Toby Jones on playing the boisterous and fun-loving knight Falstaff. Toby Jones stars as Falstaff in our full-length version of Henry IV Part 1, which you can find in your podcast feed.

Rebellion is brewing in Britain. King Henry must reunite his country but how when even his own family is divided? As Henry's rule is threatened his son Hal appears unconcerned, wasting his time in the company of the comically corrupt Falstaff and common thieves, apparently more interested in play than the politics of state. Yet what kind of leadership is needed to unite the country might well be found in the taverns of Eastcheap as within the Palace of Westminster. King Henry ..... Iain...

Khalid Abdalla, Matthew Needham and Cassie Layton star in Shakespeare's tragedy. This version is staged in an imagined near future, in which a power-hungry Turkish president attempts an attack on Cyprus. The western forces rush to Cyprus' defence, under the command of the fearless General Othello. But can an Arab-born, Christian convert ever be truly accepted by the people he serves? Adapted and directed for radio by Emma Harding You can listen to Dr Islam Issa giving us a quick rundown of...

Dr Islam Issa, Senior Lecturer at Birmingham City University, gives us a rundown of events in the 1600s that influenced the character of Othello. You can listen to our full-length version of Othello, set in an imagined near future, in your podcast feed.

JAILER'S DAUGHTER ..... Lyndsey Marshal EMILIA ..... Kate Phillips PALAMON ..... Blake Ritson ARCITE ..... Nikesh Patel THESEUS ..... Ray Fearon HIPPOLYTA ..... Emma Fielding JAILER ..... Hugh Ross PIRITHIOUS ..... Daniel Ryan WOOER ..... Oliver Chris QUEEN 1 ..... Susan Salmon QUEEN 2 ..... Sara Markland QUEEN 3/DOCTOR ..... Jane Whittenshaw COUNTRYMAN 1/FRIEND ..... Sam Dale ARTESIUS/COUNTRYMAN 2 ..... Carl Prekopp COUNTRYMAN 3/BROTHER ..... Pip Donaghy Adapted for Radio by...

JULIA ..... Lyndsey Marshal SILVIA ..... Kate Phillips PROTEUS ..... Blake Ritson VALENTINE ..... Nikesh Patel SPEED ..... Ray Fearon LUCETTA ..... Emma Fielding DUKE ..... Hugh Ross PANTHINO .....Daniel Ryan THURIO ..... Oliver Chris HOST ..... Sara Markland LAUNCE ..... Sam Dale EGLAMOUR ..... Carl Prekopp ANTONIO ..... Pip Donaghy Written by William Shakespeare Adapted for Radio by Sara Davies Sound design by David Thomas Directed by Celia de Wolff A Pier Production for BBC...

A whistle-stop tour through Ancient Rome with writer and broadcaster Natalie Haynes.

Shakespeare's penetrating portrayal of political turmoil in a society at war with itself. Coriolanus, a great martial hero, is banished by those he despises, the common people of Rome. Disaster must surely follow. Coriolanus . . . Trystan Gravelle Volumnia . . . Diana Rigg Menenius . . . James Fleet Cominius . . . Paul Hilton Sicinius . . . Tony Turner Brutus . . . Joel MacCormack Lartius . . . David Hounslow Aufidius . . . Ray Fearon Virgilia . . . Clare Corbett Valeria . . . Susan...

The original political thriller that re-imagines Brutus's betrayal of Caesar. Caesar - Tim Pigott-Smith Brutus, - Robert Glenister Cassius - Sam Troughton Mark Antony - Jamie Parker Casca - Philip Fox Portia - Fenella Woolgar Octavius - Wilf Scolding Calpurnia - Jessica Turner Lucius - Adam Thomas Wright Other parts were played by Sam Dale Neet Mohan David Acton Stephen Critchlow David Hounslow Chris Pavlo Mark Edel Hunt Produced by Marc Beeby

Imagine where we'd be without Shakespeare's plays. It's difficult to contemplate now. But it was thanks to another man that many of them were brought to life. Today, Richard Burbage is a not a household name. But he should be. He's the man for whom many of the great Shakespearean roles were created. One of the founding members of the Lord Chamberlain's Men, playing at the newly built Globe in 1599, he's one of the foundations upon which British theatre was built. Andrew Dickson talks to...

Playwright Mark Ravenhill challenges our adulation of the Bard and asks: Is Shakespeare's genius beyond question? Casting a sceptical eye over centuries of bardolatry, Ravenhill calls for a new approach to the plays. Exploring the intellectual tradition that has seen important figures from Voltaire to Tolstoy to Wittgenstein challenge Shakespeare's supremacy, Ravenhill searches for today's dissenting voices. Tracing the transformation of a working playwright into a national poet, global...

Gareth Malone and Margaret Drabble on strength and nature

Eve Best, Danny Sapani and Shaun Dooley star in the magical product of the Bard's later years. Treading new dramatic ground The Winter's Tale embraces tragedy, poetry, folklore, magic realism, music, comedy and the infamous stage direction "exit pursued by a bear". Leontes ..... Danny Sapani Hermione ..... Eve Best Polixenes ..... Shaun Dooley Camillo ..... Karl Johnson Paulina ..... Susan Jameson Shepherd ..... Paul Copley Perdita ..... Faye Castelow Autolycus ..... Tim Van...

Zoe Wanamaker on the world of play and Jim Al-Khalili on staying rational.

Hugh Quarshie on Othello’s blackness. Is the character coherent? Is the play racist? Hugh Quarshie is a Ghanaian-born British actor. He is a member of the Royal Shakespeare Company and played Othello in Iqbal Khan's production on the main stage of the RSC in the summer of 2015. But not without some soul searching. He's not convinced that Shakespeare actually knew any black people and wonders if the persona of Othello is simply derived from literary and theatrical convention. He also...

David Hare and Martha Kearney on deviant psychology and fancy dress

Creep into the forest this midsummer with a fantastical comedy. Warning: contains faeries

Jools Holland on Falstaff & Kwame Kwei-Armah on falling in love with someone’s story

Shopaholic noblemen, a love library, a priceless book sold. The First Folio's journey.

Stephen Fry and Hilary Mantel bring us the Shakespearean speeches closest to their hearts

Ian McDiarmid stars in this explosive tragedy about the division of the kingdom

Professor Emma Smith takes a look at Shakespeare’s skills as a storyteller

Religion, surveillance, sex, power. Shakespeare’s last comedy, starring Paul Higgins

Benjamin Zephaniah and Rowan Williams share their favourite Shakespearean moments