The American cable network HBO, in conjunction with British broadcaster BBC2, is planning to produce a mini-series based on Robert Graves' "I, Claudius" novels, after recently acquiring the filming rights.

In 1976 the BBC produced a 13-episode series called "I, Claudius" which starred actors such as Derek Jacobi, Patrick Stewart, Sian Phillips, Brian Blessed and John Hurt. The popular series provided a dramatic account of the power struggles, depravity and treachery behind the doors of imperial Rome's ruling class.

This time, instead of basing the new mini-series on material from the original television production, the two networks plan to use two of Graves