Podcasts about Royal Shakespeare Company

Kulturkollen laddar upp för sommarens alla kulturevent med en guide om sånt som stör, och sånt som förgyller, publikupplevelsen. Lyssna på alla avsnitt i Sveriges Radios app. I veckan blev det stor uppmärksamhet när klassiska "Stormen" stördes på Royal Shakespeare Company – av en bebis i publiken. Vad var det som hände?Hur ser kutymen ut: Bör man som publik få filma ett framträdande, eller prata med varandra på bio?Är det engelsmännen som är bisarrt stränga med publiknormer, eller är svenskar till och med värre? Kulturnytt har gett sig ut på gatorna för kolla hur attityden till störande ljud från publiken ser ut.Allt detta diskuteras av programledare Rasmus Grosin och inhoppande etikettexpert Ellen Cavallin i veckans kulturkoll.

This episode we're covering Death Valley, the Welsh cozy mystery on BritBox that's basically Midsomer Murders but with even more unpronounceable town names and a retired actor solving crimes for fun. This is also our first video episode! Come check us out on YouTube or patreon.com/cluedunnitpodcast!  In this episode: Retired TV detective actor John Chapel (Timothy Spall) teams up with eager-but-junior DS Janie Mallowan (Gwyneth Keyworth) to investigate a murder at a 15-year high school reunion. The guesses:

Last weekend Mickey-Jo headed to the Royal Shakespeare Company in Stratford upon Avon to watch two strikingly different pieces of theatre in one day.These were: The Resistible Rise of Arturo Ui, starring Mark Gatiss, and The Tempest starring Kenneth Branagh.Check out this double bill review to find out what Mickey-Jo thought of these two plays...• 00:00 | introduction01:46 | The Resistible Rise of Arturo Ui 11:10 | The Tempest 23:59 | conclusion About Mickey-Jo:As one of the leading voices in theatre criticism on a social platform, Mickey-Jo is pioneering a new medium for a dwindling field. His YouTube channel: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠MickeyJoTheatre⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ is the largest worldwide in terms of dedicated theatre criticism, where he also share features, news and interviews as well as lifestyle content for over 95,000 subscribers. With a viewership that is largely split between the US and the UK he has been fortunate enough to be able to work with PR, Marketing, and Social Media representatives for shows in New York, London, Edinburgh, Hamburg, Toronto, Sao Pãolo, and Paris. His reviews and features have also been published by WhatsOnStage, for whom he was a panelist to help curate nominees for their 2023 and 2024 Awards as well as BroadwayWorldUK, Musicals Magazine and LondonTheatre.co.uk. Instagram/TikTok/X: @MickeyJoTheatre Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Send us Fan MailAhead of her highly anticipated return to the Kiln Theatre following her debut at the RSC's The Other Place, the indomitable Ellen Thomas sat down with us to discuss her powerhouse role as Pearl in the world premiere of Martina Laird's Driftwood. Ellen delves into the psychological weight and socio-political gravity of portraying a fierce matriarch running a downtown gentlemen's club on the precipice of Trinidadian independence. We hear her reflect on the delicate art of unearthing fragments of vulnerability within Justin Audibert's atmospheric direction. Our conversation explores her process of physical and linguistic discovery in the rehearsal room, unpacking how the specific cadences of 1950s Trinidadian English serve as vital tools of resistance, identity, and raw survival in a shifting world.In this captivating new interview, Ellen Thomas offers an introspective look at a legendary career that masterfully bridges the worlds of television mechanics and rigorous stagecraft. We also revisit her recent, triumphant turn on the very same Kiln stage in Zadie Smith's The Wife of Willesden, which also gave her an opportunity to showcase her ability to play strong, powerful and complex women. What follows is a warm and personal exploration of a powerful actress reflecting on her deep structural history with the Kiln, the changing landscape of British co-productions, and the enduring magic of theatre that dares to challenge who holds power.Driftwood runs at Kiln Theatre from 4 June - 4 July.

