The BBC TV Shakespeare Collection DVD Box-Set
2005 | English DVD-Rip WMV 640x480 WMV3 658 Kbps 30.000 fps WMA 64 Kbps Total Time: 99:00:00 | (37*~660 Mb) 23.94 GB
Drama, Comedy, Tragedy, History Author: William Shakespeare Studio: 2 Entertain Video Subtitles: English
The BBC Shakespeare is a unique collection of some of the finest dramas in the English language, each production a celebration of the greatest talents in contemporary British theatre and television. These plays feature the cream of the 20th century's acting talent. Among the great actors featured in these plays are: Laurence Olivier, Brenda Blethyn, John Gielgud, Jonathan Pryce, Michael Hordern, Felicity Kendall, Diana Rigg, John Hurt, Bernard Hill, John Cleese, Zoe Wanamaker and Robert Lindsay.
The BBC Television Shakespeare was a set of television adaptations of the plays of William Shakespeare, produced by the BBC between 1978 and 1985.
The concept for the series originated in 1976 with Cedric Messina, a veteran BBC producer, who was on-location at Glamis Castle in Angus, Scotland shooting J.M. Barrie's The Little Minister for the BBC Play of the Month series. During filming, it occurred to Messina that the castle would make a perfect location for an adaptation of Shakespeare's As You Like It for the series. By the time he had returned to London, however, the concept had grown considerably, and Messina now envisioned an entire series devoted exclusively to the dramatic work of Shakespeare; a series which would adapt all thirty-seven of Shakespeare's plays.
At first, Messina envisioned the series as having six seasons of six episodes each, with the plan being to adapt the three Henry VI plays into a two-part episode. This idea was soon rejected however, as it was felt to be an unacceptable compromise, and it was decided to simply have one season with seven episodes. Initially, Messina also wanted to shoot the plays in chronological order of how they were written, but this was rejected because it was felt that doing so would necessitate the series beginning with a run of relatively little known plays. Another early concept of Messina's which had to be rejected was the idea of shooting the eight sequential history plays (Richard II, Henry IV, Part 1, Henry IV, Part 2, Henry V, Henry VI, Part 1, Henry VI, Part 2, Henry VI, Part 3 and Richard III) in chronological order of the events they depict, with linked casting and the same director for all eight adaptations (David Giles). During the early planning stages for Richard II and Henry IV, Part 1 however, the plan for linked casting fell apart when it was discovered that although Jon Finch (Henry Bolingbroke in Richard II) could return as Henry IV, Jeremy Bulloch as Henry 'Hotspur' Percy and David Swift as the Earl of Northumberland were unable to do so, and the parts had to be recast, thus undermining the concept of shooting the plays as one sequence. Ultimately, during the first season, Richard II, although still directed by Giles, was treated as a stand-alone piece, whilst Henry IV, Part 1, Henry IV, Part 2 and Henry V (all also directed by Giles) were treated as a trilogy during the second season, with linked casting between them. The second four plays were then directed by Jane Howell during the fifth season as one unit, with a common set and linked casting, with most of the cast playing multiple roles in the four plays. For example, Ron Cook, who played Richard III, also appeared in minor roles in Henry VI, Part 1 and Henry VI, Part 2.
Drama, Comedy, Tragedy, History Author: William Shakespeare Studio: 2 Entertain Video Subtitles: English
The BBC Shakespeare is a unique collection of some of the finest dramas in the English language, each production a celebration of the greatest talents in contemporary British theatre and television. These plays feature the cream of the 20th century's acting talent. Among the great actors featured in these plays are: Laurence Olivier, Brenda Blethyn, John Gielgud, Jonathan Pryce, Michael Hordern, Felicity Kendall, Diana Rigg, John Hurt, Bernard Hill, John Cleese, Zoe Wanamaker and Robert Lindsay.
The BBC Television Shakespeare was a set of television adaptations of the plays of William Shakespeare, produced by the BBC between 1978 and 1985.
The concept for the series originated in 1976 with Cedric Messina, a veteran BBC producer, who was on-location at Glamis Castle in Angus, Scotland shooting J.M. Barrie's The Little Minister for the BBC Play of the Month series. During filming, it occurred to Messina that the castle would make a perfect location for an adaptation of Shakespeare's As You Like It for the series. By the time he had returned to London, however, the concept had grown considerably, and Messina now envisioned an entire series devoted exclusively to the dramatic work of Shakespeare; a series which would adapt all thirty-seven of Shakespeare's plays.
At first, Messina envisioned the series as having six seasons of six episodes each, with the plan being to adapt the three Henry VI plays into a two-part episode. This idea was soon rejected however, as it was felt to be an unacceptable compromise, and it was decided to simply have one season with seven episodes. Initially, Messina also wanted to shoot the plays in chronological order of how they were written, but this was rejected because it was felt that doing so would necessitate the series beginning with a run of relatively little known plays. Another early concept of Messina's which had to be rejected was the idea of shooting the eight sequential history plays (Richard II, Henry IV, Part 1, Henry IV, Part 2, Henry V, Henry VI, Part 1, Henry VI, Part 2, Henry VI, Part 3 and Richard III) in chronological order of the events they depict, with linked casting and the same director for all eight adaptations (David Giles). During the early planning stages for Richard II and Henry IV, Part 1 however, the plan for linked casting fell apart when it was discovered that although Jon Finch (Henry Bolingbroke in Richard II) could return as Henry IV, Jeremy Bulloch as Henry 'Hotspur' Percy and David Swift as the Earl of Northumberland were unable to do so, and the parts had to be recast, thus undermining the concept of shooting the plays as one sequence. Ultimately, during the first season, Richard II, although still directed by Giles, was treated as a stand-alone piece, whilst Henry IV, Part 1, Henry IV, Part 2 and Henry V (all also directed by Giles) were treated as a trilogy during the second season, with linked casting between them. The second four plays were then directed by Jane Howell during the fifth season as one unit, with a common set and linked casting, with most of the cast playing multiple roles in the four plays. For example, Ron Cook, who played Richard III, also appeared in minor roles in Henry VI, Part 1 and Henry VI, Part 2.
The 37 Plays
Season one; Cedric Messina, producer
Romeo and Juliet
* Directed by Alvin Rakoff
* Taping dates: 31 January-5 February 1978
* First transmitted in the UK: 3 December 1978
* First transmitted in the US: 14 March 1979
* Patrick Ryecart as Romeo
* Rebecca Saire as Juliet
* Celia Johnson as the Nurse
* Michael Hordern as Lord Capulet
* John Gielgud as the Chorus
* Anthony Andrews as Mercutio
* Alan Rickman as Tybalt
* Joseph O'Conor as Friar Laurence
* Laurence Naismith as Prince Escalus
* Jacqueline Hill as Lady Capulet
* Christopher Strauli as Benvolio
* Christopher Northey as Paris
* Peter Henry as Peter
* Roger Davidson as Balthasar
* John Paul as Montague
* Zulema Dene as Lady Montague
* Esmond Knight as Old Capulet
* David Sibley as Samson
* Jack Carr as Gregory
* Bunny Reed as Abraham
* Vernon Dobtcheff as Apothecary
* John Savident as Friar John
Behind-the-scenes
Rebecca Saire was only fourteen when the production was filmed, an unusually young age for an actress playing Juliet (even though she is only thirteen in the play itself).
King Richard the Second
* Directed by David Giles
* Taping dates: 12–17 April 1978
* First transmitted in the UK: 10 December 1978
* First transmitted in the US: 28 March 1979
* Derek Jacobi as Richard II
* Jon Finch as Henry Bolingbroke
* John Gielgud as John of Gaunt, Duke of Lancaster
* Charles Gray as Edmund Langley, Duke of York
* Wendy Hiller as the Duchess of York
* Mary Morris as the Duchess of Gloucester
* David Swift as the Duke of Northumberland
* Clifford Rose as the Bishop of Carlisle
* Charles Keating as Duke of Aumerle
* Richard Owens as Thomas Mowbray
* Janet Maw as the Queen
* Jeffrey Holland as the Duke of Surrey
* Jeremy Bulloch as Henry 'Hotspur' Percy
* Robin Sachs as Bushy
* Damien Thomas as Bagot
* Alan Dalton as Green
* David Dodimead as Lord Ross
* John Flint as Lord Willoughby
* Carl Oatley as Earl Berkeley
* William Whymper as Sir Stephen Scroop
* John Barcroft as Earl of Salisbury
* David Garfield as Welsh Captain
* Desmond Adams as Sir Pierce of Exton
* Bruno Barnabe as Abbot of Westminster
* Jonathan Adams as Gardener
* Alan Collins as Gardener's Man
* John Curless as Lord Fitzwater
* Terry Wright as Murderer
As You Like It
* Directed by Basil Coleman
* Taping dates: 30 May-16 June 1978
* First transmitted in the UK: 17 December 1978
* First transmitted in the US: 28 February 1979
* Helen Mirren as Rosalind
* Brian Stirner as Orlando
* Richard Pasco as Jaques
* Angharad Rees as Celia
* James Bolam as Touchstone
* Clive Francis as Oliver
* Richard Easton as Duke Frederick
* Tony Church as Duke Senior
* John Quentin as Le Beau
* Maynard Williams as Silvius
* Victoria Plucknett as Phebe
* Marilyn Le Conte as Audrey
* Tom McDonnell as Amiens
* David Lloyd Meredith as Corin
* Arthur Hewlett as Adam
* Jeffrey Holland as William
* Timothy Bateson as Sir Oliver Martext
* David Prowse as Charles the Wrestler
* John Moulder-Brown as Hyman
* Paul Bentall as Jacques de Boys
* Chris Sullivan as Dennis
Behind-the-scenes
Filmed at Glamis Castle in Scotland, this was one of only two productions shot on location, the other being Henry VIII. Director Basil Colemen initially felt that the play should be filmed over the course of a year, with the change in seasons from winter to summer marking the ideological change in characters, but he was forced to shoot entirely in May, even though the play begins in winter.
Julius Caesar
* Directed by Herbert Wise
* Taping dates: 26–31 July 1978
* First transmitted in UK: 11 February 1979
* First transmitted in the US: 14 February 1979
* Richard Pasco as Brutus
* Charles Gray as Julius Caesar
* Keith Michell as Marcus Antonius
* David Collings as Cassius
* Virginia McKenna as Portia
* Elizabeth Spriggs as Calpurnia
* Sam Dastor as Casca
* Jon Laurimore as Flavius
* John Sterland as Marullus
* Garrick Hagon as Octavius Caesar
* Brian Coburn as Messala
* Leonard Preston as Titinius
* Alexander Davion as Decius Brutus
* Darien Angadi as Cinna
* Andrew Hilton as Lucilius
* Anthony Dawes as Ligarius
* Roger Bizley as Metellus Cimber
* Manning Wilson as Cicero
* Ronald Forfar as The Soothsayer
* Patrick Marley as Artemidorus
* William Simons as Trebonius
* John Tordoff as Cinna the Poet
* Philip York as Young Cato
* Christopher Good as Clitus
* Robert Oates as Pindarus
* Jonathan Scott-Taylor as Lucius
* Maurice Thorogood as Strato
* Michael Greatorex as Varro
* Nicholas Gecks as Volumnius
* Michael Jenkinson as Dardanius
* Roy Spencer as Lepidus
* Terence Conoley as Popilius
* Noel Johnson as Publius
Behind-the-scenes
Director Herbert Wise felt that Julius Caesar should be set in the Elizabethan era, but he was compelled by the financiers to set it in a Roman milieu. Wise felt that Shakespeare had written the play specifically as a commentary on Elizabethan culture, and that interpreting it literally as being a play about Ancient Rome trivialised the story.
Measure for Measure
* Directed by Desmond Davis
* Taping dates: 17–22 May 1978
* First transmitted in the UK: 18 February 1979
* First transmitted in the US: 11 April 1979
* Kenneth Colley as the Duke
* Kate Nelligan as Isabella
* Tim Pigott-Smith as Angelo
* Christopher Strauli as Claudio
* John McEnery as Lucio
* Jacqueline Pearce as Mariana
* Frank Middlemass as Pompey
* Alun Armstrong as Provost
* Adrienne Corri as Mistress Overdone
* Ellis Jones as Elbow
* John Clegg as Froth
* William Sleigh as Barnardine
* Neil McCarthy as Abhorson
* Yolanda Vazquez as Juliet
* Eileen Page as Francesca
* Kevin Stoney as Escalus
* Godfrey Jackman as Friar Thomas
Behind-the-scenes
Director Desmond Davis based the brothel in the play on a traditional Western saloon and the prison on a typical horror film dungeon.
