[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/casanova_400.jpg]]

In 2005, the Creator/{{BBC}} made a three-part miniseries about the life of one [[Creator/GiacomoCasanova Giacomo Girolamo Casanova]] starring Creator/DavidTennant. The series is notable for sticking fairly closely to Casanova's actual memoirs.

The series primarily uses flashbacks to tell the story; Casanova's youth in Venice, France and England is actually being written by the older Casanova. The younger Casanova is played by David Tennant in his StarMakingRole, while the older Casanova is played by Creator/PeterOToole.

The series was written by Creator/RussellTDavies, of ''Series/DoctorWho'' fame. Davies was so impressed by Tennant's performance that he cast him as [[Characters/DoctorWhoTenthDoctor the Tenth Doctor]].

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!! This show contains examples of:

* AbsenceMakesTheHeartGoYonder: Henriette, after Casanova's [[spoiler: thrown in jail]].
* AlasPoorVillain: Grimani during his astonishing VillainousBreakdown.
--> '''Grimani:''' She was mine first. That's what everyone forgets, I was with her first. And you just strode in.
* AllLoveIsUnrequited: You kind of have to feel sorry for Grimani.
* AsideGlance: Casanova, after being told how things work in England.
* BetterAsFriends: [[spoiler:Bellino]] and Casanova. While Casanova is an amazing boyfriend and would make a wonderful husband, he'd make a terrible ''wife'', which is what he'd be as the spouse of a famous person. And besides, [[IWantMyBelovedToBeHappy he's in love with someone else]].
* BlatantLies: The woman Casanova rents a room to initially insists her husband is off fighting in a war. When Casanova asks which war, she claims The Punic Wars. When he points out that the Punic Wars ended in 150 BC, she responds [[RefugeInAudacity that he has been gone a long time]]
* BrotherSisterIncest: [[spoiler: Giac and Leonilda.]] Granted they're half-brother and sister, but still.
* ButForMeItWasTuesday: When helping Casanova to escape from Venice, Bragadin asks him to take with him his illegitimate son, whom he sired 6 years previously with a nun. When reminded of the nun's name, he has some serious difficulty remembering.
* CampGay: The guy who introduces Casanova to Billino the [[spoiler: fake]] castrato, played by Creator/MattLucas.
* TheCasanova: What did you expect?
* ChivalrousPervert: Casanova's closer to this than the trope he named.
* CrapsackWorld: Naples. It's in the shadow of an active volcano that could go off at any moment, which means its inhabitants [[spoiler:like Bellino]] don't care about morality anymore, since they're all moments from dying anyway.
* CrazyEnoughToWork: [[InvokedTrope Invoked]] by Casanova about his series of schemes where he pretended to be an "expert" astrologer, lawyer and musician despite having zero qualifications, which all somehow ended up ''working'' regardless.
--> '''Casanova''': I'm starting to scare myself.
* CreepyChild: Casanova Junior.
* DeadpanSnarker: Edith.
* DidntThinkThisThrough: Happens to Casanova over and over again. For just one example, he gets his start by impersonating a lawyer, a doctor, and an astrologer. He is later arrested for, among other things, [[ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin impersonating a lawyer, a doctor, and an astrologer]].
* DidNotGetTheGirl: [[spoiler: Ironically, Casanova himself, in that the woman he loved and desired most of all is denied to him through various cruel twists of fate. As for Grimani, see AllLoveIsUnrequited.]]
--> [[spoiler: '''Grimani:''' Neither one of us can have her, Casanova. Instead we have each other.]]
* DroppedABridgeOnHim: [[spoiler:Rocco]].
* EthicalSlut: Again, Casanova is more of this than the trope he named. This is TruthInTelevision: the real life Casanova had quite FairForItsDay morals (for example, he liked and respected intelligent women.)
* EveryoneHasStandards: Even Casanova, the man who gave his name to, well, TheCasanova, is thoroughly squicked out by how Giac and Leonilda don't seem to care the fact that [[spoiler:they're half-siblings]].
* FunnyBackgroundEvent: When Casanova discusses with Rocco his intentions to be an involved and caring father, the audience sees Giac in the middle of suffering all sorts of mishaps which Casanova remains completely oblivious to.
* HandsOffParenting: Casanova seems to leave Giac with Rocco pretty much all the time.
