According to his memoirs, Ronnie Barker was originally offered the role of Claudius.
The series spans 77 years, from 23 BC to 54 AD.
Humourously referred to as "I, Clavdivs" because the title sequence followed the Roman convention of using a letter "v" to stand for either a "u" or a "v".
The final installment, "Old King Log," contains a pun on the names of both the screenwriter and the author of the 'Claudius' novels. Before his vision in the Senate where he sees the ghosts of his past, Claudius mysteriously declares "The man who dwells by the pool shall open graves and the dead will live again." This plays on Jack Pulman, the screenwriter; and Robert Graves, the novelist.
The series was filmed over a period of 6 months in a BBC studio. Charlton Heston was one consideration for the title role, but because of the extent of the shoot and Heston's US residency, the idea was abandoned.