Powerful and debauched, the Borgias were the most infamous family of Renaissance Italy. Said to have been the inspiration behind The Godfather's Corleone clan, the Borgias indulged a life of heresy, extravagance, adultery and scandal, with patriarch Rodrigo Borgia famously purchasing his position on the papal throne.

Rodrigo's illegitimate offspring were equally renowned, with daughter Lucrezia famed for her beauty and proficiency with poisons, and sons Cesare, Giovanni and Gioffre feared by all for their unscrupulous brutality.

With so much sex, violence and corruption going on, it's no wonder that script writers have repeatedly plundered the story of the Borgias. The latest version, a TV drama series from US cable network Showtime, is perhaps the most lavish telling of the tale. Created, written and directed by Academy Award winner Neil Jordan, and starring fellow Oscar winner, Jeremy Irons, The Borgias is certainly a production with pedigree.

But is it just The Tudors in crimson capes? Or Rome with better architecture? Andrew talks with The Sun Herald's Jo Casamento and The Australian's Graeme Blundell to find out.