Kirsty Lang on Michael Pennington, the Shakespearean actor who preferred a life on stage to the glamour of Hollywood. For Dame Judi Dench, he was her 'Mr Plum', she recalls his life.Cynthia Shange defied apartheid to become the first Black woman to represent South Africa at Miss World. Scott Hastings the rugby legend, who was once Scotland's most capped player. He went on to become a well-known commentator and campaigner for mental health charities, following the death of his wife after her long battle with depression. And Beverley Martyn, the singer songwriter, a star of the British folk scene, who was signed by Beatles producer George Martin aged 16, but her career was not a smooth ride. Please note this programme references suicide. Support and information is available at bbc.co.uk/actionline.Interviewee: Dame Judi Dench Interviewee: Nonhle Thema Interviewee: John Beattie Interviewee: Joe BoydProducer: Catherine Powell Assistant Producer: Ribika Moktan Researcher: Jesse Edwards Editor: Andrea KennedyArchive: Miss World 1972. BBC TV, 01 Dec 1972; Bob Harris Sunday : Beverley Martyn plays live, BBC Radio 2, 27th April 2014; Five Nations, Rugby Union, Scotland v England, 17th March 1990; Scrum V, Live Pro12: 2016/2017, Edinburgh v Blues, 24th Feb 2017; BBC News Breakfast, 21st Dec 2020; Richard II, writer William Shakespeare, dir Gregory Doran, Royal Shakespeare Company, 2013; Gift of Gorgon, writer Peter Shaffer, dir Peter Hall, RSC, 1993; Henry V, dir Michael Bogdanov, The English Shakespeare Company in The War of the Roses, Produced by John Paul Chapple and Andy Ward, A Portman Classics production in association with Contracts International and Windmill Lane Productions, 1990

The latest new musical to arrive in the West End is The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind, based on the film of the same name and the memoir that inspired it.The musical, which premiered at the Royal Shakespeare Company in Stratford upon Avon, tells the story of William Kamkwamba, who created a windmill from scraps in order to provide for his famine-stricken community.Check out Mickey-Jo's thoughts about this show, its original score, and its performances...check out Mickey-Jo's brand new substack newsletter:www.mickeyjotheatre.substack.com• 00:00 | introduction01:45 | synopsis / overview07:23 | the material12:40 | performances20:17 | creative choices25:20 | conclusionAbout Mickey-Jo:As one of the leading voices in theatre criticism on a social platform, Mickey-Jo is pioneering a new medium for a dwindling field. His YouTube channel: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠MickeyJoTheatre⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ is the largest worldwide in terms of dedicated theatre criticism, where he also share features, news and interviews as well as lifestyle content for over 95,000 subscribers. With a viewership that is largely split between the US and the UK he has been fortunate enough to be able to work with PR, Marketing, and Social Media representatives for shows in New York, London, Edinburgh, Hamburg, Toronto, Sao Pãolo, and Paris. His reviews and features have also been published by WhatsOnStage, for whom he was a panelist to help curate nominees for their 2023 and 2024 Awards as well as BroadwayWorldUK, Musicals Magazine and LondonTheatre.co.uk. Instagram/TikTok/X: @MickeyJoTheatre Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Send us Fan MailAfter nearly a decade since her West End debut in Les Miserables, Amara Okereke has solidified her standing as one of the most exciting performers of her generation. Now making her RSC debut, Amara sat down with us to talk about taking on the role of Ariel opposite Kenneth Branagh's Prospero in Sir Richard Eyre's new production of The Tempest.  Having already played some of the UK's most prestigious and largest stages including the London Coliseum, Sheffield Crucible and Chichester Festival Theatre, Amara tells us about adapting to playing larger houses as she prepares to tackle the Royal Shakespeare Theatre.In this new interview with Amara Okereke, we talk about her transition from musical theatre to straight plays and her ongoing evolution as a performer. After playing some of the most coveted roles like Eliza Doolittle in My Fair Lady and Laurey in Oklahoma!, Amara has since taken on roles like Stella in A Streetcar Named Desire and took on the lead role in Pulse at the King's Head Theatre. We hear her talk about her desire to keep exploring new characters that challenge her as she continues to evolve as a performer and as a person. She tells us about the mentor / muse relationship between Prospero and Ariel before also sharing her admiration for career role models she's worked with like Janie Dee and Elena Shaddow. Our conversations offers a candid look at the craft of an actress who refuses to be pigeonholed, offering a masterclass in staying authentic while stepping into the formidable weight of a theatrical legacy.The Tempest runs at the Royal Shakespeare Theatre until 20 June.