The Famous History of the Life of King Henry the Eight
* Directed by Kevin Billington
* Taping dates: 27 November 1978 – 7 January 1979
* First transmitted in UK, 25 February 1979
* First transmitted in the US: 25 April 1979
* John Stride as Henry VIII
* Claire Bloom as Katharine
* Ronald Pickup as Cranmer, Archbishop of Canterbury
* Barbara Kellerman as Anne Bullen
* Timothy West as Cardinal Wolsey
* Julian Glover as the Duke of Buckingham
* John Rowe as Cromwell
* Lewis Fiander as the Duke of Suffolk
* Alan Leith as Sergeant-at-Arms
* Tony Church as Prologue
* John Bailey as Griffith
* David Troughton as Surveyor
* John Nettleton as Lord Chamberlain
* Charles Lloyd Pack as Lord Sandys
* Nigel Lambert as Sir Thomas Lovell
* Adam Bareham as Sir Henry Guildford
* Jeremy Kemp as the Duke of Norfolk
* Jack McKenzie as Sir Nicholas Vaux
* Michael Poole as Cardinal Campeius
* Peter Vaughan as Gardiner, Bishop of Winchester
* David Rintoul as Lord Abergavenny
* David Dodimead as the Bishop of Lincoln
* Oliver Cotton as the Earl of Surrey
* John Rhys-Davies as Capucius
* John Rogan as Dr. Butts
* Jack May as the Lord Chancellor
Behind-the-scenes
Shot at Leeds Castle, Penhurst Place and Hever Castle and in the actual rooms in which some of the real events took place.
Seaon two; Cedric Messina, producer
The First Part of King Henry the Fourth, with the life and death of Henry surnamed Hotspur
* Directed by David Giles
* Taping dates: 7–12 March 1979
* First transmitted in the UK: 9 December 1979
* First transmitted in the US: 26 March 1980
* Anthony Quayle as Sir John Falstaff
* Jon Finch as King Henry the Fourth
* David Gwillim as Hal, Prince of Wales
* Tim Pigott-Smith as Henry 'Hotspur' Percy
* Michele Dotrice as Lady Percy
* Brenda Bruce as Mistress Quickly
* Rob Edwards as Prince John of Lancaster
* David Buck as the Earl of Westmorland
* Robert Brown as Sir Walter Blunt
* Clive Swift as Thomas Percy, Earl of Worcester
* Bruce Purchase as Henry Percy, Earl of Northumberland
* Robert Morris as Edmund Mortimer, Earl of March
* John Cairney as Archibald, Earl of Douglas
* David Neal as Scroop, Archbishop of York
* Norman Rutherford as Sir Michael
* Richard Owens as Owen Glendower
* Terence Wilton as Sir Richard Vernon
* Jack Galloway as Poins
* Gordon Gostelow as Bardolph
* Steven Beard as Peto
* Sharon Morgan as Lady Mortimer
The Second Part of King Henry the Fourth, including his death and the coronation of King Henry the Fift
* Directed by David Giles
* Taping dates: 11–16 April 1979
* First transmitted in the UK: 16 December 1979
* First transmitted in the US: 9 April 1980
* Jon Finch as King Henry the Fourth
* David Gwillim as Prince Henry of Wales
* Rob Edwards as Prince John of Lancaster
* Martin Neil as Prince Humphrey of Gloucester
* Roger Davenport as Prince Thomas, Duke of Clarence
* Bruce Purchase as the Earl of Northumberland
* David Neal as Scroop, Archbishop of York
* Michael Miller as Lord Mowbray
* Richard Bebb as Lord Hastings
* John Humphry as Lord Bardolph
* Salvin Stewart as Sir John Colville
* David Strong as Travers
* Carl Oatley as Morton
* Rod Beacham as the Earl of Warwick
* David Buck as the Earl of Westmorland
* Brian Poyser as Gower
* Ralph Michael as the Lord Chief Justice
* Anthony Quayle as Sir John Falstaff
* Jack Galloway as Poins
* Gordon Gostelow as Bardolph
* Bryan Pringle as Pistol
* Steven Beard as Peto
* Robert Eddison as Justice Robert Shallow
* Leslie French as Justice Silence
* Raymond Platt as Davy
* Frederick Proud as Fang
* Julian Battersby as Ralph Mouldy
* Roy Herrick as Simon Shadow
* Alan Collins as Thomas Wart
* John Tordoff as Francis Feeble
* Roger Elliott as Peter Bullcalf
* Jenny Laird as Lady Northumberland
* Michele Dotrice as Lady Percy
* Brenda Bruce as Mistress Quickly
* Frances Cuka as Doll Tearsheet
The Life of Henry the Fift
* Directed by David Giles
* Taping dates: 18–25 June 1979
* First transmitted in the UK: 23 December 1979
* First transmitted in the US: 23 April 1980
* John Abineri as the Bishop of Ely
* Robert Ashby as the Earl of Salisbury
* Trevor Baxter as the Archbishop of Canterbury
* Rob Beacham as the Earl of Warwick
* Jocelyne Boisseau as Princess Katherine
* Alan Brown as the Governor of Harfleur
* John Bryans as the Duke of Bourbon
* David Buck as the Earl of Westmoreland
* Roger Davenport as the Duke of Clarence
* Keith Drinkel as Lewis the Dauphin
* Rob Edwards as the Duke of Bedford
* Ronald Forfar as Bates
* Carl Forgione as Rambures
* John Fowler as the Boy
* Julian Glover as the Constable of France
* Gordon Gostelow as Bardolph
* David Gwillim as Henry V
* Garrick Hagon as Mountjoy
* Robert Harris as the Duke of Burgundy
* Jeffrey Holland as Nym
* Derek Hollis as the Duke of York
* George Howe as Sir Thomas Erpingham
* Alec McCowen as Chorus
* Michael McKevitt as Jamy
* Clifford Parrish as the Duke of Exeter
* David Pinner as Williams
* Brian Poyser as Gower
* Ian Price as Scrope
* Bryan Pringle as Pistol
* Anna Quayle as Alice
* David Rowlands as Sir Thomas Grey
* Pamela Ruddock as Queen Isabel
* John Saunders as the Duke of Orléans
* Martin Smith as the Duke of Gloucester
* Thorley Walters as the King of France
* Paddy Ward as Macmorris
* William Whymper as the Earl of Cambridge
* Tim Wylton as Fluellen
* Brenda Bruce as Mistress Quickly
Twelfth Night
* Directed by John Gorrie
* Taping dates: 16–21 May 1979
* First transmitted in the UK: 6 January 1980
* First transmitted in the US: 27 February 1980
* Alec McCowen as Malvolio
* Robert Hardy as Sir Toby Belch
* Felicity Kendal as Viola
* Annette Crosbie as Maria
* Sinéad Cusack as Olivia
* Trevor Peacock as Feste
* Clive Arrindell as Orsino
* Ronnie Stevens as Sir Andrew Aguecheek
* Robert Lindsay as Fabian
* Maurice Roëves as Antonio
* Michael Thomas as Sebastian
* Malcolm Reynolds as Valentine
* Ryan Michael as Curio
* Ric Morgan as the Sea Captain
* Arthur Hewlett as the Priest
Behind-the-scenes
Director John Gorrie interpreted the play as an English country house comedy, and incorporated influences ranging from Luigi Pirandello's Il Gioco delle Parti to ITV's Upstairs, Downstairs. Gorrie also set the play during the English Civil War, hoping the use of cavaliers and roundheads would help focus the dramatisation of the conflict between festivity and Puritanism.
The Tempest
* Directed by John Gorrie
* Taping dates: 23–28 July 1979
* First transmitted in the UK: 27 February 1980
* First transmitted in the US: 7 May 1980
* Michael Hordern as Prospero
* Derek Godfrey as Antonio
* David Waller as Alonso
* Warren Clarke as Caliban
* Nigel Hawthorne as Stephano
* David Dixon as Ariel
* Andrew Sachs as Trinculo
* John Nettleton as Gonzalo
* Alan Rowe as Sebastian
* Pippa Guard as Miranda
* Christopher Guard as Ferdinand
* Kenneth Gilbert as Boatswain
* Edwin Brown as Master
* Paul Greenhalgh as Francisco
* Christopher Bramwell as Adrian
* Gwyneth Lloyd as Juno
* Elizabeth Gardner as Ceres
* Judith Rees as Iris
Behind-the-scenes
The special effects seen in this episode were not developed especially for use here. They had been developed for Top of the Pops and Doctor Who.
Hamlet, Prince of Denmark
* Directed by Rodney Bennett
* Taping dates: 31 January-8 February 1980
* First transmitted in the UK: 25 May 1980
* First transmitted in the US: 10 November 1980
* Derek Jacobi as Hamlet
* Claire Bloom as Gertrude
* Patrick Stewart as Claudius
* Eric Porter as Polonius
* Lalla Ward as Ophelia
* David Robb as Laertes
* Patrick Allen as the Ghost of Hamlet's Father
* Robert Swann as Horatio
* Jonathan Hyde as Rosencrantz
* Geoffrey Bateman as Guildenstern
* Emrys James as Player King
* Jason Kemp as Player Queen
* Ian Charleson as Fortinbras
* Tim Wylton as First Gravedigger
* Peter Benson as Second Gravedigger
* Paul Humpoletz as Marcellus
* Niall Padden as Bernardo
* Christopher Baines as Francisco
* John Humphry as Voltimand
* John Sterland as Cornelius
* Peter Gale as Osric
* Raymond Mason as Reynaldo
* Dan Meaden as Norwegian Captain
* David Henry as English Ambassador
Season three; Jonathan Miller, producer
Petruchio (John Cleese) and Katherine (Sarah Badel)
The Taming of the Shrew
* Directed by Jonathan Miller
* Taping dates: 18–24 June 1980
* First transmitted in the UK: 23 October 1980
* First transmitted in the US: 26 January 1981
* Simon Chandler as Lucentio
* Anthony Pedley as Tranio
* John Franklyn-Robbins as Baptista
* Frank Thornton as Gremio
* Sarah Badel as Katherine
* Jonathan Cecil as Hortensio
* Susan Penhaligon as Bianca
* Harry Waters as Biondello
* John Cleese as Petruchio
* David Kincaid as Grumio
* Angus Lennie as Curtis
* Harry Webster as Nathaniel
* Gil Morris as Philip
* Leslie Sarony as Gregory
* Derek Deadman as Nicholas
* Denis Gilmore as Peter
* John Bird as the Pedant
* Alan Hay as the Tailor
* David Kinsey as the Haberdasher
* John Barron as Vincentio
* Joan Hickson as the Widow
Behind-the-scenes
The casting of John Cleese as Petruchio was not without controversy at the time. Cleese had never performed Shakespeare before, and was not a fan of the first two seasons of the BBC Television Shakespeare, and took some persuading from Miller that the BBC Shrew would not be, as Cleese feared "about a lot of furniture being knocked over, a lot of wine being spilled, a lot of thighs being slapped and a lot of unmotivated laughter."[10] As such, Miller told Cleese that the episode would interpret Petruchio as an early Puritan, and that the part was not to be acted along the traditional lines of the swaggering bully a la Richard Burton in Franco Zeffirelli's adaptation. In tandem with this interpretation, the song sung at the end of the play is a musical version of Psalm 128, which was often sung in Puritan households at the end of a meal during Shakespeare's own day.
The Merchant of Venice
* Directed by Jack Gold
* Taping dates: 15–21 May 1980
* First transmitted in the UK: 17 December 1980
* First transmitted in the US: 23 February 1981
* John Franklyn-Robbins as Antonio
* John Rhys-Davies as Salerio
* Alan David as Solanio
* John Nettles as Bassiano
* Richard Morant as Lorenzo
* Kenneth Cranham as Gratiano
* Gemma Jones as Portia
* Susan Jameson as Nerissa
* Daniel Mitchell as Balthasar
* Warren Mitchell as Shylock
* Marc Zuber as the Prince of Morocco
* Enn Reitel as Lancelot Gobbo
* Joe Gladwin as Old Gobbo
* Roger Martin as Leonardo
* Leslee Udwin as Jessica
* Peter Gale as the Prince of Arragon
* Arnold Diamond as Tubal
* Douglas Wilmer as the Duke of Venice
* Shaun Scott as Stephano
All's Well That Ends Well
* Directed by Elijah Moshinsky
* Taping dates: 23–29 July 1980
* First transmitted in the UK: 4 January 1981
* First transmitted in the US: 18 May 1981
* Celia Johnson as The Countess of Rousillion
* Ian Charleson as Bertram
* Michael Hordern as Lafeu
* Angela Down as Helena
* Peter Jeffrey as Parolles
* Donald Sinden as the King of France
* Paul Brooke as Lavache
* Robert Lindsay as the first Lord Dumaine
* Dominic Jephcott as the Second Lord Dumaine
* Rosemary Leach as The Widow of Florence
* Pippa Guard as Diana
* Joolia Cappleman as Mariana
* Nickolas Grace as the "Interpreter"
* Terence McGinity as The First Gentleman
* Max Arthur as The Second Gentleman
Behind-the-scenes
In line with producer Jonathan Miller's new aesthetic policy, director Elijah Moshinsky composed many of the shots of the film as live action replicas of the work of Johannes Vermeer.
