Plebs (2013) [Season 1, Episode 1]
The Orgy
Shown 25 Mar 13
This is a sitcom set in Ancient Rome, circa 27 BCE.
The protagonist, Marcus Phillipus Valerius Gallo (Tom Rosenthal -
), lives with his flatmate Stylax Rufus Eurisces (Joel Fry -
Our Flag Means Death
) and his slave Grumio (Ryan Sampson -
).
The Landlord (Karl Theobald -
Primeval
) moves Romano-British wannabe actress Cynthia Cogidubna (
Sophie Colquhoun
) and her slave Metella (
Lydia Rose Bewley
) into the apartment next door.
Marcus and Stylax work in the office of Rome's second-largest grain importer.
Most of the show's storylines concern their Thirdspace -
what they do in their off hours.
Plebs (2013) [Season 1, Episode 2]
The Gladiator
Shown 25 Mar 13
After an embarrassing encounter at the public baths,
Marcus discovers that Cassius (Danny Dyer -
The Last Seven (2010)
) the Gladiator is dating Cynthia Cogidubna (
Sophie Colquhoun
). The good news is that the guys can hang out at the coliseum.
Landlord (Karl Theobald -
Primeval
) is getting rich off the games as well.
He is selling tickets,
and probably taking bets on the side.
After all, he has the contacts to fix the games.
Of course, this is the Hollywood version of the games.
Every gladiator is muscular,
and every fight is to the death.
Plebs (2013) [Season 1, Episode 3]
The Erotic Vase
Shown 01 Apr 13
It is Grumio's birthday.
Stylax (Joel Fry -
Our Flag Means Death
) buys him an erotic vase,
and one of the female figures in the orgy scene
looks like Cynthia Cogidubna (
Sophie Colquhoun
).
Marcus wants to impress Cynthia,
so he offer's to be Grumio's slave for the day.
This kind of thing is accepted at Saturnalia,
although everyone seems to think Marcus invented the idea.
Stylax's cousin is in town.
She is just like him in many ways,
so little surprise that they are hooking up
for no-strings-attached sex.
Strangely, the others seem disgusted by this.
Plebs (2013) [Season 1, Episode 4]
The Herpes Cat
Shown 08 Apr 13
The city was overrun by a plague of rats,
so the Emperor ordered the release of a lot of stray cats.
Cynthia adopts one of the cats,
and Marcus ends up looking after it.
Stylax (Joel Fry -
Our Flag Means Death
) contracts herpes, so he visits the apothecary.
He develops an attraction to Nurse Beatrix (
Janice Byrne
), and makes excuses to visit her again.
Grumio buys a lottery ticket from Landlord (Karl Theobald -
Primeval
). Of course, it goes missing.
Plebs (2013) [Season 1, Episode 5]
Bananae
Shown 15 Apr 13
Plebs (2013) [Season 1, Episode 6]
Saturnalia
Shown 22 Apr 13
Plebs (2013) [Season 2, Episode 1]
The Chariot
Shown 22 Sep 14
Stylax (Joel Fry -
Our Flag Means Death
) wins some money betting on a chariot race at the Circus Maximus,
and invests his winnings in some charioteer clothes.
He still cannot afford a chariot, so he just pretends he has one.
Marcus befriends Amanda (
Lauren Socha
), a new tenant in the building.
Unfortunately Marcus takes a long time to work out
what the Landlord (Karl Theobald -
Primeval
) already told Grumio about Amanda's profession.
To pay the rent, she charges 100 denarii per hour.
Marcus treats her to a new Spanish restuarant
where the menu includes Patatas Bravas ...
even though the potato is from the as-yet-undiscovered New World.
Flavia (
Doon Mackichan
) sends Stylax to collect her lunchbox from her home.
It turns out her husband Cornelius (Neil Stuke -
) has a naked nymphette running around the villa.
Is this something that Stylax can use to blackmail Cornelius into giving him a chariot?
Or is Flavia married to a sculptor who has a live model?
Plebs (2013) [Season 2, Episode 2]
The Best Men
Shown 22 Sep 14
Stylax (Joel Fry -
Our Flag Means Death
) takes driving lessons for his new chariot.