Women are being forced to turn to loan sharks due to a "hidden" but devastating form of economic abuse, according to new research. Scottish Women's Aid has published a study on the problem of coerced debt – where an abusive current or ex-partner builds up debt in their victim's name, either without consent or knowledge or through force, threat or coercion. Anita Rani is joined by Dr Jenn Glinski, author of the report and the national policy lead for economic abuse at Scottish Women's Aid, to talk about the report findings.Canwen Xu was born in China and moved to the US when she was two years old. She grew up in predominately white areas – North and South Dakota and Idaho. When she was 18 she gave a TEDx talk, titled, I Am Not Your Asian Stereotype, which has been watched more than 3.7 million times. Canwen joins Anita to discuss her debut novel - Boring Asian Female – and its themes of identity, ambition, failure, and obsession.The Government is consulting on an outright ban of social media for under-16s, as well as other measures designed to stop teenagers accessing addictive and harmful material. In March in the US, a Los Angeles jury handed down an unprecedented win for a young woman who had sued Meta and Google over her childhood addiction to social media. So, what is social media addiction and how do you identify it in children? What's the tipping point between a ‘keen interest' and an addiction? Anita is joined by Dr Bernadka Dubicka, a consultant child and adolescent psychiatrist, and Jenny Afia, a privacy and reputation lawyer for the law firm Schillings, who contributed to the UK Children's Commissioner's Digital Task Force.The Royal Shakespeare Company's musical production of The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind has just transferred to London's West End. Based on the true story of 13-year-old William Kamkwamba who, in drought-stricken Malawi, and despite the lack of support from those around him, dreamt of saving his village. Anita is joined by the director Lynette Linton, and Madeleine Appiah, who plays William's mother.Presenter: Anita Rani Producer: Rebecca Myatt

