Poison, swordplay and bloodshed. Shakespeare’s characters met their ends in a plethora of gruesome ways. But how realistic were they? And did they even shock audiences who lived in a time of plague, pestilence and public executions, a time when seeing a dead or dying body on the way home from the theatre were high. I was joined by the wonderful Dr Kathryn Harkup, a chemist and author, on a tumultuous journey through the most dramatic and memorable parts of Shakespeare’s work.
Estelle Paranque launches into a passioned explanation of Elizabeth I and how she masterfully handled the European powers of her day. She talks about French attempts to win her hand, her defence of the Huguenots, and handling the problem of the Spanish. Producer: Peter Curry
Dan talks to Helen Castor about her book on Elizabeth I and the way she governed.
James Evans @jamesevansuk is a historian and television producer and Emigrants is his second book. He has worked since producing historical documentaries for Niall Ferguson, David Starkey and Michael Wood, as well as helping to write some of the accompanying books. He wrote an acclaimed account o...