Meanwhile Grumio just sits around,
noticing that Landlord (Karl Theobald -
Primeval
) has a new side-business as a drug-dealer.
When the Centurions arrive to search the place,
Grumio gets landed with the drugs.
Aurelius (Tom Basden -
) is having an arranged marriage,
so he gets the lads to organise him a batchelor party.
Marcus takes the stags on a ghost-themed tour of the city's famous spots.
Stylax takes them to the Kitten Club,
a bar/casino where Cynthia works as a waitress.
Balbus the driving instructor (Shaun Williamson -
) takes them to the Wall of Glory,
where there is a row of glory holes that only cost a single coin to use.
Is it really a bunch of hot girls hidden behind it,
or just a bunch of toothless old horrors?
After all, Amanda charges 100 denarii an hour.
It is really irrelevant, because as the saying goes, a mouth is a mouth!
Plebs (2013) [Season 2, Episode 3]
The Baby
Shown 29 Sep 14
The Landlord (Karl Theobald -
Primeval
) explains the recycling bins to Grumio.
The bad news is, Grumio does not care and just dumps the rubbish willy nilly.
The worse news is, he finds an abandoned baby in the rubbish tip.
Grumio wants to keep the baby, because he himself was a foundling.
Stylax (Joel Fry -
Our Flag Means Death
) agrees, so he can get with a large-breasted wet-nurse.
The alternative is to donate the baby to the local shelter,
which is overpopulated and full of kids who will end up in the arena.
Flavia (
Doon Mackichan
) agrees to give Stylax a couple of weeks of parental leave.
His temporary replacement is a brazier.
Unfortunately, this helps Flavia realise
that her workplace is expensive because it is labour-intensive.
She decides to replace the fan-men with windows
and the water-boy with a table.
Cynthia has decided to kick-start her acting career
by doing a one-woman stage show.
She re-enacts the Illiad ...
from the perspective of the Wooden Horse of Troy.
Marcus pretends to be keen to see it,
and Metella helpfully gives him a free ticket.
Davus, the landlord's new henchman,
has a wife and wants to add a baby to the family.
Plebs (2013) [Season 2, Episode 4]
The Patron
Shown 06 Oct 14
Stylax (Joel Fry -
Our Flag Means Death
) is befriended by Gaius Maecenas (James Fleet -
), an older man that he meets in a public toilet.
The older man offers to pay for Stylax's training as a charioteer,
claiming he wants to enter him ... in a chariot race.
Grumio gets sick, probably from eating an apple he found in the public latrine.
The doctor offers to sell them some medicine - for 200 denarii.
That is enough for two hours with Amanda!
Cynthia offers to help Marcus stand vigil in the name of the Goddess Hygea.
Of course, Marcus picks the latter option.
Landlord (Karl Theobald -
Primeval
) has a couple more money-making schemes.
He sells a life-insurance policy to Grumio,
who pays for the installments by adding them onto the rent.
And if a tenant dies without paying the rest of their rent,
the landlord just sells the body to the pig-farmers.
Plebs (2013) [Season 2, Episode 5]
The New Slave
Shown 13 Oct 14
The plebs are walking home from the market,
and spot Agorix (David Schneider -
28 Days Later
) holding a slave auction.
Stylax (Joel Fry -
Our Flag Means Death
) decides to buy one, and ends up with Mushki (Tim Key -
) for eighty denarii.
Things start well with the new slave.
He puts Grumio to shame, making the old slave jealous and insecure.
Grumio wanders off, hoping to get stolen by slave-nappers.
Mushki is very keen at his work. Too keen, perhaps.
He is a great chef, and like all chefs he detests condiments.
Stylax loves salt, and Metella loves tomato sauce.
This will not end well.
It is Flavia's birthday,
so she gets the workers to have a whip-round and buy her a gift.
Aurelius (Tom Basden -
) decides to splash out, and pays forty denarii.
Plebs (2013) [Season 2, Episode 6]
The Candidate
Shown 20 Oct 14
Cynthia's career as an actress has taken a new twist.