Stories of superstitious drinks and a cheese grudge. Paapa Essiedu is a highly acclaimed actor, known for his work across stage and screen. After attending Guildhall School of Music and Drama, Paapa joined the Royal Shakespeare Company, making his debut in The Merry Wives of Windsor at the age of 22. Other stage credits include Death of England: Delroy, The Effect and, most recently, All My Sons, a performance which saw him win an Olivier Award.   Paapa joins Nick and Angela to talk about two TV projects, including Falling, where he plays a priest who falls in love with a nun, portrayed by former Dish guest Keeley Hawes. The show is the first love story written by Jack Thorne, whose credits include Adolescence, His Dark Materials, Toxic Town and Skins. Falling is available to stream and watch live on Channel 4 from May 19. You'll also see Paapa in Babies, opposite Siobhán Cullen, as a couple struggling through the experience of pregnancy loss. The series, available on BBC iPlayer, has garnered praise for the poignant handling of its subject matter.  It's an episode with a chilli kick, with big-batch spicy margaritas to get things started and then spicy prawn tacos with rhubarb & scotch bonnet salsa to keep things going. The tacos are a recipe by Ixta Belfrage, which is paired by our wine experts with a glass of Tohu Sauvignon Blanc Awatere Valley. Paapa is a huge fan of big bold flavours, including Thai and Mexican cuisine, and there's also plenty of love for fresh tomatoes and, thanks to his recent theatre run, white chocolate matcha lattes. And, after recently taking up cooking classes, what skills can Paapa glean from watching Angela in the kitchen?  You can watch full episodes of Dish on YouTube and on Spotify.  All recipes from this podcast can be found at waitrose.com/dishrecipes The recipe for the spicy prawn tacos with rhubarb & scotch bonnet salsa was created for Waitrose by Ixta Belfrage For chocolate mousse inspiration, mentioned at the end of the episode, check out this recipe by Martha Collison. A transcript for this episode can be found at waitrose.com/dish If you want to get in touch with us about anything at all, contact dish@waitrose.co.uk  Dish from Waitrose is made by Cold Glass Productions Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Julie Peasgood is probably best known for having been a regular in no less than three soaps: Brookside, Emmerdale and Hollyoaks. She has a multi-faceted career as an accomplished actress, TV presenter and producer, award-winning author, voice-over artist and events host. Honoured by the Royal Television Society with their celebrated Television Personality of the Year Award, Julie's acting career spans over fifty years of prestigious theatre and television, including five years with the Royal Shakespeare Company, TV serials such as Taggart, Casualty, The Survivors, September Song, Spender, Russell T Davies' Years and Years and Doctors (playing Michael Fenton Stevens wife!). Julie has also made her mark as a prolific travel and lifestyle writer: she was Contributing Editor for Cruise & Travel magazine for twelve years and has had long-running columns in Crafts Beautiful, Yours and Now magazines and Group Leisure and Travel, as well as being a regular contributor to Metro and the Mail on Sunday. A veteran of over 100 cruises - as a travel presenter, cruise reviewer and guest speaker – in 2018 Julie decided to combine her love of cruise travel with her passion for crafts, to form her highly successful company Supercraft Cruises..Julie Peasgood is our guest in episode 584 of My Time Capsule and chats to Michael Fenton Stevens about the five things she'd like to put in a time capsule; four she'd like to preserve and one she'd like to bury and never have to think about again .Julie's Supercraft Cruises company - https://www.supercraftcruises.com .To donate blood, visit - www.blood.co.uk .Buddhism in Action for Peace - https://sgi-uk.org .Follow Julie Peasgood on Instagram: @juliepeasgood .Follow My Time Capsule on Instagram: @mytimecapsulepodcast & Twitter/X & Facebook: @MyTCpod .Follow Michael Fenton Stevens on Twitter/X: @fentonstevens & Instagram @mikefentonstevens .Produced and edited by John Fenton-Stevens for Cast Off Productions .Music by Pass The Peas Music .Artwork by matthewboxall.com .This podcast is proud to be associated with the charity Viva! Providing theatrical opportunities for hundreds of young people .To support this podcast and get all episodes ad-free, please sign up here - https://mytimecapsule.supercast.com. All money goes straight into the making of the podcast. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

KPFA Theatre Critic Richard Wolinsky reviews the Royal Shakespeare Company touring production of “Hamnet” at ACT Toni Rembe (Geary) Theatre through May 24, 2026.         Text of Review: In November 2025, a film adaptation of the 2020 Maggie O'Farrell novel Hamnet hit the screens of America. Four months later, Jessie Buckley won an Oscar for the role of Agnes Hathaway, wife of William Shakespeare, and mother of their three children. But back in April 2023, the same month that Chloe Zao was contracted to co-author and direct the screenplay of Hamnet, a stage adaptation of the novel made its premiere under the auspices of the Royal Shakespeare Company at their home, the Swan Theatre in Stratford-on-Avon in England. And it's a touring production by that same company that is now at ACT's Toni Rembe Theatre through May 24th. From a purely academic viewpoint, it's fascinating to examine the differences between the two adaptations. The same high points exist in both, sometimes the dialogue even matches. The characters are mostly the same, though the film's Will, played by Paul Mescal, is warmer and more family oriented than Rory Alexander's Will on stage. The line from late in the film, “you weren't here” for instance, now has a resonance because the on stage Will often is not there, spending more time in London than his family would like, and Agnes complains. Agnes's ugly relationship with her stepmother Joan is fleshed out in the play, as is the turbulent relationship between Will and his father, played on stage by the scene-stealing Nigel Barrett. Act One of the play takes twenty minutes on film. The film zooms into the family surrounding Shakespeare's  young son. The play tells a more broader story, how Shakespeare became Shakespeare. Jessie Buckley's Agnes is someone we deeply care about, almost a modern woman dropped five hundred years into the past. Kemi-Bo Jacobs' Agnes on stage is extremely difficult. There's a reason why it takes a while for the other characters to warm up to her. She's often loud and angry, with an annoying cadence in her voice. It's almost no wonder that Will wants to spend so much time in London. Which is likely the more authentic performance? One other thing: the film nails the ending. The play, not so much. But then again, here we have a top-notch British production, the kind you'd only see in Stratford-on-Avon or maybe the West End, in person, with a massive gorgeous set, and actors who have been studying Shakespeare since infancy. People travel to England for productions like this, whatever their flaws. And now it's right at your front door. The Royal Shakespeare Company and Neal Street productions Hamnet plays at ACT's Toni Rembe Theatre through May 24th. For more information go to act-sf.org. I'm Richard Wolinsky on Bay Area theatre for KPFA. The post Review: “Hamnet” at ACT Toni Rembe (Geary) Theatre appeared first on KPFA.

