2 to 8 premiered on Sky Atlantic in Germany.
In Rome, Aulus makes a sacrifice to the cult of Lokka; back in Britannia, Aulus tries to negotiate with the Druids before he receives a visitor; Cait has a bone to pick with Veran.
21
2
"The Moon Tree"
Ben Gregor
Tom Butterworth & Jez Butterworth
26 August 2021 (2021-08-26)
Antedia escapes from cruel captivity and Cait runs from a brief encounter with Lucius at a Roman Road Building Camp; Hemple and her Acolytes are now established in Aulus's Villa.
22
3
"War Chest"
Ben Gregor
Tom Butterworth & Jez Butterworth
5 September 2021 (2021-09-05)
Cait and Antedia team up on the road whilst Divis struggles to cope with a novice Druid and new arrivals in camp; Aulus visits the Underworld and Cait witnesses Antedia's vengeful nature.
23
4
"The Big Vision"
Joasia Goldyn
Jez Butterworth
5 September 2021 (2021-09-05)
Cait and Antedia stay together after running from more trouble; Amena and Willa appear to set a trap for Aulus and Hemple; Veran gathers the Druids and Cait selects companions for a journey.
24
5
"Hemple's Machinations"
Joasia Goldyn
Tom Butterworth
9 September 2021 (2021-09-09)
Cait and her companions go in search of Lucius and the Spear of the Silver Dawn; Aulus takes a cohort in search of the same prize; Hemple is left behind at the Villa and approaches Willa for help.
Cait and her team's rescue mission to free Lucius is thwarted by Aulus who gets there first; Veran seeks to destroy and mounts a devastating and unexpected attack on Aulus's Villa.
26
7
"The Viaduct"
Joasia Goldyn
Tom Butterworth
16 September 2021 (2021-09-16)
Amena and Hemple follow in Aulus's footsteps; Cait and her band find a snake trap in the form of a huge Roman Aqueduct where they plan an attack; Aulus interrogates Lucius about the spear.
27
8
"Vae Victis"
Mackenzie Crook
Tom Butterworth & Jez Butterworth
16 September 2021 (2021-09-16)
Aulus takes Lucius & a few survivors to a remote fortress where he is joined by Amena & Hemple; Cait finds her way to the fort and Antedia launches an attack with a firestorm, as Divis & others arrive.
Production
The first series was produced by Rick McCallum, Vertigo Films and Neal Street Productions and shot on location in Czech Republic and Wales.[13] Most dialogue in the series is spoken in English, which is used mostly to represent Vulgar Latin spoken by the Romans and Brythonic spoken by the Celts. Latin and Welsh (with English subtitles) are also used to represent both ancient languages, respectively,[citation needed] particularly in rituals and other scenes with formulaic language.
In March 2018, it was announced that Sky Atlantic had renewed the show for a second series.[14] Amazon was not involved in production and did not stream the second season.[15]
The show was renewed for a third series in January 2020.[15] In June 2020, U.S. premium network Epix announced it would partner with Sky to produce the third series. It would also air the first series beginning August 2, 2020, and the second series beginning October 4, 2020.[7] Filming of the third series was shut down in March 2020 due to the Coronavirus pandemic,[16] and resumed in September 2020.[17][18]
Season 2 began streaming on Amazon Prime in June 2021.[19]
Lawsuit
In 2024, Deadline reported that British writer Benjamin Crushcov filed suit against Sky and the series' executive producers, claiming that Britannia was based on his spec project Tribus, and seeking damages (approx. $8.5 million) as well as a public apology. In a statement, Sky denied the allegations.[20]
Reception
This section needs expansion. You can help by adding to it. (February 2018)
The first season received positive reviews. The review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes reported a 76% approval rating, with an average rating of 6.54/10 based on 37 reviews, with site's critics consensus saying:
"Brilliantly bonkers, Britannia's duplicitous characters and campy fantasy won't be for everyone, but those looking for less-serious swords and sorcery may enjoy its spellbinding madness."[21]
On Metacritic, which uses a weighted average, the first season scored 70 out of 100, based on eight reviews, indicating "generally favorable reviews".[22]
^Mariola, Tay (29 January 2018). "Crítica | Britannia – Primeira Temporada (Amazon)". Volts. Archived from the original on 2 February 2018. Retrieved 1 February 2018. Há até uma participação especial de ninguém menos que David Bradley, O Walter Frey de Game of Thrones.
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