by Cookie N Screen
There is no one as unforgettable as Shakespeare. The famous playwright has penned work that is still used to this day and is adapted left, right and centre. There isn’t an actor alive, particularly British ones, who don’t want to tackle at least one of the Bard's famous characters. But what would happen if you were called one day to play the great man himself?
Here are some of the best television portrayals of Shakespeare…
There is no one as unforgettable as Shakespeare. The famous playwright has penned work that is still used to this day and is adapted left, right and centre. There isn’t an actor alive, particularly British ones, who don’t want to tackle at least one of the Bard's famous characters. But what would happen if you were called one day to play the great man himself?
Here are some of the best television portrayals of Shakespeare…
Doctor Who – The Shakespeare Code
It’s not uncommon to find that everyone’s favourite Time Lord once travelled back in time and met Shakespeare. On one of his first adventures with the unforgettable Martha Jones, the Tenth Doctor (played by David Tennant,) takes her back for a special showing of Love's Labour’s Lost at the Globe Theatre. However, the arrogant and somewhat show off Shakespeare is being controlled by Corrionites and if he pens and performs the unknown play Love's Labour’s Won, he will bring them into our world to feast upon young men. Yikes. With a great performance of Shakespeare by Dean Lennox Kelly and the Doctor inspiring some of his famous quotes, it is a great look at the power of words and how important playwrights to our world. Especially one that tells you to shut your big fat mouths…
It’s not uncommon to find that everyone’s favourite Time Lord once travelled back in time and met Shakespeare. On one of his first adventures with the unforgettable Martha Jones, the Tenth Doctor (played by David Tennant,) takes her back for a special showing of Love's Labour’s Lost at the Globe Theatre. However, the arrogant and somewhat show off Shakespeare is being controlled by Corrionites and if he pens and performs the unknown play Love's Labour’s Won, he will bring them into our world to feast upon young men. Yikes. With a great performance of Shakespeare by Dean Lennox Kelly and the Doctor inspiring some of his famous quotes, it is a great look at the power of words and how important playwrights to our world. Especially one that tells you to shut your big fat mouths…
Horrible Histories
Horrible Histories have always been great at poking fun at classic historical characters. Not only do they make history fun again, but they shed some truth on people we once held dear. In this sketch on the beloved children’s show (the creators would later pen Yonderland,) William Shakespeare is in a pub when a man bumps into him. Trying to as politely as possible to diffuse the situation, Shakespeare is not worried when he is challenged to a duel – with words. The drunk man soon comes under the harsh end of Shakespeare’s tongue and Horrible Histories stays true to form, but keeping all insults that Shakespeare actually penned. Later on in the show, Shakespeare sings. Definitely worth a watch.
Horrible Histories have always been great at poking fun at classic historical characters. Not only do they make history fun again, but they shed some truth on people we once held dear. In this sketch on the beloved children’s show (the creators would later pen Yonderland,) William Shakespeare is in a pub when a man bumps into him. Trying to as politely as possible to diffuse the situation, Shakespeare is not worried when he is challenged to a duel – with words. The drunk man soon comes under the harsh end of Shakespeare’s tongue and Horrible Histories stays true to form, but keeping all insults that Shakespeare actually penned. Later on in the show, Shakespeare sings. Definitely worth a watch.
Will Shakespeare
Will Shakespeare was a BBC Drama series from the late seventies. Written by John Mortimer (famed more for Brideshead Revisited,) each episode would focus on the life of Shakespeare and how he came to create his famous works. Alongside Ian McShane and the late Roger Lloyd Pack, the period show had the incredible young Tim Curry, fresh off his Rocky Horror fame, starring as The Bard himself. Many of the episodes are hard to find but the following clip not only makes Curry a little bit hotter than usual, but showcases the drama of the Tudor period that we have all come to know and love. Especially drama from Will’s life that inspired his works.
Will Shakespeare was a BBC Drama series from the late seventies. Written by John Mortimer (famed more for Brideshead Revisited,) each episode would focus on the life of Shakespeare and how he came to create his famous works. Alongside Ian McShane and the late Roger Lloyd Pack, the period show had the incredible young Tim Curry, fresh off his Rocky Horror fame, starring as The Bard himself. Many of the episodes are hard to find but the following clip not only makes Curry a little bit hotter than usual, but showcases the drama of the Tudor period that we have all come to know and love. Especially drama from Will’s life that inspired his works.
Celebrity Death Match
Ah, MTV. There was a time when it produced some quality original television series that would be a stab at pop culture while being hilarious all at the same time. One such show that was gleefully enjoyed by adults and children who snuck it on at night was Celebrity Death Match. Showing that Claymation and stop animation can have a wicked twist, this show pitted one famed person against another and watched them fight to the death. Gory and gruesome, there was nothing better in the nineties than seeing boy bands, playboy bunnies, rappers and more gouge out eyes and flat out murder each other for our entertainment. Shakespeare appeared in one episode against Busta Rhymes, another glorious wordsmith, and wins the match by scaring Rhymes away with a crossbow.
Unfortuantely, a clip for this cannot be found but if it finds its way back into our lives, we will all be thankful. Here's some of the best Celebrity Deathmatch Moments
Ah, MTV. There was a time when it produced some quality original television series that would be a stab at pop culture while being hilarious all at the same time. One such show that was gleefully enjoyed by adults and children who snuck it on at night was Celebrity Death Match. Showing that Claymation and stop animation can have a wicked twist, this show pitted one famed person against another and watched them fight to the death. Gory and gruesome, there was nothing better in the nineties than seeing boy bands, playboy bunnies, rappers and more gouge out eyes and flat out murder each other for our entertainment. Shakespeare appeared in one episode against Busta Rhymes, another glorious wordsmith, and wins the match by scaring Rhymes away with a crossbow.
Unfortuantely, a clip for this cannot be found but if it finds its way back into our lives, we will all be thankful. Here's some of the best Celebrity Deathmatch Moments
The Simpsons
Treehouse of Terror is the Halloween special that always added a creep factor to The Simpsons. It rolled out three smaller stories all revolving around ghosts, aliens, monsters and more. Now The Simpsons are no strangers to adapting Shakespeare or mentioning him alongside other playwrights. In the Treehouse of Terror III skit, Dial “Z” for Zombies, Bart accidentally brings back zombies when trying to resurrect their pet cat. Yikes. Proving that somethings are better left in the ground, he even manages to bring back Shakespeare in his gory greatness (though how he got from England to America is beyond anyone.) And then he dies again, uttering “is this the end of Zombie Shakespeare?”
Shakespeare would also appear in Love, Indubitably, a piss take of British comedies in the episode Love Is A Many Splintered Thing. There he performs the Full Monty with a skull covering his two globes….
Treehouse of Terror is the Halloween special that always added a creep factor to The Simpsons. It rolled out three smaller stories all revolving around ghosts, aliens, monsters and more. Now The Simpsons are no strangers to adapting Shakespeare or mentioning him alongside other playwrights. In the Treehouse of Terror III skit, Dial “Z” for Zombies, Bart accidentally brings back zombies when trying to resurrect their pet cat. Yikes. Proving that somethings are better left in the ground, he even manages to bring back Shakespeare in his gory greatness (though how he got from England to America is beyond anyone.) And then he dies again, uttering “is this the end of Zombie Shakespeare?”
Shakespeare would also appear in Love, Indubitably, a piss take of British comedies in the episode Love Is A Many Splintered Thing. There he performs the Full Monty with a skull covering his two globes….
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