BBC Television Shakespeare

The BBC Television Shakespeare was a set of television adaptations of the plays of Shakespeare, produced by the BBC between 1978 and 1985. The series was initiated by Cedric Messina[?], and produced by Messina, Jonathan Miller[?], and Shaun Sutton[?]; directors and other crew varied from play to play.

The series has been released on video, under the banner title The Complete Dramatic Works of William Shakespeare.

The thirty-seven plays in the series included:

• Richard II (1978)
  • directed by David Giles[?]
  • Derek Jacobi as Richard II
  • Jon Finch[?] as Henry Bolingbroke

• Romeo and Juliet (1978)
  • directed by Alvin Rakoff[?]
  • Patrick Ryecart[?] as Romeo
  • Rebecca Saire[?] as Juliet

• As You Like It (1979)
  • directed by Basil Coleman[?]
  • Helen Mirren as Rosalind
  • Brian Stirner[?] as Orlando

• Henry IV, part 1[?], Henry IV, part 2[?] (1979)
  • directed by David Giles[?]
  • Jon Finch[?] as Henry IV
  • David Gwillim[?] as Prince Hal
  • Anthony Quayle[?] as Falstaff

• Henry V (1979)
  • directed by David Giles[?]
  • David Gwillim[?] as Henry V
  • Alec McCowen[?] as Chorus

• Henry VIII[?] (1979)
  • directed by Kevin Billington[?]
  • John Stride[?] as Henry VIII
  • Claire Bloom[?] as Katharine

• Measure for Measure (1978)
  • directed by Desmond Davis[?]
  • Kate Nelligan[?] as Isabella
  • Tim Piggott-Smith[?] as Angelo

• Julius Caesar (1979)
  • directed by Herbert Wise[?]
  • Charles Gray[?] as Julius Caesar
  • Richard Pasco[?] as Brutus
  • David Collings[?] as Cassius

• All's Well That Ends Well (1980)
  • directed by Elijah Moshinsky[?]
  • Angela Down[?] as Helena
  • Ian Charleson[?] as Bertram

• Hamlet (1980)
  • directed by Rodney Bennett[?]
  • Derek Jacobi as Hamlet
  • Patrick Stewart as Claudius
  • Claire Bloom[?] as Gertrude

• The Merchant of Venice (1980)
  • directed by Jack Gold[?]
  • John Franklyn-Robbins[?] as Antonio
  • Warren Mitchell as Shylock
  • Gemma Jones[?] as Portia

• Othello (1980)
  • directed by Jonathan Miller[?]
  • Anthony Hopkins as Othello
  • Bob Hoskins as Iago
  • Penelope Wilton as Desdemona

• The Taming of the Shrew (1980)
  • directed by Jonathan Miller[?]
  • Sarah Badel[?] as Katherine
  • John Cleese as Petruchio

• The Tempest (1980)
  • directed by John Gorrie[?]
  • Michael Hordern as Prospero
  • Pippa Guard[?] as Miranda
  • David Dixon[?] as Ariel
  • Warren Clarke[?] as Caliban

• Twelfth Night (1980)
  • directed by John Gorrie[?]
  • Felicity Kendal as Viola
  • Clive Arrindell[?] as Orsino
  • Sinéad Cusack[?] as Olivia
  • Trevor Peacock[?] as Feste

• The Winter's Tale (1980)
  • directed by Jane Howell[?]
  • Jeremy Kemp[?] as Leontes
  • Robert Stephens[?] as Polixenes
  • Pat Gorman[?] as the bear

• A Midsummer Night's Dream (1981)
  • directed by Elijah Moshinsky[?]
  • Helen Mirren as Titania
  • Phil Daniels[?] as Puck
  • Brian Glover[?] as Bottom

• Antony and Cleopatra (1981)
  • directed by Jonathan Miller[?]
  • Colin Blakely[?] as Antony
  • Jane Lapotaire[?] as Cleopatra

• Timon of Athens[?] (1981)
  • directed by Jonathan Miller[?]
  • Jonathan Pryce as Timon
  • Diana Dors[?] as Timandra

• Troilus and Cressida[?] (1981)
  • directed by Jonathan Miller[?]
  • Anton Lesser[?] as Troilus
  • Suzanne Burden[?] as Cressida

• King Lear (1982)
  • directed by Jonathan Miller[?]
  • Michael Hordern as King Lear
  • Brenda Blethyn[?] as Cordelia
  • John Shrapnel[?] as Kent

• The Merry Wives of Windsor (1982)
  • directed by David Hugh Jones[?]
  • Richard Griffiths[?] as Falstaff
  • Judy Davis as Mrs Ford
  • Prunella Scales as Mrs Page

• The Comedy of Errors[?] (1983)
  • directed by James Cellan Jones[?]
  • Michael Kitchen[?] as Antipholus
  • Roger Daltrey as Dromio

• Cymbeline (1983)
  • directed by Elijah Moshinsky[?]
  • Michael Pennington[?] as Posthumous
  • Helen Mirren as Imogen
  • Robert Lindsay[?] as Iachimo

• Henry VI, part 1, Henry VI, part 2, Henry VI, part 3 (1983)
  • directed by Jane Howell[?]
  • Peter Benson[?] as Henry VI
  • Julia Foster[?] as Margaret

• Macbeth (1983)
  • directed by Jack Gold[?]
  • Nicol Williamson[?] as Macbeth
  • Jane Lapotaire[?] as Lady Macbeth
  • Tony Doyle[?] as Macduff

• Richard III (1982)
  • directed by Jane Howell[?]
  • Ron Cook[?] as Richard III
  • Brian Deacon[?] as Henry, Earl of Richmond

• Much Ado About Nothing (1984)
  • directed by Stuart Burge[?]
  • Robert Lindsay[?] as Benedick
  • Cherie Lunghi[?] as Beatrice
  • Robert Reynolds[?] as Claudio
  • Katharine Levy[?] as Hero

• Pericles, Prince of Tyre[?] (1984)
  • directed by David Hugh Jones[?]
  • Mike Gwilym[?] as Pericles

• The Tragedy of Coriolanus (1984)
  • directed by Elijah Moshinsky[?]
  • Alan Howard[?] as Coriolanus

• King John (1984)
  • directed by David Giles[?]
  • Leonard Rossiter as King John
  • George Costigan[?] as Philip the Bastard

• Titus Andronicus (1985)
  • directed by Jane Howell[?]
  • Trevor Peacock[?] as Titus Andronicus
  • Anna Calder-Marshall[?] as Lavinia

• The Two Gentlemen of Verona[?] (1984)
  • directed by Don Taylor[?]
  • John Hudson[?] as Valentine
  • Tyler Butterworth[?] as Proteus

• Love's Labour's Lost (1985)
  • directed by Elijah Moshinsky[?]
  • Jonathan Kent[?] as the King of Navarre
  • Maureen Lipman as the Princess of France

Note: Edward III was not considered to be the work of Shakespeare at the time, and so was not included in the series.