The BBC Television Shakespeare is a series of British television adaptations of the plays of William Shakespeare, created by Cedric Messina and produced by BBC Television. It was transmitted in the UK from 3 December 1978 to 27 April 1985 and spanned seven series. Development of the series began in 1975 when Messina saw that Glamis Castle would make a perfect location for an adaptation of Shakespeare's play As You Like It. On returning to London, he envisioned an entire series devoted exclusively to the dramatic works of Shakespeare. After encountering numerous problems trying to produce the series, Messina eventually pitched the idea to the BBC’s departmental heads and the series was greenlighted. The series as a whole received generally negative reviews from critics.
Jon Finch
King Henry the Fourth
Michael Hordern
Capulet
David Gwillim
Henry, Prince of Wales
Helen Mirren
Rosalind
John Gielgud
Chorus
Charles Gray
Julius Caesar
Jeffrey Holland
Duke of Surrey
Richard Pasco
Brutus
Derek Jacobi
Hamlet
Sirens66%
Miracle Workers68%
Tales of the Unexpected68%
Love Life69%
Eight Is Enough62%
Faerie Tale Theatre81%
Sanditon75%
Burning Love73%
Love, American Style62%
The Other Bennet Sister83%
Men at Work66%
The Romanoffs63%
Nick Cannon Presents: Wild 'N Out80%
Lore68%
A Black Lady Sketch Show69%
The Premise64%
Slings & Arrows73%
Goliath75%
Flaked67%
The Decameron59%