RNIB Connect Radio's Toby Davey is joined again by Vidar Hjardeng MBE, Inclusion and Diversity Consultant for ITV News across England, Wales, Northern Ireland and the Channel Islands for another audio described theatre review.  This time we have Shakespeare's retelling of the initial phase of the Lancastrian war, part of the hundred years war as RSC Co-Artistic Director Tamara Harvey directs Alfred Enoch as Henry V at the Royal Shakespeare Company in Stratford-upon-Avon with description by Professional Audio Describers Carolyn Smith and Ellie Packer.About ‘Henry V'From a rebellious, carefree young man to the King of England. Overnight. And now this new king has an eye on the throne of France.   A reckless insult from the French Dauphin offers the perfect excuse for Henry V to declare war. But there's a human price to pay for his pursuit of power and thousands could die at Agincourt.   Henry must unite his country, defeat the French, and prove himself worthy of the crown of England. Does he have what it takes?  For more about access at the Royal Shakespeare Company including details of audio described performances of their productions do visit - https://www.rsc.org.uk/your-visit/access(Image shows the RNIB Connect Radio logo. On a white background ‘RNIB' written in bold black capital letters and underlined with a bold pink line. Underneath the line: ‘Connect Radio' is written in black in a smaller font)

Professor Alex Hill is the co-founder and Director of the Centre for High Performance. Author of Centennials: The 12 Habits of Great, Enduring Organisations, he's spent 13 years researching great organisations. In this episode we explore how organisations can use leadership to stay relevant and effective, as well as what leadership lessons we can draw from great organisations including NASA, the New Zealand All-Blacks, Eton College and The Royal Shakespeare Company. 

TODAY on The Great Women Artists podcast is the esteemed writer, Deborah Levy on avant-garde pioneer Gertrude Stein. The author of several novels, including August Blue, Hot Milk and Swimming Home, alongside the critically acclaimed Living Autobiography trilogy (some of my favourite books of all time): Things I Don't Want to Know, The Cost of Living and Real Estate, Deborah Levy is one of the most recognisable and influential writers working today. She has been shortlisted twice each for the Goldsmiths Prize and the Booker Prize, is a fellow of the Royal Society of Literature, and has written for the Royal Shakespeare Company. But the reason why we are speaking with Levy today is because she has just published a new novel, My Year in Paris with Gertrude Stein, which follows a narrator who has travelled to Paris to find out more about Stein, the enigmatic, trailblazing writer and patron; a woman who bolted through the 19th to the 20th century and paved the way for modernism as we know it today, with her daring, experimental writing, from Tender Buttons to The Autobiography of Alice B. Toklas, and her patronage of artists such as Picasso, Cezanne, and Matisse – and I can't wait to find out more. My Year in Paris with Gertrude Stein https://www.waterstones.com/book/my-year-in-paris-with-gertrude-stein/deborah-levy/2928377373535 THIS EPISODE IS GENEROUSLY SUPPORTED BY THE LEVETT COLLECTION: www.famm.com/en/ www.instagram.com/famm_mougins // www.merrellpublishers.com/9781858947037 Follow us: Katy Hessel: @thegreatwomenartists / @katy.hessel Sound editing by Mikaela Carmichael Music by Ben Wetherfield

