The Borgias

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The Borgias is a British television drama serial produced by the BBC in 1981.

A historical series, The Borgias was set in Italy during the 15th century and told the tale of Rodrigo Borgia (played by Adolfo Celi) - the future Pope Alexander VI - and his family, including his son Cesare (Oliver Cotton) and daughter Lucrezia (Anne Louise Lambert).

What was intended to be a gripping historical melodrama in the same vein as the previous BBC series, I, Claudius, soon became an object of utter derision as the series was an outright critical failure. The BBC screened the series at the same time as ITV's lavish Brideshead Revisited with critics contrasting the high production values and stellar cast of 'Brideshead' with The Borgias studio bound production and frequent graphic violence and nudity. The Sicilian-born actor Adolfo Celi is said to have had much difficulty with his lines,and his thickly-accented English was possibly the most derided aspect of the production. It is one of the few failures in the career of Mark Shivas, its producer.