The Winter's Tale
* Directed by Jane Howell
* Taping dates: 9–15 April 1980
* First transmitted in the UK: 8 February 1981
* First transmitted in the US: 8 June 1981
* John Welsh as Archidamus
* David Burke as Camillo
* Robert Stephens as Polixenes
* Jeremy Kemp as Leontes
* Anna Calder-Marshall as Hermionie
* Jeremy Dimmick as Mamillius
* Merelina Kendall as Emilia
* Cyril Luckham as Antigonus
* Margaret Tyzack as Paulina
* John Curless as Cleomenes
* Colin McCormack as Dion
* Arthur Hewlett as The Old Shepard
* Paul Jesson as the Clown
* Harold Goldblatt as Time
* Rikki Fulton as Autolycus
* Robin Kermode as Florizel
* Debbie Farrington as Perdita
* Janette Legge as Dorcas
* Maggie Wells as Mopsa
* Pat Gorman as The Bear
Timon of Athens
* Directed by Jonathan Miller
* Taping dates: 28 January-3 February 1981
* First transmitted in the UK: 16 April 1981
* First transmitted in the US: 14 December 1981
* John Fortune as the Poet
* John Bird as the Painter
* Tony Jay as the Merchant
* David Kinsey as the Jeweller
* Jonathan Pryce as Timon
* John Welsh as Flavius
* Sebastian Shaw as Old Athenian
* James Cossins as Lucullus
* Norman Rodway as Apemantus
* Geoffrey Collins as Flaminius
* Terence McGinity as Servilius
* John Shrapnel as Alcibades
* Hugh Thomas as Lucius
* Max Arthur as Lucillus
* Donald Gee as Ventidius
* John Bailey as Sempronius
* Michael Anthony as Caphis
* Elyane Sharling as Phryina
* Diana Dors as Timandra
Behind-the-scenes
Michael Bogdanov was originally hired to direct this episode, but he resigned after his modern-dress interpretation was considered too radical.
Antony and Cleopatra
* Directed by Jonathan Miller
* Taping dates: 5–10 March 1980
* First transmitted in the US: 20 April 1981
* First transmitted in the UK: 8 May 1981
* John Paul as Canidius
* Jonathan Adams as Ventidius
* Jane Lapotaire as Cleopatra
* Colin Blakely as Antony
* Darien Angadi as Alexas
* Janet Key as Charmian
* Howard Goorney as the Soothsayer
* Cassie McFarlane as Iras
* Emrys James as Enobarbus
* Mohammad Shamsi as Mardian
* Ian Charleson as Octavius Caesar
* Esmond Knight as Lepidus
* Harry Waters as Thidius
* David Neal as Proculeius
* Anthony Pedley as Agrippa
* Geoffrey Collins as Dolabella
* Donald Sumpter as Pompeius
* George Innes as Menas
* Desmond Stokes as Menecrates
* Lynn Farleigh as Octavius
* Simon Chandler as Eros
* Christopher Ettridge as Scarus
* George Howe as Euphronius
* Alec Sabin as Dercetas
Behind-the-scenes
During the shooting of the scene with the snake, the snake crawled down the back of Jane Lapotaire's dress.
Season four; Jonathan Miller, producer
Othello
* Directed by Jonathan Miller
* Taping dates: 9–17 March 1981
* First transmitted in the UK: 4 October 1981
* First transmitted in the US: 12 October 1981
* Anthony Pedley as Roderigo
* Bob Hoskins as Iago
* Geoffrey Chater as Brabantio
* Alexander Davion as Gratiano
* Anthony Hopkins as Othello
* David Yelland as Cassio
* Joseph O'Conor as Lodovico
* John Barron as Duke of Venice
* Penelope Wilton as Desdemona
* Rosemary Leach as Emilia
* Tony Steedman as Montano
* Wendy Morgan as Bianca
Behind-the-scenes
James Earl Jones was originally hired to play the role of Othello, but Equity, the English Actor's Guild, refused to issue a work permit. During production itself, Jonathan Miller based the visual design on the work of El Greco.
Troilus and Cressida
* Directed by Jonathan Miller
* Taping dates: 28 July-5 August 1981
* First transmitted in the UK: 7 November 1981
* First transmitted in the US: 17 May 1982
* Charles Gray as Pandarus
* Anton Lesser as Troilus
* Tony Steedman as Aeneas
* Suzanne Burden as Cressida
* Max Harvey as Alexander
* Vernon Dobtcheff as Agamemnon
* Geoffrey Chater as Nestor
* Benjamin Whitrow as Ulysses
* Bernard Brown as Menelaus
* Anthony Pedley as Ajax
* The Incredible Orlando as Thersites
* Kenneth Haigh as Achilles
* Simon Cutter as Patroclus
* Esmond Knight as Priam
* John Shrapnel as Hector
* Elayne Sharling as Cassandra
* David Firth as Paris
* Paul Moriarty as Diomedes
* Ann Pennington as Helen
* Peter Whitbread as Calchas
* Merelina Kendall as Andromache
* Cornelius Garrett as Margarelon
* Tony Portacio as Helenus
* Peter J. Cassell as Deiphobus
Behind-the-scenes
Director Jonathan Miller used the work of gothic painter Lucas Cranach as a visual influence during the production, and several of Cranach's paintings can be seen in Ajax's tent.
A Midsummer Night's Dream
* Directed by Elijah Moshinsky
* Taping dates: 19–25 May 1981
* First transmitted in the UK: 13 December 1981
* First transmitted in the US: 19 April 1982
* Estelle Kohler as Hippolyta
* Nigel Davenport as Theseus
* Hugh Quarshie as Philostrate
* Geoffrey Lumsden as Egeus
* Pippa Guard as Hermia
* Nicky Henson as Demetrius
* Robert Lindsay as Lysander
* Cherith Mellor as Helena
* Geoffrey Palmer as Peter Quince
* Brian Glover as Nick Bottom
* John Fowler as Francis Flute
* Don Estelle as Robin Starveling
* Nat Jackley as Tom Snout
* Ray Mort as Snug
* Phil Daniels as Puck
* Helen Mirren as Titania
* Peter McEnery as Oberon
* Bruce Savage as Peaseblossom
* Massimo Mezzofanti as Cobweb
* Dominic Martelli as Moth
* Timothy Cross as Mustardseed
Behind-the-scenes
Elijah Moshinsky based the fairies in the play on the baroque eroticism of Rembrandt and Peter Paul Rubens.
Season Five; Jonathan Miller and Shaun Sutton, producers
King Lear
* Directed by Jonathan Miller
* Taping dates: 26 March-2 April 1982
* First transmitted in the UK: 19 September 1982
* First transmitted in the US: 18 October 1982
* John Shrapnel as Kent
* Norman Rodway as Gloucester
* Michael Kitchen as Edmund
* Michael Hordern as King Lear
* Gillian Barge as Goneril
* Brenda Blethyn as Cordelia
* Penelope Wilton as Regan
* John Bird as Albany
* Julian Curry as Cornwall
* David Weston as Burgundy
* Harry Waters as The King of France
* Anton Lesser as Edgar
* John Grillo as Oswald
* Frank Middlemass as Fool
* Ken Stott as Curan
* George Howe as Doctor
Behind-the-scenes
Jonathan Miller had previously directed an adaptation of King Lear in 1975 for the BBC series Play of the Month. Like the BBC Shakespeare version, Miller's previous production starred Michael Hordern as Lear and Frank Middlemass as the Fool. Originally, however Robert Shaw was cast as Lear but died in 1978 before production began.
Cymbeline
* Directed by Elijah Moshinsky
* Taping dates: 29 July-5 August 1982
* First transmitted in the US: 20 December 1982
* First transmitted in the UK: 10 July 1983
* Richard Johnson as Cymbeline
* Hugh Thomas as Cornelius
* Claire Bloom as Queen
* Helen Mirren as Imogen
* Michael Pennington as Posthumous
* John Kane as Pisanio
* Paul Jesson as Cloten
* Robert Lindsay as Iachimo
* Geoffrey Lumsden as Philario
* Patsy Smart as Helen
* Graham Crowden as Caius Lucius
* Michael Gough as Belarius
* Geoffrey Burridge as Guiderius
* David Creedon as Arviragus
* Patricia Hayes as Soothsayer
* Marius Goring as Sicilius Leonatus
* Michael Hordern as Jupiter
The Merry Wives of Windsor
* Directed by David Hugh Jones
* Taping dates: 1–8 November 1982
* First transmitted in the UK: 28 December 1982
* First transmitted in the US: 31 January 1983
* Alan Bennett as Justice Shallow
* Richard O'Callaghan as Slender
* Tenniel Evans as Sir Hugh Evans
* Bryan Marshall as George Page
* Richard Griffiths as Sir John Falstaff
* Gordon Gostelow as Bardolph
* Nigel Terry as Pistol
* Michael Robbins as Nym
* Miranda Foster as Anne Page
* Judy Davis as Mistress Ford
* Prunella Scales as Mistress Page
* Ron Cook as Peter Simple
* Michael Graham Cox as Host
* Lee Whitlock as Robin
* Elizabeth Spriggs as Mistress Quickly
* John Joyce as John Rugby
* Michael Bryant as Doctor Caius
* Simon Chandler as Fenton
* Ben Kingsley as Frank Ford
* Ralph Brown as John
* Peter Gordon as Robert
* Crispin Mair as William Page
Behind-the-scenes
Director David Jones originally wanted to shoot the episode in Stratford-upon-Avon but was restricted to a studio setting. Jones got around this by basing his set on the house which belonged to Shakespeare's son-in-law, John Hall.
Joan (Brenda Blethyn), Alençon (Michael Byrne), Charles (Ian Saynor), Reignier (David Daker) and the Bastard (Brian Protheroe)
The First Part of Henry the Sixt
* Directed by Jane Howell
* Taping dates: 13–19 October 1981
* First transmitted in the UK: 2 January 1983
* First transmitted in the US: 27 March 1983
* Peter Benson as Henry VI
* Brenda Blethyn as Joan la Pucelle
* Antony Brown as the Duke of Burgundy
* David Burke as the Duke of Gloucester
* Michael Byrne as the Duke of Alençon
* Paul Chapman as the Earl of Suffolk
* Arthur Cox as Sir John Fastolfe
* David Daker as Reigner, Duke of Anjou
* Brian Deacon as the Earl of Somerset
* Tenniel Evans as the Duke of Bedford
* Derek Farr as the Earl of Salisbury
* Julia Foster as Margaret
* Alex Guard as Young Talbot
* Bernard Hill as the Duke of York
* Joanna McCallum as the Countess d'Auvergne
* Frank Middlemass as Cardinal Beaufort
* Joseph O'Conor as the Duke of Exeter
* Trevor Peacock as Lord Talbot
* Brian Protheroe as the Bastard of Orléans
* Ian Saynor as the Dauphin Charles
* Mark Wing-Davey as the Earl of Warwick
* Peter Wyatt as Woodville
York (Bernard Hill), Margaret (Julia Foster), Somerset (Brian Deacon), Iden (Antony Brown) and Henry (Peter Benson)
The Second Part of Henry the Sixt
* Directed by Jane Howell
* Taping dates: 17–23 December 1981
* First transmitted in the UK: 9 January 1983
* First transmitted in the US: 10 April 1983
* Peter Benson as Henry VI
* Antony Brown as Walter Whitmore/Alexander Iden
* David Burke as the Duke of Gloucester/Dick the Butcher
* Michael Byrne as John Hume
* Anne Carroll as the Duchess of Gloucester
* Paul Chapman as the Duke of Suffolk
* Ron Cook as Richard Plantaganet
* Arthur Cox as Thomas Horner/Lord Clifford
* David Daker as the Duke of Buckingham
* Brian Deacon as the Duke of Somerset/Smith the Weaver
* Tenniel Evans as the Earl of Salisbury/Clerk of Chartham
* Derek Farr as Lord Saye
* Julia Foster as Queen Margaret
* Derek Fuke as Simpcox
* Bernard Hill as the Duke of York
* Paul Jesson as John Holland/George Plantagenet
* Pat Keen as Margery Jourdayne
* Gabrielle Lloyd as Simpox's Wife
* Oengus MacNamara as Young Clifford
* Frank Middlemass as Cardinal Beaufort
* Trevor Peacock as Jack Cade
* Brian Protheroe as Edward Plantagenet
* David Pugh as Peter Thump
* Mark Wing-Davey as the Earl of Warwick
* Peter Wyatt as Sir Humphrey Stafford
Behind-the-scenes
This episode was filmed on the same set as The First Part of Henry the Sixt. However, designer Oliver Bayldon altered the set so it would appear that the paint work was flaking and peeling, and the set falling into a state of disrepair, as England descended into an ever increasing state of chaos.
