Plebs is a British television series, broadcast on ITV2. It was first broadcast in March 2013, and is produced by Tom Basden, Caroline Leddy, Sam Leifer and Teddy Leifer. It stars Joel Fry, Tom Rosenthal and Ryan Sampson, who play young residents of ancient Rome. The format has been compared to The Inbetweeners and Blackadder. The first two episodes were shown on 25 March 2013.
On the 23rd August 2013, it was announced that the show had been renewed for a second series in 2014.
Plebs is described as "a thoroughly modern comedy in an ancient setting."
Rome is traditionally imagined as the home of emperors and senators, generals and gladiators, a dignified theatre of pomp and ceremony. But what about the little guys, the wasters - new to the big city, stuck in office jobs, unable to get the girls?
Plebs follows three desperate young men from the suburbs as they try to get laid, hold down jobs and climb the social ladder in the big city - a city that happens to be Ancient Rome.
The show focuses on Marcus, Stylax and their lazy slave with an attitude problem, Grumio. There's also the boys' ruthless boss, Flavia - an expert manipulator with a private life that's the stuff of legend.
Unlikely to be immortalised in the annals or memorialised in a frieze, Marcus, Stylax and Grumio are essentially just a bunch of Plebs.
And whether they're wearing togas, or skinny jeans, desperate young men in any period of history are essentially cut from the same cloth...
Series 1
1
"The Orgy"
Marcus and Stylax are pleased when two attractive young women, Cynthia (a would-be actress) and her slave Metella, move into the apartment next door. Marcus offers to show Cynthia around the city, but his attempts to form a relationship with her are ruined when he tries to invite her to an orgy. Meanwhile, Stylax arranges to attend the party with their boss, Flavia, but discovers that he is part of the entertainment.
2
"The Gladiator"
Cynthia's charming new gladiator boyfriend Cassius (Danny Dyer) impresses everyone except jealous Marcus, who arranges with their sleazy landlord to have him put up against a formidable opponent in his next bout. In the meantime, Cynthia breaks with Cassius when she finds out what he really does for a living, but Marcus is unable to call off the fight. However, a devastated Cassius is not in the right frame of mind for the occasion.
3
"The Erotic Vase"
It's Grumio's birthday and he receives an erotic vase featuring a girl that the boys think looks like Cynthia at a certain angle. Marcus, under pressure from the girls to be nicer to his slave, suggests they swap roles for the day. Grumio takes full advantage of the situation by blackmailing Marcus, threatening to tell Cynthia about the vase. Meanwhile, Stylax hangs out with his cousin Lucretia (Naomi Bentley), with whom he has an unusually close relationship. Marcus and his other friends consider this to be incest, and he is forced to break it off with her.
4
"The Herpes Cat"
To endear himself to Cynthia, Marcus befriends a mangy cat she's rescued from the courtyard, but the cat is accidentally killed. Stylax is suffering from a disturbing itch and visits a sexual health clinic where he falls for an attractive nurse. Flavia recommends an ointment for his condition. Meanwhile Grumio buys a lottery ticket from the landlord.
5
"Bananae"
Mass immigration from Thrace puts the boys into contact with a sexy Thracian lodger Irina and a dazzling yellow exotic fruit, the banana (plural, "bananae"). Meanwhile, Marcus has an unfortunate encounter with an aggressive elderly war veteran (played by Brian Murphy) who is collecting for charity. Irina, far from being the useful addition to the household that Stylax anticipates, has brought along her husband, and yet more Thracian couples turn up, overcrowding the apartment. The bananae catch on and become a craze with Marcus's fellow-workers. When Marcus is approached again by the veteran, he fights back and injures him, and has to avoid the veteran's friends who are looking for revenge. Grumio points the old soldiers in the direction of Irina's husband. The Thracians flee Rome, leaving behind a pineapple.
6
"Saturnalia"
It is the festival of Saturnalia and the celebration on the stroke of midnight is the perfect opportunity for Marcus to make a move on Cynthia, but she thinks she is cursed and doesn't feel like coming out. They think they have struck lucky when Flavia invites them to her party along with Aurelius the water carrier, until all three discover that they are expected to wait on the real guests; to escape in time for the public festivities, they rig the water clock so that Flavia thinks it is already midnight. Meanwhile, Grumio goes on a mission to make sure that sacrificial meat doesn't go to waste. Befriended by a priest, he thinks his luck is in until he discovers he is being taken to Cyprus for castration.