She has signed herself and Metella up as professional clappers,
padding out the crowds of enthusiatic fans of candidates
in the forthcoming election of the district's Tribune.
Yes, this is the latest in a series of ancient gig-economy temp jobs
she has taken up while waiting for success in her acting career.
Her candidate is Victor (Simon Callow -
Outlander
), a man in a bad wig who wants to ban public urination,
gambling, whoring and extramarital sex.
Marcus gets a job looking after Victor's wig,
and takes the opportunity to suggest a few progressive policies.
The main one is a rent freeze.
Unfortunately the Landlord (Karl Theobald -
Primeval
) is not happy about this.
He will go beyond bribery and corruption,
and even resort to political assassination.
Plebs (2013) [Season 2, Episode 7]
The Statue AKA The Phallus
Shown 27 Oct 14
The guys run into Fabianus Meridius Attica,
who they went to school with.
Now he is a flashy young lawyer and calls himself Fab,
but Marcus remembers his nickname - Flabby Anus.
In all fairness,
Marcus was the one who gave him the nickname.
Fab seems to have gotten over it,
but Marcus is less than happy to have to hang out with him.
Stylax (Joel Fry -
Our Flag Means Death
) hooks up with Cordelia (
Poppy Drayton
), a girl he met in school.
Unfortunately he gets a bad case of erectile dysfunction,
so he spends the rest of the episode looking for a cure.
Grumio accidentally severs the Phallus from a Statue,
after which the episode is entitled.
He tries to hide it,
and in doing so he discovers where the Landlord (Karl Theobald -
Primeval
) is hiding.
It turns out the Centurions are after him -
well, since the events of the previous episode
it was inevitable there would be some backlash.
Plebs (2013) [Season 2, Episode 8]
The Race
Shown 03 Nov 14
Cynthia and Metella will be deported from Rome in five days time,
unless they either pay a three thousand denarii fine
or obtain a work permit from a reputable company.
There is more chance of Stylax (Joel Fry -
Our Flag Means Death
) winning his first chariot race ...
Landlord (Karl Theobald -
Primeval
) is now in a high security prison,
so he gets Davus to send Grumio to visit him
by means of the sewage pipe.
Flavia (
Doon Mackichan
) offers to get Cynthia a work permit.
However, in exchange she wants the lads
to beat up her cheating husband Cornelius (Neil Stuke -
).
Marcus has to say goodbye to Metella and Cynthia.
Plebs (2013) [Season 3, Episode 1]
The Beasts
Shown 04 Apr 16
Stylax (Joel Fry -
Our Flag Means Death
) wants to watch the public executions,
which have people get ripped apart in the arena by wild beasts.
He has Atilla (
Lolly Adefope
) put him on the overflow list.
He even makes a deal with Flavia (
Doon Mackichan
), agreeing to remove the abandoned belongings of her runaway husband
in exchange for access to her box.
Marcus chooses a new love interest - Delphine (
Bella Dayne
), one of a group of Gaulish animal-rights protesters
who object to the executions because they exploit the beasts.
To impress her, and to avoid the naked protest, he gets arrested.
The level of fines are: 25 Denarii for shoplifting,
50 Denarii for punching a Centurion,
and 300 Denarii for soliciting without a licence.
Ironically, the beast shows need extra victims for public execution ...
With the Landlord (Karl Theobald -
Primeval
) on the run for the last year, his mother the Landlady (
Maureen Lipman
) is now in charge.
Grumio tries to save the goat, incurring the Landlady's wrath.
Plebs (2013) [Season 3, Episode 2]
Justin Junior
Shown 04 Apr 16
At the arena, the beast shows have been replaced with Womens' beach volleyball.
Aurelius (Tom Basden -
) gets to be the ball-boy. Well, ball-man.
On their way home they meet Justin Corvenus, who claims to be Grumio's father.
He tries to buy himself some forgiveness,
so treats the lads to a night at the boxing match
and the all-you-can-eat buffet.
How long will it take before he abandons his son again?
Marcus brings his love interest, Delphine (
Bella Dayne
). It is only a matter of time before she dumps him.
The only question is what will be the cause?