The Battle of Tewkesbury
The Third Part of Henry the Sixt
* Directed by Jane Howell
* Taping dates: 10–17 February 1982
* First transmitted in the UK: 16 January 1983
* First transmitted in the US: 24 April 1983
* John Benfield as the Earl of Northumberland
* Peter Benson as Henry VI
* Antony Brown as Lewis, King of France
* Michael Byrne as the Marquess of Montague
* Paul Chapman as the Earl of Rivers
* Ron Cook as Richard, Duke of Gloucester
* Rowena Cooper as Lady Elizabeth Grey
* Arthur Cox as the Duke of Somerset
* David Daker as Lord Hastings
* Mathew David as the Earl of Rutland
* Brian Deacon as Earl of Oxford
* Derek Farr as the Duke of Exeter
* Julia Foster as Margaret
* Derek Fuke as the Earl of Westmoreland
* Tim Fuke as the Earl of Richmond
* Alex Guard as the Marquess of Dorset
* Bernard Hill as the Duke of York
* Paul Jesson as George, Duke of Clarence
* Merelina Kendall as Lady Bona
* Oengus MacNamara as Young Clifford
* Brian Protheroe as Edward IV
* Nick Reding as Edward, Prince of Wales
* Mark Wing-Davey as the Earl of Warwick
* Peter Wyatt as the Duke of Norfolk
Behind-the-scenes
This episode was filmed on the same set as The First Part of Henry the Sixt and The Second Part of Henry the Sixt. However, designer Oliver Bayldon altered the set so it would appear to be completely falling apart, as England descended into an even worse state of chaos.
The Tragedy of Richard III
* Directed by Jane Howell
* Taping dates: 31 March-6 April 1982
* First transmitted in the UK: 23 January 1983
* First transmitted in the US: 2 May 1983
* Peter Benson as the Ghost of Henry VI
* Antony Brown as Sir Richard Ratcliffe
* David Burke as Sir William Catesby
* Michael Byrne as the Duke of Buckingham
* Anne Carroll as Jane Shore
* Paul Chapman as Earl Rivers
* Ron Cook as Richard III
* Rowena Cooper as Queen Elizabeth
* Arthur Cox as Lord Grey
* Annette Crosbie as the Duchess of York
* David Daker as Lord Hastings
* Brian Deacon as Henry, Earl of Richmond
* Tenniel Evans as Lord Stanley
* Derek Farr as Sir Robert Brackenbury
* Dorian Ford as Edward, Prince of Wales
* Julia Foster as Margaret
* Derek Fuke as Sir Thomas Vaughan
* Alex Guard as the Marquess of Dorset
* Bernard Hill as Sir William Brandon
* Patsy Kensit as Lady Margaret Plantagenet
* Oengus MacNamara as Lord Lovell
* Brian Protheroe as Edward IV
* Nick Reding as the Ghost of the Prince of Wales
* Zoë Wanamaker as Lady Anne
* Mark Wing-Davey as Sir James Tyrell
* Peter Wyatt as the Duke of Norfolk
Behind-the-scenes
This episode was filmed on the same set as the three Henry VI plays. However, designer Oliver Bayldon altered the set so it would appear to be a ruin, as England reached its lowest point of chaos.
Season six; Shaun Sutton, producer
Macbeth
* Directed by Jack Gold
* Taping dates: 22–28 June 1982
* First transmitted in the US: 17 October 1983
* First transmitted in the UK: 5 November 1983
* Brenda Bruce as First Witch
* Eileen Way as Second Witch
* Anne Dyson as Third Witch
* Mark Dignam as Duncan
* James Hazeldine as Malcolm
* John Rowe as Lennox
* Gawn Grainger as Ross
* Nicol Williamson as Macbeth
* Ian Hogg as Banquo
* David Lyon as Angus
* Jane Lapotaire as Lady Macbeth
* Alistair Henderson as Fleance
* Tony Doyle as Macduff
* Tom Bowles as Donalbain
* Eamon Boland as Seyton
* Jill Baker as Lady Macduff
* Crispin Mair as Young Macduff
* Matthew Long as Menteith
* Peter Porteous as Caithness
* William Abney as Old Siward
* Nicholas Coppin as Young Siward
The Comedy of Errors
* Directed by James Cellan Jones
* Taping dates: 3–9 November 1983
* First transmitted in the UK: 24 December 1983
* First transmitted in the US: 20 February 1984
* Cyril Cusack as Aegeon
* Charles Gray as Solinus
* Nicolas Chagrin as Master of the Mime
* Michael Kitchen as Antipholus
* Roger Daltrey as Dromio
* Suzanne Bertish as Adriana
* Joanne Pearce as Luciana
* Marsha Fitzalan as Luce
* Sam Dastor as Angelo
* David Kelly as Balthazar
* Geoffrey Rose as Pinch
* Ingrid Pitt as Courtesan
* Wendy Hiller as the Abbess
Proteus (Tyler Butterworth) and Valentine (John Hudson)
The Two Gentlemen of Verona
* Directed by Don Taylor
* Taping dates: 25–31 July 1983
* First transmitted in the UK: 27 December 1983
* First transmitted in the US: 23 April 1984
* Frank Barrie as Eglamour
* Tessa Peake-Jones as Julia
* Hetta Charnley as Lucetta
* Tyler Butterworth as Proteus
* John Hudson as Valentine
* Nicholas Kaby as Speed
* Michael Byrne as Antonio
* John Woodnutt as Panthino
* Joanne Pearce as Sylvia
* Tony Haygarth as Launce
* David Collings as Thurio
* Paul Daneman as the Duke
Behind-the-scenes
The music in this episode was created by Anthony Rooley, who wrote new arrangements of works from Shakespeare's own time. For example, John Dowland's piece 'Lachrimae' was rewritten and performed by Rooley. According to director Don Taylor, the use of the young actors dressed as cherubs was to convey the idea that the characters lived in a 'Garden of Courtly Love', which was slightly divorced from every day reality.
The Tragedy of Coriolanus
* Directed by Elijah Moshinsky
* Taping dates: 18–26 April 1983
* First transmitted in the US: 26 March 1984
* First transmitted in the UK: 21 April 1984
* Joss Ackland as Menenius
* Alan Howard as Gaius Marcius Coriolanus
* Patrick Godfrey as Cominius
* Peter Sands as Titus Lartius
* John Burgess as Sicinius
* Anthony Pedley as Junius Brutus
* Mike Gwilym as Aufidius
* Valentine Dyall as Adrian
* Irene Worth as Volumnia
* Joanna McCallum as Virgilia
* Heather Canning as Valeria
* Damien Franklin as Marcus
* Nicolas Amer as Aedile
* Teddy Kempner as Nicanor
Behind-the-scenes
Director Elijah Moshinsky modelled the relationship between Coriolanus and his mother after that between Rose Kennedy and her sons.
Pericles, Prince of Tyre
* Directed by David Hugh Jones
* Taping dates: 21–28 June 1983
* First transmitted in the US: 11 June 1984
* First transmitted in the UK: 8 December 1984
* Edward Petherbridge as Gower
* John Woodvine as King Antiochus
* Edita Brychta as Antiochus' daughter
* Mike Gwilym as Pericles
* Robert Ashby as Thaliard
* Patrick Godfrey as Helicanus
* Toby Salaman as Escanes
* Norman Rodway as Cleon
* Annette Crosbie as Dionyza
* Christopher Saul as Lord of Tarsus
* Patrick Allen as King Simonides
* Juliet Stevenson as Thaisa
* Edward Clayton as Philemon
* Stephen Oxley as Lord of Pentapolis
* Valerie Lush as Lychorida
* Clive Swift as Lord Cerimon
* Nick Brimble as Leonine
* Amanda Redman as Marina
* Trevor Peacock as Boult
* Lila Kaye as Bawd
* Patrick Ryecart as Lysimachus
* Elayne Sharling as the Goddess Diana
Season seven; Shaun Sutton, producer
Much Ado About Nothing
* Directed by Stuart Burge
* Taping dates: 15–21 August 1984
* First transmitted in the US: 30 October 1984
* First transmitted in the UK: 22 December 1984
* Lee Montague as Leonato
* Cherie Lunghi as Beatrice
* Katharine Levy as Hero
* Jon Finch as Don Pedro
* Robert Lindsay as Benedick
* Robert Reynolds as Claudio
* Gordon Whiting as Antonio
* Vernon Dobtcheff as Don John
* Robert Gwilym as Conrade
* Tony Rohr as Borachio
* Pamela Moiseiwitsch as Margaret
* Ishia Bennison as Ursula
* Oz Clarke as Balthasar
* Michael Elphick as Dogberry
* Clive Dunn as Verges
* Graham Crowden as Friar Francis
Behind-the-scenes
A production of Much Ado About Nothing directed by Donald McWhinnie and starring Penelope Keith and Michael York was the first production to be recorded in the series, but was thought unsatisfactory for US audiences, and never broadcast.[12] During the reshoot for season seven, director Stuart Burge initially thought about shooting the entire episode against a blank tapestry background, with no set whatsoever, but it was felt that audiences may not respond well to this, and the idea was scrapped.
The Life and Death of King John
* Directed by David Giles
* Taping dates: 1–7 February 1984
* First transmitted in the UK: 24 November 1984
* First transmitted in the US: 11 January 1985
* Leonard Rossiter as King John
* William Whymper as Chatillon
* Mary Morris as Queen Elinor
* Robert Brown as the Earl of Pembroke
* John Castle as the Earl of Essex
* John Flint as Lord Bigot
* John Thaw as Hubert de Burgh
* George Costigan as Philip the Bastard
* Edward Hibbert as Robert Faulconbridge
* Phyllida Law as Lady Faulconbridge
* Mike Lewin as James Gurney
* Charles Kay as Philip, King of France
* Jonathan Coy as Lewis the Dauphin
* Luc Owen as Arthur, Duke of Britany
* Gordon Kaye as Lymoges, Duke of Austria
* Claire Bloom as Constance
* John Moreno as Melun
* Janet Maw as Blanche
* Richard Wordsworth as Cardinal Pandulph
* Alan Collins as Peter of Pomfret
* Rusty Livingstone as Prince Henry
Love's Labour's Lost
* Directed by Elijah Moshinsky
* Taping dates: 30 June-6 July 1984
* First transmitted in the UK: 5 January 1985
* First transmitted in the US: 31 May 1985
* Jonathan Kent as the King of Navarre
* Christopher Blake as Longaville
* Geoffrey Burridge as Dumain
* Mike Gwilym as Berowne
* David Warner as Don Armado
* John Kane as Moth
* Paul Jesson as Costard
* Frank Williams as Dull
* Paddy Navin as Jaquenetta
* Clifford Rose as Boyet
* Maureen Lipman as the Princess of France
* Katy Behean as Maria
* Petra Markham as Katharine
* Jenny Agutter as Rosaline
* Jay Ruparelia as Adrian
* John Burgess as Sir Nathaniel
* John Wells as Holofernes
* Valentine Dyall as Marcade
* Linda Kitchen as Spring
* Susanna Ross as Winter
Behind-the-scenes
Director Elijah Moshinsky used the paintings of Jean-Antoine Watteau, the music of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart and the writing of Pierre de Marivaux as inspiration during the making of this episode, which is the only play of the thirty-seven to be set in the eighteenth century.
