I, Claudius/Funny

• Augustus attempting to use Claudius as an example of a 'good Roman boy' early in the series.
• Caligula's performance as Dawn must surely count as well.
  • Especially his audience's reactions. One wonders how many takes they needed to film before Derek Jacobi and the others stopped bursting out laughing.
• Augustus going around the block talking to his daughter's numerous lovers. "Ah, only once. That's all?"
  • "Not... slept..."
• When Tiberius receives news that Lucius has died and he is summoned back to Rome, he and his astrologer (who he's promised to kill if there was no good news) both burst out laughing. And laughing, and laughing, and laughing, while the messenger just stands there uncomfortably and continues to tell the tragic details of the story while they keep laughing.

Messanger: Sir, all Rome is drowned in grief!
Tiberius: Well, of course they are. It's only natural. Ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha!

• Tiberius, about his mother: "They say a snake bit her once, and died."
• "You fat, drunken cow!" "Fat? Fat?! FAT?!"
• Everyone's initial reactions to Caligula's announcement that he's Zeus.

Claudius: He wants to see you; he's become a god. Oh, you're a god too. (To Herod) We're not.

• There is a dark sort of humour in the scene where Claudius chats to Caligula's wife about all the horrible depravities Caligula is committing while making kootchy-koo faces at her baby.
• One word: Elephants.