She is unhappy at the news that Grumio is a slave.
Also, her ex-boyfriend Gregory the cheesemaker is hanging around.
Stylax meets a new love interest of his own - Camilla (
Ingrid Oliver
). She is a professional athlete who consumes lots of bull-powder.
It is made of powdered bull testes,
so probably works as the equivalent of anabolic steroids.
This will not end well for Stylax.
Plebs (2013) [Season 3, Episode 3]
The Vestal
Shown 11 Apr 16
Marcus is visited by his parents.
He tries to stop them meeting his love interest, Delphine (
Bella Dayne
), so he can avoid the embarrassment.
Grumio discovers that mouldy cheese tastes good.
He makes a deal with Delphine's ex, the Gaulish cheesemaker.
It seems that laziness may become lucrative.
Stylax (Joel Fry -
Our Flag Means Death
) sets his sights on a vestal virgin named Ursula (
Michelle Keegan
). Of course, he is the only one in Rome
who does not know the penalty for deflowering one of them.
Landlord (Karl Theobald -
Primeval
) sets up a posse to hunt down the perps
and collect the reward money.
Plebs (2013) [Season 3, Episode 4]
The Cupid
Shown 18 Apr 16
Iona Rufina (
Miriam Margoles
), the famous actress/writer/director/producer,
casts Grumio in her new theatre play - The Bastard king.
She offers to pay him 95 Denarii, but Marcus talks her up to 100.
Stylax gets hired as the lead actor's understudy.
To start with, he just copies the pretentious actor's flambuoyant style.
Just like in the previous Season,
which he spent pretending to be a charioteer.
Now he has to learn to be a real actor
if he wants to get the groupies.
Marcus brings his love interest, Delphine (
Bella Dayne
), to meet her idol Iona.
Unfortunately Iona tries to drive a wedge between the couple.
Worse, her stalling tactics induce Grumio to find a new agent
- Landlord (Karl Theobald -
Primeval
).
Plebs (2013) [Season 3, Episode 5]
The Crimewave
Shown 25 Apr 16
The trio get mugged,
and Marcus is once again humiliated
in front of his love interest Delphine (
Bella Dayne
). They take a military self-defence class,
run by Hector (Ricky Champ -
) - who keeps boasting about being in the Third Legion.
Flavia (
Doon Mackichan
) announces a new security measure at the office,
and personally frisks all the attractive men.
Stylax gets frisked repeatedly, while Aurelius (Tom Basden -
) is offended at being left out.
However, the men decide to sue Flavia for compensation,
alleging that she sexually harrassed them in the workplace.
Grumio has a new girlfriend. Agatha (
Gwyneth Keyworth
) keeps feeding him massive cakes,
as if she is trying to fatten him up.
Luckily her ex-boyfriend Maximus (Ricky Grover -
Zapped
), formerly the Chief Centurion of the Third Legion,
is back in town doing private security work.
Plebs (2013) [Season 3, Episode 6]
Jugball
Shown 02 May 16
The lads meet the new work-experience boy, Ramases (Nathan Clarke),
who prefers to be called Rambo.
He lends Grumio his father's charge-card
which gives him credit at the Emporium, the local department store.
Of course, Grumio decides to over-indulge.
Somehow he manages to eat fifteen thousand denarii worth of caviar.
It turns out that Flavia is not the owner,
she is just middle-management.
Rambo's father Ptolemy (Tamer Hassan -
) owns the grain company ...
as well as a marble quarry, a vineyard and a shipping company.
Now Rambo is the owner ...
Marcus gets appointed as Flavia's replacement.
His love interest Delphine (
Bella Dayne
), ever the political protestor,
wants him to lower the price of grain.
Rambo is obsessed with jugball,
an indoor sport that Stylax invented
by throwing things into Aurelius' jug.
He turns the main office space into a sports venue,
hires a team of cheerleaders,
and ties Aurelius to a post holding a golden jug.
As a result, Marcus has to start firing the workers to cut costs.
Soon there are TWO protests outside the office building.
Plebs (2013) [Season 3, Episode 7]
The New Master
Shown 09 May 16
Grumio accidentally injurs another slave.