* HistoricalHeroUpgrade: Casanova is disgusted to learn that [[spoiler: Giac and Leonilda were screwing each other despite being half-siblings. This pales in comparison with the actual Casanova, who admitted he'd slept with his own niece and one of his daughters]].
* HeterosexualLifePartners: Casanova and Rocco.
* IfItsYouItsOkay: Casanova for Bellino. [[spoiler: It turns out he really was a girl all along]]
* IgnoredEpiphany: Grimani has a moment during his duel with Casanova where he realizes that Henriette doesn't love him, that she'll never love him, and that the entire duel is useless. He's [[ManlyTears driven to tears]], [[DrivenToSuicide considers killing himself]]... [[spoiler:and then turns to shoot Casanova in the hand. He knows all this and doesn't care]].
* IndyPloy: Casanova is the king of these. Henriette points out that going along by the seat of your pants, while dashing and fun, is a ''terrible'' way to live.
* ItsAllAboutMe: Rocco tries to coax Casanova into talking about something other than himself when interacting with his son, but he doesn't listen.
* IronicEcho: PlayedForDrama when Giac repeats all his father's "lessons" back to him. Casanova can only protest that he never said those things. He did, but thanks to his HandsOffParenting, Giac has only seen his father's shallow hedonistic personality and taken it to heart.
* IWantMyBelovedToBeHappy: [[spoiler:Bellino]], knowing Casanova's feelings for Henriette, breaks off their engagement.
* JerkAss: Grimani.
* LandInTheSaddle: Early on, Casanova attempts this while escaping from a disgruntled husband, but completely misses the waiting horse.
* LetThemDieHappy: [[spoiler:As Old Casanova lays dying, Edith claims that she was sent by Henriette and that Henriette is coming for him. Henriette has been dead for the past six months, but [[ExactWords she is coming]]... to be with Casanova in death.]]
* LovesTheSoundOfScreaming: While Casanova is very noticably [[{{Squick}} squicked]] upon having to observe the would-be royal assassin Damiens being FlayedAlive, right beside him his [[CreepyChild six year old son]] is ''smiling''.
* LoveWillLeadYouBack: Or at least, Casanova hopes so.
* MrFanservice: Take a wild guess.
* MyGodWhatHaveIDone: When Casanova finds out his son is having sex with [[spoiler:his half-sister]] because he's internalized Casanova's ChivalrousPervert nature with [[TheHedonist being an immoral sex maniac]].
* NostalgiaHeaven: The ending.
* OnlySaneMan: Again, poor, long-suffering Rocco.
* ParentalAbandonment: Young Casanova is abandoned by his actress mother.
* ParentalNeglect: Again, Casanova is not a very good father.
* ReallyGetsAround: The titular character. When he lists some of his exploits to a priest during a confessional, said priest ''faints''.
** In perhaps a CallBack to earlier, the Priest may have fainted because Casanova had just informed him about [[NaughtyNuns the nuns]] he had slept with, first independently and then at the ''same'' time.
* RichSuitorPoorSuitor: One of the big differences between Grimani and Casanova, respectively.
* SadClown: Casanova has shades of this. The elderly Casanova dials it up, particularly with [[MoodWhiplash the speed]] in which he goes from describing his youthful adventures amongst the elite of France... to the brutality of the French Revolution.
--> '''Old Casanova''': Everyone I knew in that city is '''dead'''.
* SelfDeprecation: A lot of Casanova's time in England (in this British series starring British actors) revolves around Casanova and Rocco complaining about how disgusting England is, and how boring the English court is in comparison to the French and Venetian ones.
* ServileSnarker: Rocco.
* SilverFox: To prove a point to her, old Casanova seduces Edith with very little effort.
* SkyCell: Casanova ends up in one of these. He manages to escape, though.
* TurnOutLikeHisFather: Giac, Casanova's son lampshades this.
* WhamLine: [[spoiler:"Rocco died."]]
** [[spoiler:"She's yours, Giac."]]
* WhatExactlyIsHisJob: Casanova changes jobs as necessary in order to earn money.
* WholesomeCrossdresser: [[spoiler: Bellino, who pretends to be a castrato]]
** [[spoiler: This is however spoiled by anyone who has seen the DVD cover or even the picture on this very page as it shows the actress that plays 'her' in a dress showing cleavage.]]
* YouHaveWaitedLongEnough
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