Evil empire

Roman empress Livia Drusilla continues her quest for ultimate power as historical saga Domina returns

- SEAN MARLAND, STEVEN PERKINS

NEW DRAMA
Domina
Wednesday, 9pm & 10.05pm, Sky Atlantic

Domina actor Kasia Smutniak stands in the shadow of a towering stone temple and imagines what life must have been like for Livia Drusilla, who rose to become the first empress of Rome…

TV&Satellite Week has been invited to Cinecittà Studios, the iconic film lot just outside the Italian capital, where the second season of Domina is being filmed, and the show’s leading lady is proving the perfect guide.

‘This is a really special place with so much history,’ says Smutniak, 44. ‘I was delighted to come back and continue Livia’s story, because there’s so much more to tell and this year’s season is more dynamic and much darker than the first. It feels like in the first season we were building this world and all these characters were cooking, but now they’re exploding.’