The other owner gives Marcus a choice -
either he pays compensation of two hundred denarii per day
until the slave's broken arm is healed,
or he gets Grumio as a temporary replacement.
The new Master discovers that Grumio is not just lazy,
he has weaponised his incompetence to an expert degree.
This inspires Alba (
Holli Dempsey
) and the other household slaves to quiet quit.
Of course, the Master brings in the Centurions.
This leads to a climax reminiscent of
Spartacus
.
With Grumio out of the house,
Marcus moves his love interest Delphine (
Bella Dayne
) in.
After an embarrassing three-way,
Stylax ends up spending the evening at Aurelius' place.
This does not help anyone,
as Delphine turns out to be bisexual
and Marcus is still a tight-ass with regards to sex.
Plebs (2013) [Season 3, Episode 8]
The Weatherist
Shown 16 May 16
Marcus takes his love interest Delphine (
Bella Dayne
) on a romantic date in the cemetary outside the city gates.
She has a job, treading grapes for homemade wine at the Gaulish collective.
The Landlord has a new tenant, Strabo (David Bamber -
), move into the girls' old flat. As a professional weatherist,
Strabo predicts an earthquake will happen tomorrow.
Stylax takes an interest in the new receptionist, Pandora (
Beth Rylance
). She is a workaholic who attends breakfast networking events.
Even in her spare time she takes basket-weaving classes.
Grumio and Davus develop a taste for curry.
Yes, a South Asian family made it all the way to Rome
and started a restuarant there.
Anyway, Grumio decides to help himself to the spiciest thing on the menu.
Plebs (2013) [Season 4, Episode 1]
The Accident
Shown 09 Apr 18
The bad news is that Stylax (Joel Fry -
Our Flag Means Death
) gets written out of the show.
It turns out that the actor did not want to be stuck
in a historical comedy. Ironic ...
The good news is that the workman responsible,
Jason Brindisi (Jonathan Pointing), needs a place to stay.
Well, it is either him or Aurelius.
The team try to blackmail Crassus (Robert Lindsay -
), the corrupt property magnate responsible for the accident.
Yes, this is a different take on the real-life person
who also served as the main antagonist in
Spartacus: War of the Damned
.
Plebs (2013) [Season 4, Episode 2]
The Critic
Shown 09 Apr 18
The team open their bar/restuarant.
Grumio appoints himself cook,
and as an extension of his soup-naming strategy in
Plebs (2013) [Season 3, Episode 2] Justin Junior
he decides to put things into similarly-named things.
Jason starts auditioning barmaids,
in the hope he can find one who wants to sleep with him.
Luckily Aurelius is still unemployed,
so he hangs around and helps out.
Marcus is left in charge of the business side,
and gets the most powerful reviewer in Rome to visit them.
Her score will make or break their reputation.
Plebs (2013) [Season 4, Episode 3]
The Marathon
Shown 16 Apr 18
Marcus wants to impress Diana (
Rachel Parris
), a career woman who is organising a charity marathon race.
He pretends that Grumio is a differently-abled person,
which is not exactly so far from the truth,
and that Marcus is the carer.
They set up a fake charity together.
Unfortunately, Grumio decides to use this
as an opportunity to humiliate Marcus.
Jason and Aurelius have a bet on who can complete the marathon faster.
Whoever wins will become head barman.
Aurelius exercises, while Jason cheats.
Plebs (2013) [Season 4, Episode 4]
The Satirist
Shown 23 Apr 18
Marcus dates a satirist, Minerva (
Aisling Bea
). She is basically Ancient Rome's version of a stand-up comedienne.
Much like a similar episode of Dream On,
this does not end well.
The other three start a band together,
so they can pad out the bill on the venue's cabaret nights.
Aurelius is the musically talented one,
Jason is the front-man with the looks,
and Grumio is the one with the home-made maraccas.
Of course, Grumio is the one who gets the groupie.
Plebs (2013) [Season 4, Episode 5]
Lupercalia
Shown 30 Apr 18
It is the Roman festival of love, the prior version of Valentine's Day.