Titus Andronicus
* Directed by Jane Howell
* Taping dates: 10–17 February 1985
* First transmitted in the US: 19 April 1985
* First transmitted in the UK: 27 April 1985
* Paul Davies Prowles as Young Lucius
* Edward Hardwicke as Marcus
* Walter Brown as Aemilius
* Brian Protheroe as Saturninus
* Nicholas Gecks as Bassianus
* Derek Fuke as Sempronius
* Eileen Atkins as Tamora
* Peter Searles as Alarbus
* Neil McCaul as Demetrius
* Michael Crompton as Chiron
* Hugh Quarshie as Aaron
* Gavin Richards as Lucius
* Crispin Redman as Quintus
* Tom Hunsinger as Martius
* Michael Packer as Mutius
* Trevor Peacock as Titus Andronicus
* Anna Calder-Marshall as Lavinia
* Paul Kelly as Publius
Season one; Cedric Messina, producer
Romeo and Juliet
* Directed by Alvin Rakoff
* Taping dates: 31 January-5 February 1978
* First transmitted in the UK: 3 December 1978
* First transmitted in the US: 14 March 1979
* Patrick Ryecart as Romeo
* Rebecca Saire as Juliet
* Celia Johnson as the Nurse
* Michael Hordern as Lord Capulet
* John Gielgud as the Chorus
* Anthony Andrews as Mercutio
* Alan Rickman as Tybalt
* Joseph O'Conor as Friar Laurence
* Laurence Naismith as Prince Escalus
* Jacqueline Hill as Lady Capulet
* Christopher Strauli as Benvolio
* Christopher Northey as Paris
* Peter Henry as Peter
* Roger Davidson as Balthasar
* John Paul as Montague
* Zulema Dene as Lady Montague
* Esmond Knight as Old Capulet
* David Sibley as Samson
* Jack Carr as Gregory
* Bunny Reed as Abraham
* Vernon Dobtcheff as Apothecary
* John Savident as Friar John
Behind-the-scenes
Rebecca Saire was only fourteen when the production was filmed, an unusually young age for an actress playing Juliet (even though she is only thirteen in the play itself).
King Richard the Second
* Directed by David Giles
* Taping dates: 12–17 April 1978
* First transmitted in the UK: 10 December 1978
* First transmitted in the US: 28 March 1979
* Derek Jacobi as Richard II
* Jon Finch as Henry Bolingbroke
* John Gielgud as John of Gaunt, Duke of Lancaster
* Charles Gray as Edmund Langley, Duke of York
* Wendy Hiller as the Duchess of York
* Mary Morris as the Duchess of Gloucester
* David Swift as the Duke of Northumberland
* Clifford Rose as the Bishop of Carlisle
* Charles Keating as Duke of Aumerle
* Richard Owens as Thomas Mowbray
* Janet Maw as the Queen
* Jeffrey Holland as the Duke of Surrey
* Jeremy Bulloch as Henry 'Hotspur' Percy
* Robin Sachs as Bushy
* Damien Thomas as Bagot
* Alan Dalton as Green
* David Dodimead as Lord Ross
* John Flint as Lord Willoughby
* Carl Oatley as Earl Berkeley
* William Whymper as Sir Stephen Scroop
* John Barcroft as Earl of Salisbury
* David Garfield as Welsh Captain
* Desmond Adams as Sir Pierce of Exton
* Bruno Barnabe as Abbot of Westminster
* Jonathan Adams as Gardener
* Alan Collins as Gardener's Man
* John Curless as Lord Fitzwater
* Terry Wright as Murderer
As You Like It
* Directed by Basil Coleman
* Taping dates: 30 May-16 June 1978
* First transmitted in the UK: 17 December 1978
* First transmitted in the US: 28 February 1979
* Helen Mirren as Rosalind
* Brian Stirner as Orlando
* Richard Pasco as Jaques
* Angharad Rees as Celia
* James Bolam as Touchstone
* Clive Francis as Oliver
* Richard Easton as Duke Frederick
* Tony Church as Duke Senior
* John Quentin as Le Beau
* Maynard Williams as Silvius
* Victoria Plucknett as Phebe
* Marilyn Le Conte as Audrey
* Tom McDonnell as Amiens
* David Lloyd Meredith as Corin
* Arthur Hewlett as Adam
* Jeffrey Holland as William
* Timothy Bateson as Sir Oliver Martext
* David Prowse as Charles the Wrestler
* John Moulder-Brown as Hyman
* Paul Bentall as Jacques de Boys
* Chris Sullivan as Dennis
Behind-the-scenes
Filmed at Glamis Castle in Scotland, this was one of only two productions shot on location, the other being Henry VIII. Director Basil Colemen initially felt that the play should be filmed over the course of a year, with the change in seasons from winter to summer marking the ideological change in characters, but he was forced to shoot entirely in May, even though the play begins in winter.
Julius Caesar
* Directed by Herbert Wise
* Taping dates: 26–31 July 1978
* First transmitted in UK: 11 February 1979
* First transmitted in the US: 14 February 1979
* Richard Pasco as Brutus
* Charles Gray as Julius Caesar
* Keith Michell as Marcus Antonius
* David Collings as Cassius
* Virginia McKenna as Portia
* Elizabeth Spriggs as Calpurnia
* Sam Dastor as Casca
* Jon Laurimore as Flavius
* John Sterland as Marullus
* Garrick Hagon as Octavius Caesar
* Brian Coburn as Messala
* Leonard Preston as Titinius
* Alexander Davion as Decius Brutus
* Darien Angadi as Cinna
* Andrew Hilton as Lucilius
* Anthony Dawes as Ligarius
* Roger Bizley as Metellus Cimber
* Manning Wilson as Cicero
* Ronald Forfar as The Soothsayer
* Patrick Marley as Artemidorus
* William Simons as Trebonius
* John Tordoff as Cinna the Poet
* Philip York as Young Cato
* Christopher Good as Clitus
* Robert Oates as Pindarus
* Jonathan Scott-Taylor as Lucius
* Maurice Thorogood as Strato
* Michael Greatorex as Varro
* Nicholas Gecks as Volumnius
* Michael Jenkinson as Dardanius
* Roy Spencer as Lepidus
* Terence Conoley as Popilius
* Noel Johnson as Publius
Behind-the-scenes
Director Herbert Wise felt that Julius Caesar should be set in the Elizabethan era, but he was compelled by the financiers to set it in a Roman milieu. Wise felt that Shakespeare had written the play specifically as a commentary on Elizabethan culture, and that interpreting it literally as being a play about Ancient Rome trivialised the story.
Measure for Measure
* Directed by Desmond Davis
* Taping dates: 17–22 May 1978
* First transmitted in the UK: 18 February 1979
* First transmitted in the US: 11 April 1979
* Kenneth Colley as the Duke
* Kate Nelligan as Isabella
* Tim Pigott-Smith as Angelo
* Christopher Strauli as Claudio
* John McEnery as Lucio
* Jacqueline Pearce as Mariana
* Frank Middlemass as Pompey
* Alun Armstrong as Provost
* Adrienne Corri as Mistress Overdone
* Ellis Jones as Elbow
* John Clegg as Froth
* William Sleigh as Barnardine
* Neil McCarthy as Abhorson
* Yolanda Vazquez as Juliet
* Eileen Page as Francesca
* Kevin Stoney as Escalus
* Godfrey Jackman as Friar Thomas
Behind-the-scenes
Director Desmond Davis based the brothel in the play on a traditional Western saloon and the prison on a typical horror film dungeon.
The Famous History of the Life of King Henry the Eight
* Directed by Kevin Billington
* Taping dates: 27 November 1978 – 7 January 1979
* First transmitted in UK, 25 February 1979
* First transmitted in the US: 25 April 1979
* John Stride as Henry VIII
* Claire Bloom as Katharine
* Ronald Pickup as Cranmer, Archbishop of Canterbury
* Barbara Kellerman as Anne Bullen
* Timothy West as Cardinal Wolsey
* Julian Glover as the Duke of Buckingham
* John Rowe as Cromwell
* Lewis Fiander as the Duke of Suffolk
* Alan Leith as Sergeant-at-Arms
* Tony Church as Prologue
* John Bailey as Griffith
* David Troughton as Surveyor
* John Nettleton as Lord Chamberlain
* Charles Lloyd Pack as Lord Sandys
* Nigel Lambert as Sir Thomas Lovell
* Adam Bareham as Sir Henry Guildford
* Jeremy Kemp as the Duke of Norfolk
* Jack McKenzie as Sir Nicholas Vaux
* Michael Poole as Cardinal Campeius
* Peter Vaughan as Gardiner, Bishop of Winchester
* David Rintoul as Lord Abergavenny
* David Dodimead as the Bishop of Lincoln
* Oliver Cotton as the Earl of Surrey
* John Rhys-Davies as Capucius
* John Rogan as Dr. Butts
* Jack May as the Lord Chancellor
Behind-the-scenes
Shot at Leeds Castle, Penhurst Place and Hever Castle and in the actual rooms in which some of the real events took place.
Seaon two; Cedric Messina, producer
The First Part of King Henry the Fourth, with the life and death of Henry surnamed Hotspur
* Directed by David Giles
* Taping dates: 7–12 March 1979
* First transmitted in the UK: 9 December 1979
* First transmitted in the US: 26 March 1980
* Anthony Quayle as Sir John Falstaff
* Jon Finch as King Henry the Fourth
* David Gwillim as Hal, Prince of Wales
* Tim Pigott-Smith as Henry 'Hotspur' Percy
* Michele Dotrice as Lady Percy
* Brenda Bruce as Mistress Quickly
* Rob Edwards as Prince John of Lancaster
* David Buck as the Earl of Westmorland
* Robert Brown as Sir Walter Blunt
* Clive Swift as Thomas Percy, Earl of Worcester
* Bruce Purchase as Henry Percy, Earl of Northumberland
* Robert Morris as Edmund Mortimer, Earl of March
* John Cairney as Archibald, Earl of Douglas
* David Neal as Scroop, Archbishop of York
* Norman Rutherford as Sir Michael
* Richard Owens as Owen Glendower
* Terence Wilton as Sir Richard Vernon
* Jack Galloway as Poins
* Gordon Gostelow as Bardolph
* Steven Beard as Peto
* Sharon Morgan as Lady Mortimer
The Second Part of King Henry the Fourth, including his death and the coronation of King Henry the Fift
* Directed by David Giles
* Taping dates: 11–16 April 1979
* First transmitted in the UK: 16 December 1979
* First transmitted in the US: 9 April 1980
* Jon Finch as King Henry the Fourth
* David Gwillim as Prince Henry of Wales
* Rob Edwards as Prince John of Lancaster
* Martin Neil as Prince Humphrey of Gloucester
* Roger Davenport as Prince Thomas, Duke of Clarence
* Bruce Purchase as the Earl of Northumberland
* David Neal as Scroop, Archbishop of York
* Michael Miller as Lord Mowbray
* Richard Bebb as Lord Hastings
* John Humphry as Lord Bardolph
* Salvin Stewart as Sir John Colville
* David Strong as Travers
* Carl Oatley as Morton
* Rod Beacham as the Earl of Warwick
* David Buck as the Earl of Westmorland
* Brian Poyser as Gower
* Ralph Michael as the Lord Chief Justice
* Anthony Quayle as Sir John Falstaff
* Jack Galloway as Poins
* Gordon Gostelow as Bardolph
* Bryan Pringle as Pistol
* Steven Beard as Peto
* Robert Eddison as Justice Robert Shallow
* Leslie French as Justice Silence
* Raymond Platt as Davy
* Frederick Proud as Fang
* Julian Battersby as Ralph Mouldy
* Roy Herrick as Simon Shadow
* Alan Collins as Thomas Wart
* John Tordoff as Francis Feeble
* Roger Elliott as Peter Bullcalf
* Jenny Laird as Lady Northumberland
* Michele Dotrice as Lady Percy
* Brenda Bruce as Mistress Quickly
* Frances Cuka as Doll Tearsheet
The Life of Henry the Fift
* Directed by David Giles
* Taping dates: 18–25 June 1979
* First transmitted in the UK: 23 December 1979
* First transmitted in the US: 23 April 1980
* John Abineri as the Bishop of Ely
* Robert Ashby as the Earl of Salisbury
* Trevor Baxter as the Archbishop of Canterbury
* Rob Beacham as the Earl of Warwick
* Jocelyne Boisseau as Princess Katherine
* Alan Brown as the Governor of Harfleur
* John Bryans as the Duke of Bourbon
* David Buck as the Earl of Westmoreland
* Roger Davenport as the Duke of Clarence
* Keith Drinkel as Lewis the Dauphin
* Rob Edwards as the Duke of Bedford
* Ronald Forfar as Bates
* Carl Forgione as Rambures
* John Fowler as the Boy
* Julian Glover as the Constable of France
* Gordon Gostelow as Bardolph
* David Gwillim as Henry V
* Garrick Hagon as Mountjoy
* Robert Harris as the Duke of Burgundy
* Jeffrey Holland as Nym
* Derek Hollis as the Duke of York
* George Howe as Sir Thomas Erpingham
* Alec McCowen as Chorus
* Michael McKevitt as Jamy
* Clifford Parrish as the Duke of Exeter
* David Pinner as Williams
* Brian Poyser as Gower
* Ian Price as Scrope
* Bryan Pringle as Pistol
* Anna Quayle as Alice
* David Rowlands as Sir Thomas Grey
* Pamela Ruddock as Queen Isabel
* John Saunders as the Duke of Orléans
* Martin Smith as the Duke of Gloucester
* Thorley Walters as the King of France
* Paddy Ward as Macmorris
* William Whymper as the Earl of Cambridge
* Tim Wylton as Fluellen
* Brenda Bruce as Mistress Quickly
Twelfth Night
* Directed by John Gorrie
* Taping dates: 16–21 May 1979
* First transmitted in the UK: 6 January 1980
* First transmitted in the US: 27 February 1980
* Alec McCowen as Malvolio
* Robert Hardy as Sir Toby Belch
* Felicity Kendal as Viola
* Annette Crosbie as Maria
* Sinéad Cusack as Olivia
* Trevor Peacock as Feste
* Clive Arrindell as Orsino
* Ronnie Stevens as Sir Andrew Aguecheek
* Robert Lindsay as Fabian
* Maurice Roëves as Antonio
* Michael Thomas as Sebastian
* Malcolm Reynolds as Valentine
* Ryan Michael as Curio
* Ric Morgan as the Sea Captain
* Arthur Hewlett as the Priest
Behind-the-scenes
Director John Gorrie interpreted the play as an English country house comedy, and incorporated influences ranging from Luigi Pirandello's Il Gioco delle Parti to ITV's Upstairs, Downstairs. Gorrie also set the play during the English Civil War, hoping the use of cavaliers and roundheads would help focus the dramatisation of the conflict between festivity and Puritanism.
