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Shakespeare wrote a number of so-called history plays tat in two tetralogies covered the late 100 Years War and the Wars of the Roses.

The first four were filmed and released by the BBC In 2012. Somehowe or other I never noticed these were on, probably worth catching up with if possibe. The second set started broadcasting on last Saturday.

The First Four
Richard II, Henry IV parts 1 and 2, Henry V

The Second Four
Henry VI parts 1, 2 and 3, Richard III

If you're British it's almost impossible not to have encountered some of these at school. I did Richard III for O Levels and Henry V is famous thanks to its two filmed versions by Laurence Olivier and more recently Kenneth Branagh. It's also been done in modern dress by Ian McKellen.

I caught a bit of part one on Saturday and it looked good. I've got to watch the whole thing on catch-up.

Anyone else seen it and what did you think?

I watched it on Saturday, thought it was great.

I hate you, Sommerset!

For whatever reason Shakespeare was not part of my school life, never been a big fan but enjoyed this

Never been a big fan.

But never have I wanted to really punch a woman in the face until I met Margaret.

 welshhoppo wrote:
Never been a big fan.

But never have I wanted to really punch a woman in the face until I met Margaret.

Well its Shakespeare's version of history and he was writting for a Tudor monarch recently read a bio of Margaret and other women of the period - very interesting

 Mr Morden wrote:

 welshhoppo wrote:
Never been a big fan.

But never have I wanted to really punch a woman in the face until I met Margaret.

Well its Shakespeare's version of history and he was writting for a Tudor monarch recently read a bio of Margaret and other women of the period - very interesting

Oh yeah, Shakespeare is about as accurate as a WW2 Soviet rocket. It's one of the main reasons I'm not a fan.

The history must be preserved!

We just did The Scottish Play at school...

Most of my English teachers had a bias against Shakespeare for being a hack. His contemporaries had a low opinion of him; appealing too much to the lowest common denominator with his fart jokes.

...Though at least he didn't go off on saga long tangents like the Greeks did.

A decent enough show, Shakespear have always been something I have enjoyed reading.

Finally got around to watching the first one last night, utterly fantastic. Brilliant cast, astonishing production values, great visual and audio editing, and I'd say the story was awesome too but that's been around for 400 years!

Must admit, I'm hoping Somerset and Margaret get a suitably sticky end in return for all their backstabbing and general dickishness! Go Team York!