Gloria (
Ellie Taylor
), the neighbour, asks Marcus out for dinner.
However, he is not certain if it is a business dinner,
or if they are actually on a date.
He gets to meet her son, Barney, and her ex-husband Cyrus (Steve Oram -
).
Jason is left in charge of the bar.
His first customers are a bickering couple,
who he wants to split up so he can have the woman for himself.
The second customer is Grumio,
who treats himself to the couples menu.
Unfortunately Grumio eats the wrong dessert,
and swallows the couple's engagement ring.
Plebs (2013) [Season 4, Episode 6]
The Bath House
Shown 07 May 18
The trio visit the local posh bath house, Elysium.
The memberships are 95 denarii a month,
which is far too expensive for the plebs,
but they have vouchers for a free trial session.
Grumio points out that the session will only end when they leave,
so all they have to do is stay there indefinitely.
Jason wants to date the yoga instructor, Cleo (
Kathryn Drysdale
). Marcus just wants to have a meeting with Evander (Angus Wright -
), a millionaire who wants to invest in a local business.
He already owns a local theatre,
and wants to diversify further and capture the youth market.
The manager, Nero (Daniel Rigby), wants the three interlopers out.
He starts a battle of wits with Grumio,
and they are surprisingly evenly matched.
Plebs (2013) [Season 4, Episode 7]
The Accountant
Shown 14 May 18
The bar gets a tax bill of 5128 denarii.
Jason has been running tabs for everyone -
including Vigo the barber-surgeon,
who is paying it off in free haircuts.
Marcus can pass for Jewish,
so he goes to the temple to find a good accountant.
He finds Rebecca Shatsburg (
Ailsa Joy
), a hot girl who also has the necessary skills.
She only dates Jewish men, so he has to continue the charade.
The problem is that Marcus has not been circumcised,
and Rebecca's overprotective brother uses the same bath-house as him.
Marcus likes Rebecca enough to get circumcised for her,
but will that be enough of a sacrifice to impress her?
Grumio has to clean the bar,
and pick up all the snails that have invaded it.
He thinks that one of them is relatively fast,
so organises a snail race with the Landlord.
The illegal gambling might be a big money-spinner for them.
Except for the fact that the bar is overrun with snails
and Grumio's pet looks just like all the others.
Plebs (2013) [Season 4, Episode 8]
Beer
Shown 21 May 18
A rival bar opens across the street.
It is run by Germans, who brew a new drink named Beer.
Jason is sent to seduce the German barmaid,
who for some reason has the Greek name Stephanie.
Grumio has to drink lots of beer and guess the components.
The Germans offer to buy the toilet bar,
for which they give the insultingly low offer of eight hundred denarii.
Remember, in the previous episode the initial tax bill was over five thousand.
Landlord is nowhere to be seen.
However, his mother is around to give Marcus some useful information.
Also, Davus hangs out with Grumio and helps him drink lots of beer.
Marcus insults the local fire-fighters while they are getting water at the well.
Of course, this backfires on him in several ways.
Plebs (2013) [Season 5, Episode 1]
The Vineyard
Shown 30 Sep 19
The team take a road trip to the countryside,
hoping to cut out the middle-men in Rome
and source their wine supply straight from the vinyard.
Of course, they mess it up horribly.
Plebs (2013) [Season 5, Episode 2]
The Paedos
Shown 30 Sep 19
The laundry lady next door needs a pedagog to tutor her son Barney in history.
Since Marcus considers himself an expert, he offers to do it for free.
Barney gets Marcus to do his homework, an essay on the Second Punic War,
so the boy will be available to chase a girl.
Jason offers to tutor Barney in the art of seducing girls,
but ends up taking the girl for himself.
Since when were Roman schools co-ed?
The teacher marks the history essay as a fail,
because Marcus pointed out that Rome essentially lost the war at the battle of Canae.
The teacher calls this a wild conspiracy theory,
and points out that Carthage was deleted and the ground sown with salt.
However, this was the third Punic war,
which Rome prosecuted to get revenge for their defeat at Canae.
When Grumio tries to deliver a message to Barney at school,
the teacher assumes Grumio is one of the children.