The Tempest
* Directed by John Gorrie
* Taping dates: 23–28 July 1979
* First transmitted in the UK: 27 February 1980
* First transmitted in the US: 7 May 1980
* Michael Hordern as Prospero
* Derek Godfrey as Antonio
* David Waller as Alonso
* Warren Clarke as Caliban
* Nigel Hawthorne as Stephano
* David Dixon as Ariel
* Andrew Sachs as Trinculo
* John Nettleton as Gonzalo
* Alan Rowe as Sebastian
* Pippa Guard as Miranda
* Christopher Guard as Ferdinand
* Kenneth Gilbert as Boatswain
* Edwin Brown as Master
* Paul Greenhalgh as Francisco
* Christopher Bramwell as Adrian
* Gwyneth Lloyd as Juno
* Elizabeth Gardner as Ceres
* Judith Rees as Iris
Behind-the-scenes
The special effects seen in this episode were not developed especially for use here. They had been developed for Top of the Pops and Doctor Who.
Hamlet, Prince of Denmark
* Directed by Rodney Bennett
* Taping dates: 31 January-8 February 1980
* First transmitted in the UK: 25 May 1980
* First transmitted in the US: 10 November 1980
* Derek Jacobi as Hamlet
* Claire Bloom as Gertrude
* Patrick Stewart as Claudius
* Eric Porter as Polonius
* Lalla Ward as Ophelia
* David Robb as Laertes
* Patrick Allen as the Ghost of Hamlet's Father
* Robert Swann as Horatio
* Jonathan Hyde as Rosencrantz
* Geoffrey Bateman as Guildenstern
* Emrys James as Player King
* Jason Kemp as Player Queen
* Ian Charleson as Fortinbras
* Tim Wylton as First Gravedigger
* Peter Benson as Second Gravedigger
* Paul Humpoletz as Marcellus
* Niall Padden as Bernardo
* Christopher Baines as Francisco
* John Humphry as Voltimand
* John Sterland as Cornelius
* Peter Gale as Osric
* Raymond Mason as Reynaldo
* Dan Meaden as Norwegian Captain
* David Henry as English Ambassador
Season three; Jonathan Miller, producer
Petruchio (John Cleese) and Katherine (Sarah Badel)
The Taming of the Shrew
* Directed by Jonathan Miller
* Taping dates: 18–24 June 1980
* First transmitted in the UK: 23 October 1980
* First transmitted in the US: 26 January 1981
* Simon Chandler as Lucentio
* Anthony Pedley as Tranio
* John Franklyn-Robbins as Baptista
* Frank Thornton as Gremio
* Sarah Badel as Katherine
* Jonathan Cecil as Hortensio
* Susan Penhaligon as Bianca
* Harry Waters as Biondello
* John Cleese as Petruchio
* David Kincaid as Grumio
* Angus Lennie as Curtis
* Harry Webster as Nathaniel
* Gil Morris as Philip
* Leslie Sarony as Gregory
* Derek Deadman as Nicholas
* Denis Gilmore as Peter
* John Bird as the Pedant
* Alan Hay as the Tailor
* David Kinsey as the Haberdasher
* John Barron as Vincentio
* Joan Hickson as the Widow
Behind-the-scenes
The casting of John Cleese as Petruchio was not without controversy at the time. Cleese had never performed Shakespeare before, and was not a fan of the first two seasons of the BBC Television Shakespeare, and took some persuading from Miller that the BBC Shrew would not be, as Cleese feared "about a lot of furniture being knocked over, a lot of wine being spilled, a lot of thighs being slapped and a lot of unmotivated laughter."[10] As such, Miller told Cleese that the episode would interpret Petruchio as an early Puritan, and that the part was not to be acted along the traditional lines of the swaggering bully a la Richard Burton in Franco Zeffirelli's adaptation. In tandem with this interpretation, the song sung at the end of the play is a musical version of Psalm 128, which was often sung in Puritan households at the end of a meal during Shakespeare's own day.
The Merchant of Venice
* Directed by Jack Gold
* Taping dates: 15–21 May 1980
* First transmitted in the UK: 17 December 1980
* First transmitted in the US: 23 February 1981
* John Franklyn-Robbins as Antonio
* John Rhys-Davies as Salerio
* Alan David as Solanio
* John Nettles as Bassiano
* Richard Morant as Lorenzo
* Kenneth Cranham as Gratiano
* Gemma Jones as Portia
* Susan Jameson as Nerissa
* Daniel Mitchell as Balthasar
* Warren Mitchell as Shylock
* Marc Zuber as the Prince of Morocco
* Enn Reitel as Lancelot Gobbo
* Joe Gladwin as Old Gobbo
* Roger Martin as Leonardo
* Leslee Udwin as Jessica
* Peter Gale as the Prince of Arragon
* Arnold Diamond as Tubal
* Douglas Wilmer as the Duke of Venice
* Shaun Scott as Stephano
All's Well That Ends Well
* Directed by Elijah Moshinsky
* Taping dates: 23–29 July 1980
* First transmitted in the UK: 4 January 1981
* First transmitted in the US: 18 May 1981
* Celia Johnson as The Countess of Rousillion
* Ian Charleson as Bertram
* Michael Hordern as Lafeu
* Angela Down as Helena
* Peter Jeffrey as Parolles
* Donald Sinden as the King of France
* Paul Brooke as Lavache
* Robert Lindsay as the first Lord Dumaine
* Dominic Jephcott as the Second Lord Dumaine
* Rosemary Leach as The Widow of Florence
* Pippa Guard as Diana
* Joolia Cappleman as Mariana
* Nickolas Grace as the "Interpreter"
* Terence McGinity as The First Gentleman
* Max Arthur as The Second Gentleman
Behind-the-scenes
In line with producer Jonathan Miller's new aesthetic policy, director Elijah Moshinsky composed many of the shots of the film as live action replicas of the work of Johannes Vermeer.
The Winter's Tale
* Directed by Jane Howell
* Taping dates: 9–15 April 1980
* First transmitted in the UK: 8 February 1981
* First transmitted in the US: 8 June 1981
* John Welsh as Archidamus
* David Burke as Camillo
* Robert Stephens as Polixenes
* Jeremy Kemp as Leontes
* Anna Calder-Marshall as Hermionie
* Jeremy Dimmick as Mamillius
* Merelina Kendall as Emilia
* Cyril Luckham as Antigonus
* Margaret Tyzack as Paulina
* John Curless as Cleomenes
* Colin McCormack as Dion
* Arthur Hewlett as The Old Shepard
* Paul Jesson as the Clown
* Harold Goldblatt as Time
* Rikki Fulton as Autolycus
* Robin Kermode as Florizel
* Debbie Farrington as Perdita
* Janette Legge as Dorcas
* Maggie Wells as Mopsa
* Pat Gorman as The Bear
Timon of Athens
* Directed by Jonathan Miller
* Taping dates: 28 January-3 February 1981
* First transmitted in the UK: 16 April 1981
* First transmitted in the US: 14 December 1981
* John Fortune as the Poet
* John Bird as the Painter
* Tony Jay as the Merchant
* David Kinsey as the Jeweller
* Jonathan Pryce as Timon
* John Welsh as Flavius
* Sebastian Shaw as Old Athenian
* James Cossins as Lucullus
* Norman Rodway as Apemantus
* Geoffrey Collins as Flaminius
* Terence McGinity as Servilius
* John Shrapnel as Alcibades
* Hugh Thomas as Lucius
* Max Arthur as Lucillus
* Donald Gee as Ventidius
* John Bailey as Sempronius
* Michael Anthony as Caphis
* Elyane Sharling as Phryina
* Diana Dors as Timandra
Behind-the-scenes
Michael Bogdanov was originally hired to direct this episode, but he resigned after his modern-dress interpretation was considered too radical.
Antony and Cleopatra
* Directed by Jonathan Miller
* Taping dates: 5–10 March 1980
* First transmitted in the US: 20 April 1981
* First transmitted in the UK: 8 May 1981
* John Paul as Canidius
* Jonathan Adams as Ventidius
* Jane Lapotaire as Cleopatra
* Colin Blakely as Antony
* Darien Angadi as Alexas
* Janet Key as Charmian
* Howard Goorney as the Soothsayer
* Cassie McFarlane as Iras
* Emrys James as Enobarbus
* Mohammad Shamsi as Mardian
* Ian Charleson as Octavius Caesar
* Esmond Knight as Lepidus
* Harry Waters as Thidius
* David Neal as Proculeius
* Anthony Pedley as Agrippa
* Geoffrey Collins as Dolabella
* Donald Sumpter as Pompeius
* George Innes as Menas
* Desmond Stokes as Menecrates
* Lynn Farleigh as Octavius
* Simon Chandler as Eros
* Christopher Ettridge as Scarus
* George Howe as Euphronius
* Alec Sabin as Dercetas
Behind-the-scenes
During the shooting of the scene with the snake, the snake crawled down the back of Jane Lapotaire's dress.
Season four; Jonathan Miller, producer
Othello
* Directed by Jonathan Miller
* Taping dates: 9–17 March 1981
* First transmitted in the UK: 4 October 1981
* First transmitted in the US: 12 October 1981
* Anthony Pedley as Roderigo
* Bob Hoskins as Iago
* Geoffrey Chater as Brabantio
* Alexander Davion as Gratiano
* Anthony Hopkins as Othello
* David Yelland as Cassio
* Joseph O'Conor as Lodovico
* John Barron as Duke of Venice
* Penelope Wilton as Desdemona
* Rosemary Leach as Emilia
* Tony Steedman as Montano
* Wendy Morgan as Bianca
Behind-the-scenes
James Earl Jones was originally hired to play the role of Othello, but Equity, the English Actor's Guild, refused to issue a work permit. During production itself, Jonathan Miller based the visual design on the work of El Greco.
Troilus and Cressida
* Directed by Jonathan Miller
* Taping dates: 28 July-5 August 1981
* First transmitted in the UK: 7 November 1981
* First transmitted in the US: 17 May 1982
* Charles Gray as Pandarus
* Anton Lesser as Troilus
* Tony Steedman as Aeneas
* Suzanne Burden as Cressida
* Max Harvey as Alexander
* Vernon Dobtcheff as Agamemnon
* Geoffrey Chater as Nestor
* Benjamin Whitrow as Ulysses
* Bernard Brown as Menelaus
* Anthony Pedley as Ajax
* The Incredible Orlando as Thersites
* Kenneth Haigh as Achilles
* Simon Cutter as Patroclus
* Esmond Knight as Priam
* John Shrapnel as Hector
* Elayne Sharling as Cassandra
* David Firth as Paris
* Paul Moriarty as Diomedes
* Ann Pennington as Helen
* Peter Whitbread as Calchas
* Merelina Kendall as Andromache
* Cornelius Garrett as Margarelon
* Tony Portacio as Helenus
* Peter J. Cassell as Deiphobus
Behind-the-scenes
Director Jonathan Miller used the work of gothic painter Lucas Cranach as a visual influence during the production, and several of Cranach's paintings can be seen in Ajax's tent.
