The BBC intended the series to be the I, Claudius (1976) of the 1980s. However, it was poorly received and negatively compared to Brideshead Revisited (1981), which was broadcast concurrently on ITV. The Cleopatras (1983), the BBC's next attempt to create a new I, Claudius (1976), was similarly unsuccessful.
Broadcast after the death of Simon Lack who has a featured role.
The series takes place from July 25, 1492 to March 12, 1507.
In TV Hell (1992), the creator Mark Shivas said that he had seen the series as "Dallas (1978): 1492".