Since the kids get a free lunch, Grumio plays along.
When he is seen punching a bully,
Grumio gets recruited to the school boxing team.
On the one hand, he is a 29-year-old man so it is not exactly a fair fight.
On the other hand, boxers get double food rations ...
Plebs (2013) [Season 5, Episode 3]
The Banquet
Shown 07 Oct 19
An invitation is sent to the wrong address, and falls into the wrong hands.
Marcus and Jason pose as the brothers Longinus,
and use the invitation to access the Senator's banquet.
Marcus wants the Senator's help
with approving a late application for a liquor licence.
Jason just wants to seduce rich beautiful women.
Someone dies under mysterious circumstances.
Grumio overheard a conversation
which means the death might be murder ...
Plebs (2013) [Season 5, Episode 4]
The Grumbrella
Shown 14 Oct 19
Grumio invents a hat that is also an umbrella,
and calls it The Grumbrella.
Plebs (2013) [Season 5, Episode 5]
The Hooligans
Shown 21 Oct 19
The lads visit the bank manager,
and ask for a business loan of 7,000 denarii.
When this inevitably falls through,
they decide to attract more customers instead.
They spend 450 denarii on official merchandise
so they can pass as members of a chariot racing-team's fan-club.
Plebs (2013) [Season 5, Episode 6]
The Dig
Shown 28 Oct 19
Professor Daedalus Grecco (Tony Robinson - Time Team) has gone missing.
Marcus, Grumio and Jason are interrogated by the police -
yes, yet another anachronism.
Anyway, Marcus narrates the story in flashback.
Yes, this has elements of the untruthful narrator.
Grumio discovered an old broach in the pub toilets.
The Professor identified it as a 700 year-old Etruscan grave-good,
part of a set of priceless works of art.
The trio decide to conduct an illegal excavation in the bar,
hopeful of finding an ancient Etruscan tomb full of treasure.
Grumio hires some digging tools from the Landlord,
who assumes it is to dispose of a body
and mentions he offers a clean-up service for 500 denarii.
The Landlady (
Maureen Lipman
) comes along and helps out.
Unfortunately, everyone forgets the basement bar is a former toilet.
The Bulgarian-accented plumber will charge 200 denarii
for replacing a damaged sewage pipe.
The biggest thing about this episode
is the revelation of the Landlord's real name.
He is ... Ambrosius Buboe!
Plebs (2013) [Season 5, Episode 7]
The New Flat
Shown 04 Nov 19
The trio are getting evicted so the Landlord can move his new girlfriend in.
Jason tries to negotiate them a new flat elsewhere.
The estate agent realises that Jason is a smooth talker,
and hires him as a salesman.
Marcus tries to persuade his parents to give him a downpayment
so he can buy a new apartment of his own.
His father wants to use the money to buy a yacht,
and Grumio takes the father's side.
His mother wants to help Marcus buy the apartment,
but only if she can move in with him.
Plebs (2013) [Season 5, Episode 8]
The Wedding
Shown 11 Nov 19
Jason's brother Darius is getting married.
Marcus offers the bar as the reception venue,
at 25% mark-up of course,
and Grumio volunteers to be the wedding planner.
Unfortunately, Darius is a serial jilter.
If the wedding gets cancelled,
the bar-owners will be seriously out of pocket on the expenses.
The cake alone is 200 denarii ... per tier!
Aurelianus is back working at the bar again,
despite being stabbed in an artery in the previous episode.
Somehow, members of the Guild of Roman Landlords
are legally entitled to conduct secular wedding ceremonies.
Well ... why not?
Marcus and Gloria the Laundress
finally get their relationship sorted out.
He may have his flaws, but he is the victim of circumstance.
She, on the other hand, has no such excuse.
Plebs (2013) [Season 5, Special]
Soldiers of Rome (84 mins)
Shown 8th December 2022
The Emperor rewards his army by letting them have apartments in Rome.
This means that Marcus and his flatmates are now homeless.
To get around this, they join the army.
Unfortunately they get sent off to invade Germany.
The ending ties up the storylines for the trio.