A Midsummer Night's Dream
* Directed by Elijah Moshinsky
* Taping dates: 19–25 May 1981
* First transmitted in the UK: 13 December 1981
* First transmitted in the US: 19 April 1982
* Estelle Kohler as Hippolyta
* Nigel Davenport as Theseus
* Hugh Quarshie as Philostrate
* Geoffrey Lumsden as Egeus
* Pippa Guard as Hermia
* Nicky Henson as Demetrius
* Robert Lindsay as Lysander
* Cherith Mellor as Helena
* Geoffrey Palmer as Peter Quince
* Brian Glover as Nick Bottom
* John Fowler as Francis Flute
* Don Estelle as Robin Starveling
* Nat Jackley as Tom Snout
* Ray Mort as Snug
* Phil Daniels as Puck
* Helen Mirren as Titania
* Peter McEnery as Oberon
* Bruce Savage as Peaseblossom
* Massimo Mezzofanti as Cobweb
* Dominic Martelli as Moth
* Timothy Cross as Mustardseed
Behind-the-scenes
Elijah Moshinsky based the fairies in the play on the baroque eroticism of Rembrandt and Peter Paul Rubens.
Season Five; Jonathan Miller and Shaun Sutton, producers
King Lear
* Directed by Jonathan Miller
* Taping dates: 26 March-2 April 1982
* First transmitted in the UK: 19 September 1982
* First transmitted in the US: 18 October 1982
* John Shrapnel as Kent
* Norman Rodway as Gloucester
* Michael Kitchen as Edmund
* Michael Hordern as King Lear
* Gillian Barge as Goneril
* Brenda Blethyn as Cordelia
* Penelope Wilton as Regan
* John Bird as Albany
* Julian Curry as Cornwall
* David Weston as Burgundy
* Harry Waters as The King of France
* Anton Lesser as Edgar
* John Grillo as Oswald
* Frank Middlemass as Fool
* Ken Stott as Curan
* George Howe as Doctor
Behind-the-scenes
Jonathan Miller had previously directed an adaptation of King Lear in 1975 for the BBC series Play of the Month. Like the BBC Shakespeare version, Miller's previous production starred Michael Hordern as Lear and Frank Middlemass as the Fool. Originally, however Robert Shaw was cast as Lear but died in 1978 before production began.
Cymbeline
* Directed by Elijah Moshinsky
* Taping dates: 29 July-5 August 1982
* First transmitted in the US: 20 December 1982
* First transmitted in the UK: 10 July 1983
* Richard Johnson as Cymbeline
* Hugh Thomas as Cornelius
* Claire Bloom as Queen
* Helen Mirren as Imogen
* Michael Pennington as Posthumous
* John Kane as Pisanio
* Paul Jesson as Cloten
* Robert Lindsay as Iachimo
* Geoffrey Lumsden as Philario
* Patsy Smart as Helen
* Graham Crowden as Caius Lucius
* Michael Gough as Belarius
* Geoffrey Burridge as Guiderius
* David Creedon as Arviragus
* Patricia Hayes as Soothsayer
* Marius Goring as Sicilius Leonatus
* Michael Hordern as Jupiter
The Merry Wives of Windsor
* Directed by David Hugh Jones
* Taping dates: 1–8 November 1982
* First transmitted in the UK: 28 December 1982
* First transmitted in the US: 31 January 1983
* Alan Bennett as Justice Shallow
* Richard O'Callaghan as Slender
* Tenniel Evans as Sir Hugh Evans
* Bryan Marshall as George Page
* Richard Griffiths as Sir John Falstaff
* Gordon Gostelow as Bardolph
* Nigel Terry as Pistol
* Michael Robbins as Nym
* Miranda Foster as Anne Page
* Judy Davis as Mistress Ford
* Prunella Scales as Mistress Page
* Ron Cook as Peter Simple
* Michael Graham Cox as Host
* Lee Whitlock as Robin
* Elizabeth Spriggs as Mistress Quickly
* John Joyce as John Rugby
* Michael Bryant as Doctor Caius
* Simon Chandler as Fenton
* Ben Kingsley as Frank Ford
* Ralph Brown as John
* Peter Gordon as Robert
* Crispin Mair as William Page
Behind-the-scenes
Director David Jones originally wanted to shoot the episode in Stratford-upon-Avon but was restricted to a studio setting. Jones got around this by basing his set on the house which belonged to Shakespeare's son-in-law, John Hall.
Joan (Brenda Blethyn), Alençon (Michael Byrne), Charles (Ian Saynor), Reignier (David Daker) and the Bastard (Brian Protheroe)
The First Part of Henry the Sixt
* Directed by Jane Howell
* Taping dates: 13–19 October 1981
* First transmitted in the UK: 2 January 1983
* First transmitted in the US: 27 March 1983
* Peter Benson as Henry VI
* Brenda Blethyn as Joan la Pucelle
* Antony Brown as the Duke of Burgundy
* David Burke as the Duke of Gloucester
* Michael Byrne as the Duke of Alençon
* Paul Chapman as the Earl of Suffolk
* Arthur Cox as Sir John Fastolfe
* David Daker as Reigner, Duke of Anjou
* Brian Deacon as the Earl of Somerset
* Tenniel Evans as the Duke of Bedford
* Derek Farr as the Earl of Salisbury
* Julia Foster as Margaret
* Alex Guard as Young Talbot
* Bernard Hill as the Duke of York
* Joanna McCallum as the Countess d'Auvergne
* Frank Middlemass as Cardinal Beaufort
* Joseph O'Conor as the Duke of Exeter
* Trevor Peacock as Lord Talbot
* Brian Protheroe as the Bastard of Orléans
* Ian Saynor as the Dauphin Charles
* Mark Wing-Davey as the Earl of Warwick
* Peter Wyatt as Woodville
York (Bernard Hill), Margaret (Julia Foster), Somerset (Brian Deacon), Iden (Antony Brown) and Henry (Peter Benson)
The Second Part of Henry the Sixt
* Directed by Jane Howell
* Taping dates: 17–23 December 1981
* First transmitted in the UK: 9 January 1983
* First transmitted in the US: 10 April 1983
* Peter Benson as Henry VI
* Antony Brown as Walter Whitmore/Alexander Iden
* David Burke as the Duke of Gloucester/Dick the Butcher
* Michael Byrne as John Hume
* Anne Carroll as the Duchess of Gloucester
* Paul Chapman as the Duke of Suffolk
* Ron Cook as Richard Plantaganet
* Arthur Cox as Thomas Horner/Lord Clifford
* David Daker as the Duke of Buckingham
* Brian Deacon as the Duke of Somerset/Smith the Weaver
* Tenniel Evans as the Earl of Salisbury/Clerk of Chartham
* Derek Farr as Lord Saye
* Julia Foster as Queen Margaret
* Derek Fuke as Simpcox
* Bernard Hill as the Duke of York
* Paul Jesson as John Holland/George Plantagenet
* Pat Keen as Margery Jourdayne
* Gabrielle Lloyd as Simpox's Wife
* Oengus MacNamara as Young Clifford
* Frank Middlemass as Cardinal Beaufort
* Trevor Peacock as Jack Cade
* Brian Protheroe as Edward Plantagenet
* David Pugh as Peter Thump
* Mark Wing-Davey as the Earl of Warwick
* Peter Wyatt as Sir Humphrey Stafford
Behind-the-scenes
This episode was filmed on the same set as The First Part of Henry the Sixt. However, designer Oliver Bayldon altered the set so it would appear that the paint work was flaking and peeling, and the set falling into a state of disrepair, as England descended into an ever increasing state of chaos.
The Battle of Tewkesbury
The Third Part of Henry the Sixt
* Directed by Jane Howell
* Taping dates: 10–17 February 1982
* First transmitted in the UK: 16 January 1983
* First transmitted in the US: 24 April 1983
* John Benfield as the Earl of Northumberland
* Peter Benson as Henry VI
* Antony Brown as Lewis, King of France
* Michael Byrne as the Marquess of Montague
* Paul Chapman as the Earl of Rivers
* Ron Cook as Richard, Duke of Gloucester
* Rowena Cooper as Lady Elizabeth Grey
* Arthur Cox as the Duke of Somerset
* David Daker as Lord Hastings
* Mathew David as the Earl of Rutland
* Brian Deacon as Earl of Oxford
* Derek Farr as the Duke of Exeter
* Julia Foster as Margaret
* Derek Fuke as the Earl of Westmoreland
* Tim Fuke as the Earl of Richmond
* Alex Guard as the Marquess of Dorset
* Bernard Hill as the Duke of York
* Paul Jesson as George, Duke of Clarence
* Merelina Kendall as Lady Bona
* Oengus MacNamara as Young Clifford
* Brian Protheroe as Edward IV
* Nick Reding as Edward, Prince of Wales
* Mark Wing-Davey as the Earl of Warwick
* Peter Wyatt as the Duke of Norfolk
Behind-the-scenes
This episode was filmed on the same set as The First Part of Henry the Sixt and The Second Part of Henry the Sixt. However, designer Oliver Bayldon altered the set so it would appear to be completely falling apart, as England descended into an even worse state of chaos.
The Tragedy of Richard III
* Directed by Jane Howell
* Taping dates: 31 March-6 April 1982
* First transmitted in the UK: 23 January 1983
* First transmitted in the US: 2 May 1983
* Peter Benson as the Ghost of Henry VI
* Antony Brown as Sir Richard Ratcliffe
* David Burke as Sir William Catesby
* Michael Byrne as the Duke of Buckingham
* Anne Carroll as Jane Shore
* Paul Chapman as Earl Rivers
* Ron Cook as Richard III
* Rowena Cooper as Queen Elizabeth
* Arthur Cox as Lord Grey
* Annette Crosbie as the Duchess of York
* David Daker as Lord Hastings
* Brian Deacon as Henry, Earl of Richmond
* Tenniel Evans as Lord Stanley
* Derek Farr as Sir Robert Brackenbury
* Dorian Ford as Edward, Prince of Wales
* Julia Foster as Margaret
* Derek Fuke as Sir Thomas Vaughan
* Alex Guard as the Marquess of Dorset
* Bernard Hill as Sir William Brandon
* Patsy Kensit as Lady Margaret Plantagenet
* Oengus MacNamara as Lord Lovell
* Brian Protheroe as Edward IV
* Nick Reding as the Ghost of the Prince of Wales
* Zoë Wanamaker as Lady Anne
* Mark Wing-Davey as Sir James Tyrell
* Peter Wyatt as the Duke of Norfolk
Behind-the-scenes
This episode was filmed on the same set as the three Henry VI plays. However, designer Oliver Bayldon altered the set so it would appear to be a ruin, as England reached its lowest point of chaos.
Season six; Shaun Sutton, producer
Macbeth
* Directed by Jack Gold
* Taping dates: 22–28 June 1982
* First transmitted in the US: 17 October 1983
* First transmitted in the UK: 5 November 1983
* Brenda Bruce as First Witch
* Eileen Way as Second Witch
* Anne Dyson as Third Witch
* Mark Dignam as Duncan
* James Hazeldine as Malcolm
* John Rowe as Lennox
* Gawn Grainger as Ross
* Nicol Williamson as Macbeth
* Ian Hogg as Banquo
* David Lyon as Angus
* Jane Lapotaire as Lady Macbeth
* Alistair Henderson as Fleance
* Tony Doyle as Macduff
* Tom Bowles as Donalbain
* Eamon Boland as Seyton
* Jill Baker as Lady Macduff
* Crispin Mair as Young Macduff
* Matthew Long as Menteith
* Peter Porteous as Caithness
* William Abney as Old Siward
* Nicholas Coppin as Young Siward
The Comedy of Errors
* Directed by James Cellan Jones
* Taping dates: 3–9 November 1983
* First transmitted in the UK: 24 December 1983
* First transmitted in the US: 20 February 1984
* Cyril Cusack as Aegeon
* Charles Gray as Solinus
* Nicolas Chagrin as Master of the Mime
* Michael Kitchen as Antipholus
* Roger Daltrey as Dromio
* Suzanne Bertish as Adriana
* Joanne Pearce as Luciana
* Marsha Fitzalan as Luce
* Sam Dastor as Angelo
* David Kelly as Balthazar
* Geoffrey Rose as Pinch
* Ingrid Pitt as Courtesan
* Wendy Hiller as the Abbess
Proteus (Tyler Butterworth) and Valentine (John Hudson)
The Two Gentlemen of Verona
* Directed by Don Taylor
* Taping dates: 25–31 July 1983
* First transmitted in the UK: 27 December 1983
* First transmitted in the US: 23 April 1984
* Frank Barrie as Eglamour
* Tessa Peake-Jones as Julia
* Hetta Charnley as Lucetta
* Tyler Butterworth as Proteus
* John Hudson as Valentine
* Nicholas Kaby as Speed
* Michael Byrne as Antonio
* John Woodnutt as Panthino
* Joanne Pearce as Sylvia
* Tony Haygarth as Launce
* David Collings as Thurio
* Paul Daneman as the Duke
Behind-the-scenes
The music in this episode was created by Anthony Rooley, who wrote new arrangements of works from Shakespeare's own time. For example, John Dowland's piece 'Lachrimae' was rewritten and performed by Rooley. According to director Don Taylor, the use of the young actors dressed as cherubs was to convey the idea that the characters lived in a 'Garden of Courtly Love', which was slightly divorced from every day reality.
