Spartacus: Blood and Sand

Spartacus: Blood and Sand is an historical drama made by the US channel Starz. Do not be fooled by the phrase 'historical drama' - there are no bonnets here! The main aim of Spartacus, as far as anyone can tell, is to throw as much fake blood and boobies at the screen as possible (leading to its common name among fans, Spartacus: Blood and Tits). The violence is the graphic novel/cartoon style of blood-heavy ultraviolence used in 300, so although it's not for the squeamish, it's so excessive and so self-consiously artistic that a former wimp like me can take it quite well.

In amongst all this gore and goop are genuinely fascinating, likeable or hateable, human characters and moving, if gross, stories. The show can be surprisngly historically accurate in unexpected ways (only Spartacus would show us the realistic workings of a Roman toilet) and the overall plot is loosely based on some actual history, so there's always a kernal of truth among the mayhem, however small. The brainchild of Buffy writer Steven DeKnight, it's full of deliberate humour as well as the more dubious pleasure of wondering what on earth made anyone think of that. Watch with friends and maybe some alcohol.

Sadly, the lead role of Spartacus had to be re-cast for Season 2 following the return of late star Andy Whitfield's cancer. While waiting for a verdict on Whitfield's health, the producers came up with the prequel series Spartacus: Gods of the Arena, which has all the qualities of its parent show, though it can take its characters misfortunes a little more seriously in places. The best thing about it is we get to see more of Lucy Lawless' Lucretia and John Hannah's Batiatus, the series' most colourful and entertaining characters.

Season One
1.01 The Red Serpent
1.02 Sacramentum Gladiatorum
1.03 Legends
1.04 The Thing in the Pit
1.05 Shadow Games
1.06 Delicate Things
1.07 Great and Unfortunate Things
1.08 Mark of the Brotherhood
1.09 Whore
1.10 Party Favours
1.11 Old Wounds
1.12 Revelations
1.13 Kill Them All

Season Two (Spartacus: Vengeance)
2.01 Fugitivus
2.02 A Place in This World
2.03 The Greater Good
2.04 Empty Hands
2.05 Libertus
2.06 Chosen Path
2.07 Sacramentum
2.08 Balance
2.09 Monsters
2.10 Wrath of the Gods

Season Three (Spartacus: War of the Damned)
3.01 Enemies of Rome
3.02 Wolves at the Gate
3.03 Men of Honour
3.04 Decimation
3.05 Blood Brothers
3.06 Spoils of War
3.07 Mors Indecepta
3.08 Separate Paths
3.09 The Dead and the Dying
3.10 Victory

Prequel Series Spartacus: Gods of the Arena
0/5.01 Past Transgressions
0/5.02 Missio
0/5.03 Paterfamilias
0/5.4 Beneath the Mask
0/5.5 Reckoning
0/5.6 The Bitter End