David Farnor | On 28, Nov 2017

While it may seem a little soon to talk about Christmas, Sky has just given us one very good reason to already be talking about January: Britannia, its new original series from Jez Butterworth

The epic drama follows the Roman army as they return to crush the Celtic heart of Britannia. A land where mystical Druids run free, invincible Celts reign unopposed and invading Romans try to bring them into line. Set in 43AD, it charts the reluctant rise to power of Kerra (Kelly Reilly), the daughter of the King of the Cantii (Ian McDiarmid), and her arch-rival, Queen Antedia (Zoe Wanamaker), who are forced to put their differences aside when the Romans invade Britannia. Meanwhile, rogue Druid Divis (Nikolaj Lie Kaas), the only one who foresaw the Roman invasion, finds an unlikely ally in 12-year-old Cantii girl Cait (Eleanor Worthington-Cox) in his quest to defeat Rome. The Romans are led by General Aulus Plautius (David Morrissey), who is determined to succeed where Julius Caesar failed and conquer this mythical land at the far edge of the Roman Empire.

Butterworth is reason enough to tune in alone, following his work on the stage, which includes Jerusalem and The Ferryman. The chance to see him turn his hand to a Game of Thrones-style project, then, is one to relish in the New Year, especially with a cast including Kelly Reilly, David Morrissey, Zoë Wanamaker and Mackenzie Crook.

All episodes of Britannia will be available Thursday 18th January on Sky Atlantic and NOW, which costs £8.99 a month, no contract. Sign up to the latter before 30th November and you can get two months for the price of one. Here’s a trailer:

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