The Tragedy of Coriolanus
* Directed by Elijah Moshinsky
* Taping dates: 18–26 April 1983
* First transmitted in the US: 26 March 1984
* First transmitted in the UK: 21 April 1984
* Joss Ackland as Menenius
* Alan Howard as Gaius Marcius Coriolanus
* Patrick Godfrey as Cominius
* Peter Sands as Titus Lartius
* John Burgess as Sicinius
* Anthony Pedley as Junius Brutus
* Mike Gwilym as Aufidius
* Valentine Dyall as Adrian
* Irene Worth as Volumnia
* Joanna McCallum as Virgilia
* Heather Canning as Valeria
* Damien Franklin as Marcus
* Nicolas Amer as Aedile
* Teddy Kempner as Nicanor
Behind-the-scenes
Director Elijah Moshinsky modelled the relationship between Coriolanus and his mother after that between Rose Kennedy and her sons.
Pericles, Prince of Tyre
* Directed by David Hugh Jones
* Taping dates: 21–28 June 1983
* First transmitted in the US: 11 June 1984
* First transmitted in the UK: 8 December 1984
* Edward Petherbridge as Gower
* John Woodvine as King Antiochus
* Edita Brychta as Antiochus' daughter
* Mike Gwilym as Pericles
* Robert Ashby as Thaliard
* Patrick Godfrey as Helicanus
* Toby Salaman as Escanes
* Norman Rodway as Cleon
* Annette Crosbie as Dionyza
* Christopher Saul as Lord of Tarsus
* Patrick Allen as King Simonides
* Juliet Stevenson as Thaisa
* Edward Clayton as Philemon
* Stephen Oxley as Lord of Pentapolis
* Valerie Lush as Lychorida
* Clive Swift as Lord Cerimon
* Nick Brimble as Leonine
* Amanda Redman as Marina
* Trevor Peacock as Boult
* Lila Kaye as Bawd
* Patrick Ryecart as Lysimachus
* Elayne Sharling as the Goddess Diana
Season seven; Shaun Sutton, producer
Much Ado About Nothing
* Directed by Stuart Burge
* Taping dates: 15–21 August 1984
* First transmitted in the US: 30 October 1984
* First transmitted in the UK: 22 December 1984
* Lee Montague as Leonato
* Cherie Lunghi as Beatrice
* Katharine Levy as Hero
* Jon Finch as Don Pedro
* Robert Lindsay as Benedick
* Robert Reynolds as Claudio
* Gordon Whiting as Antonio
* Vernon Dobtcheff as Don John
* Robert Gwilym as Conrade
* Tony Rohr as Borachio
* Pamela Moiseiwitsch as Margaret
* Ishia Bennison as Ursula
* Oz Clarke as Balthasar
* Michael Elphick as Dogberry
* Clive Dunn as Verges
* Graham Crowden as Friar Francis
Behind-the-scenes
A production of Much Ado About Nothing directed by Donald McWhinnie and starring Penelope Keith and Michael York was the first production to be recorded in the series, but was thought unsatisfactory for US audiences, and never broadcast.[12] During the reshoot for season seven, director Stuart Burge initially thought about shooting the entire episode against a blank tapestry background, with no set whatsoever, but it was felt that audiences may not respond well to this, and the idea was scrapped.
The Life and Death of King John
* Directed by David Giles
* Taping dates: 1–7 February 1984
* First transmitted in the UK: 24 November 1984
* First transmitted in the US: 11 January 1985
* Leonard Rossiter as King John
* William Whymper as Chatillon
* Mary Morris as Queen Elinor
* Robert Brown as the Earl of Pembroke
* John Castle as the Earl of Essex
* John Flint as Lord Bigot
* John Thaw as Hubert de Burgh
* George Costigan as Philip the Bastard
* Edward Hibbert as Robert Faulconbridge
* Phyllida Law as Lady Faulconbridge
* Mike Lewin as James Gurney
* Charles Kay as Philip, King of France
* Jonathan Coy as Lewis the Dauphin
* Luc Owen as Arthur, Duke of Britany
* Gordon Kaye as Lymoges, Duke of Austria
* Claire Bloom as Constance
* John Moreno as Melun
* Janet Maw as Blanche
* Richard Wordsworth as Cardinal Pandulph
* Alan Collins as Peter of Pomfret
* Rusty Livingstone as Prince Henry
Love's Labour's Lost
* Directed by Elijah Moshinsky
* Taping dates: 30 June-6 July 1984
* First transmitted in the UK: 5 January 1985
* First transmitted in the US: 31 May 1985
* Jonathan Kent as the King of Navarre
* Christopher Blake as Longaville
* Geoffrey Burridge as Dumain
* Mike Gwilym as Berowne
* David Warner as Don Armado
* John Kane as Moth
* Paul Jesson as Costard
* Frank Williams as Dull
* Paddy Navin as Jaquenetta
* Clifford Rose as Boyet
* Maureen Lipman as the Princess of France
* Katy Behean as Maria
* Petra Markham as Katharine
* Jenny Agutter as Rosaline
* Jay Ruparelia as Adrian
* John Burgess as Sir Nathaniel
* John Wells as Holofernes
* Valentine Dyall as Marcade
* Linda Kitchen as Spring
* Susanna Ross as Winter
Behind-the-scenes
Director Elijah Moshinsky used the paintings of Jean-Antoine Watteau, the music of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart and the writing of Pierre de Marivaux as inspiration during the making of this episode, which is the only play of the thirty-seven to be set in the eighteenth century.
Titus Andronicus
* Directed by Jane Howell
* Taping dates: 10–17 February 1985
* First transmitted in the US: 19 April 1985
* First transmitted in the UK: 27 April 1985
* Paul Davies Prowles as Young Lucius
* Edward Hardwicke as Marcus
* Walter Brown as Aemilius
* Brian Protheroe as Saturninus
* Nicholas Gecks as Bassianus
* Derek Fuke as Sempronius
* Eileen Atkins as Tamora
* Peter Searles as Alarbus
* Neil McCaul as Demetrius
* Michael Crompton as Chiron
* Hugh Quarshie as Aaron
* Gavin Richards as Lucius
* Crispin Redman as Quintus
* Tom Hunsinger as Martius
* Michael Packer as Mutius
* Trevor Peacock as Titus Andronicus
* Anna Calder-Marshall as Lavinia
* Paul Kelly as Publius
This 37 disc box set includes the following BBC Shakespeare Adaptations:
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1. All's Well That Ends Well - Directed by Elijah Moshinsky (1981)
2. Antony And Cleopatra - Directed by Jonathan Miller (1981)
3. As You Like It - Directed by Basil Coleman (1978)
4. The Comedy Of Errors - Directed by James Cellan Jones (1983)
5. Coriolanus - Directed by Elijah Moshinsky (1984)
6. Cymbeline - Directed by Elijah Moshinsky (1982)
7. Hamlet - Directed by Rodney Bennett (1980)
8. Henry IV: Part I - Directed by David Giles (1979)
9. Henry IV: Part II - Directed by David Giles (1979)
10. Henry V - Directed by David Giles (1979)
11. Henry VI: Part I - Directed by Jane Howell (1983)
12. Henry VI: Part II - Directed by Jane Howell (1983)
13. Henry VI: Part III - Directed by Jane Howell (1983)
14. Henry VIII - Directed Kevin Billington (1979)
15. Julius Caesar - Directed by Herbert Wise (1979)
16. King Lear - Directed by Jonathan Miller (1982)
17. The Life And Death Of King John - Directed by David Giles (1984)
18. Love's Labour's Lost - Directed by Elijah Moshinsky (1985)
19. Macbeth - Directed by Jack Gold (1983)
20. Measure For Measure - Directed by Desmond Davis (1979)
21. The Merchant Of Venice - Directed by Jack Gold (1980)
22. The Merry Wives of Windsor - Directed by David Hugh Jones (1982)
23. A Midsummer Night's Dream - Directed by Elijah Moshinsky (1981)
24. Much Ado About Nothing - Directed by Stuart Burge (1984)
25. Othello - Directed by Jonathan Miller (1981)
26. Pericles: Prince Of Tyre - Directed by David Hugh Jones (1984)
27. Richard II - Directed by Jane Howell (1983)
28. The Tragedy Of Richard III - Directed by Jane Howell (1983)
29. Romeo And Juliet - Directed by Alvin Rakoff (1978)
30. The Taming Of The Shrew - Directed by Jonathan Miller (1980)
31. The Tempest – Directed by John Gorrie (1980)
32. Timon of Athens – Directed by Jonathan Miller (1981)
33. Titus Andronicus – Directed by Jane Howell (1985)
34. Troilus and Cressida – Directed by Jonathan Miller (1981)
35. Twelfth Night – Directed by John Gorrie (1980)
36. The Two Gentlemen of Verona – Directed by Don Taylor (1983)
37. The Winter’s Tale – Directed by Jane Howell (1981)
2. Antony And Cleopatra - Directed by Jonathan Miller (1981)
3. As You Like It - Directed by Basil Coleman (1978)
4. The Comedy Of Errors - Directed by James Cellan Jones (1983)
5. Coriolanus - Directed by Elijah Moshinsky (1984)
6. Cymbeline - Directed by Elijah Moshinsky (1982)
7. Hamlet - Directed by Rodney Bennett (1980)
8. Henry IV: Part I - Directed by David Giles (1979)
9. Henry IV: Part II - Directed by David Giles (1979)
10. Henry V - Directed by David Giles (1979)
11. Henry VI: Part I - Directed by Jane Howell (1983)
12. Henry VI: Part II - Directed by Jane Howell (1983)
13. Henry VI: Part III - Directed by Jane Howell (1983)
14. Henry VIII - Directed Kevin Billington (1979)
15. Julius Caesar - Directed by Herbert Wise (1979)
16. King Lear - Directed by Jonathan Miller (1982)
17. The Life And Death Of King John - Directed by David Giles (1984)
18. Love's Labour's Lost - Directed by Elijah Moshinsky (1985)
19. Macbeth - Directed by Jack Gold (1983)
20. Measure For Measure - Directed by Desmond Davis (1979)
21. The Merchant Of Venice - Directed by Jack Gold (1980)
22. The Merry Wives of Windsor - Directed by David Hugh Jones (1982)
23. A Midsummer Night's Dream - Directed by Elijah Moshinsky (1981)
24. Much Ado About Nothing - Directed by Stuart Burge (1984)
25. Othello - Directed by Jonathan Miller (1981)
26. Pericles: Prince Of Tyre - Directed by David Hugh Jones (1984)
27. Richard II - Directed by Jane Howell (1983)
28. The Tragedy Of Richard III - Directed by Jane Howell (1983)
29. Romeo And Juliet - Directed by Alvin Rakoff (1978)
30. The Taming Of The Shrew - Directed by Jonathan Miller (1980)
31. The Tempest – Directed by John Gorrie (1980)
32. Timon of Athens – Directed by Jonathan Miller (1981)
33. Titus Andronicus – Directed by Jane Howell (1985)
34. Troilus and Cressida – Directed by Jonathan Miller (1981)
35. Twelfth Night – Directed by John Gorrie (1980)
36. The Two Gentlemen of Verona – Directed by Don Taylor (1983)
37. The Winter’s Tale – Directed by Jane Howell (1981)
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