Roman's Empire
| Roman's Empire | |
|---|---|
| Genre | Comedy |
| Created by | Harry Williams Jack Williams |
| Starring |
Mathew Horne Neil Dudgeon Montserrat Lombard Sarah Solemani Scarlett Rose Patterson Carla Mendonça Chris O'Dowd Nicholas Burns Morwenna Banks |
| Country of origin | United Kingdom |
| Original language(s) | English |
| No. of series | 1 |
| No. of episodes | 6 (list of episodes) |
| Production | |
| Executive producer(s) | Sophie Clarke-Jervoise |
| Producer(s) | Ben Cavey |
| Running time | 30 minutes |
| Production company(s) | Tiger Aspect Productions |
| Distributor | Endemol UK |
| Release | |
| Original network | BBC Two |
| Picture format | PAL (576i) |
| Original release | 12 April – 17 May 2007 |
| External links | |
| Website | |
Roman's Empire was a British television comedy show starring Mathew Horne, Neil Dudgeon, Chris O'Dowd, Montserrat Lombard and Sarah Solemani. Written by brothers Harry and Jack Williams (sons of writer Nigel Williams) as their TV writing debut, the programme's first episode was shown on BBC Two on 12 April 2007.
The programme centres around Leo, the ex-boyfriend of businessman Roman Pretty's middle daughter Nikki, who still works and lives with the family. Nikki's new boyfriend, Seb, has a shady past, which Leo tries to reveal to the Pretty family but usually ends up making himself look a fool. His best mate Jase is married to the eldest sister, Jenny, and is constantly attempting to get away from her and their new-born daughter.
After a complaint from Roman in a restaurant, Japanese chef Mr Hokkasawa loses his job. He had sworn that he would never use his sword again but later takes the job of the Pretty family gardener. Mr Hokkasawa is always plotting against Roman, but falls for his youngest daughter Kelly. All the characters live in a large house owned by Roman, which is where the majority of the story is set.
The obvious Roman references can be seen throughout the series, most notably with the family "forum" and the lack of a male heir for the empire. There is also an incestuous undercurrent, though this seems to be due to the close-knit nature of the family. There is, however, one reference to Roman's whole-body massages.
The family is not averse to nudity, with Nikki declaring she will go to the Squid premiere naked in response to Leo's comment about clothing (Roman following suit), and Seb's infamous Wang Shapes.
Although apparently a shrewd (and morally corrupt) business man, Roman seems to lack certain common sense, and this is reflected on his insistence about the non-existence of geography, most notably Romania (the name for his theme park as inspired by Jase's scribbled escape plan) and later Rio de Janeiro (or Rio, as a combined Roman/Leo empire).
Mr Hokkasawa was sacked from his job as a waiter in Yuki's Japanese restaurant at Roman's insistence (due to Nikki's unfounded accusations of Mr Hokkasawa looking at her legs, which are under the tablecloth). From this point on Mr Hokkasawa plots his revenge, taking up his samurai vows once again, and finding employment as the Pretty gardener. His initial plot of luring Roman to his death in the potting shed (now redecorated as a Japanese house) fails as it is Kelly who is drawn by the sprinklers. Mr Hokkasawa is stuck by her beauty and decides it would be dishonourable to kill Roman and take his daughter as a wife. This becomes a running joke, as each time Mr Hokkasawa is tempted to kill Roman he is also reminded of his love for Kelly.
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