Olivier winner Eleanor Worthington-Cox is starring as Cilla Black and Cynthia Powell, John Lennon's first wife, in the world premiere of Tom Wright's play Please Please Me at the Kiln Theatre. Directed by Amit Sharma, the play tells the story of Brian Epstein, the influential manager often described as the “fifth Beatle”.Eleanor won an Olivier Award for Best Actress in a Musical when she was one of the original Matilda Wormwoods in the West End production of Matilda The Musical.As a child, her credits also include: Chorus in Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat (Liverpool Empire), Jean Louise “Scout” Finch in To Kill a Mockingbird (Regent's Park Open Air Theatre), Blousey Brown in Bugsy Malone (Lyric Hammersmith) and Jess in Tomcat (Southwark Playhouse).More recently her theatre credits have included: Phaedra Cox in Jerusalem (Apollo Theatre), Lily in The Secret Life of Bees (Almeida Theatre), Alexandra Giddens in The Little Foxes (Young Vic), Hero in Much Ado About Nothing (Royal Shakespeare Theatre, Royal Shakespeare Company) and Mary Page Marlowe in Mary Page Marlowe (The Old Vic).Eleanor starred as Natalie Goodman in Next to Normal at the Donmar Warehouse and in the West End at the Wyndham's Theatre, receiving an Olivier nomination for Best Actress in a Supporting Role In a Musical. The production was filmed and has been released internationally to huge acclaim. She has worked across film and television too, with projects including Maleficent, Cucumber, The Enfield Haunting, Hetty Feather, Action Point, Britannia, Gwen, The Irregulars and About A Bell.Recorded during a break from rehearsals, in this episode Eleanor discusses all-things Please Please Me including how she's perfecting her portrayal of Cilla and why it's important for her to champion queer storytelling. She also reflects on the impact of Next To Normal, and her journey from Matilda to sustaining a career across stage and screen. Please Please Me runs at the Kiln Theatre until 29th May. Visit www.kilntheatre.com for info and tickets. This podcast is hosted by Andrew Tomlins @AndrewTomlins32 Thanks for listening! Email: andrew@westendframe.co.uk Visit westendframe.co.uk for more info about our podcasts. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Matthew Bannister onYanar Mohammed who campaigned for women's rights in Iraq and set up a secret network of shelters for those fleeing abusive relationships. She was shot dead on 2nd March.Phil Woolas, a key figure in the New Labour project who became MP for Oldham East and Saddleworth.Professor Robin Weiss, the eminent virologist who carried out important work to understand HIV.Jane Lapotaire, the classical actor who won a Tony Award for her portrayal of Edith Piaf.Interviewee: Nawal Al-Maghafi Interviewee: Nick Jones Interviewee: Jonathan Weber Interviewee: Zoë WanamakerProducer: Ribika Moktan Assistant Producer: Catherine Powell Researcher: Jesse Edwards Editor: Glyn TansleyArchive used: Outlook, BBC World Service, 09/05/2005; News 1800, BBC Radio 4, 14/12/2003; BBC News, 1/04/1992; BBC News, 02/05/1997; Daily Politics: 2010 Election, Debates: The Immigration Debate, 4/05/2010; BBC News at Ten, BBC, 07/05/2009; BBC News at One, 09/12/2010; BBC News, 21/11/1986; Frontiers, BBC Radio 4, 24/02/1996; Piaf, playwright Pam Gems, director Howard Davies, production by Royal Shakespeare Company, broadcast on Arena: Theatre, BBC 12/02/1979; The 35th Annual Tony Awards, dir Clark Jones, Producer Alexander H. Cohen, produced and written by Hildy Parks, A Bentwood Television Production, CBS, 07/06/1981; Desert island Discs, BBC Radio 4, 22/08/1986; Richard II, dir Gregory Dean, The Royal Shakespeare Company, 2013; Woman's Hour, Radio 4, 24/04/2003

Today, I'm thrilled to announce my interview with star of stage and screen Jonathan Cake, who is currently starring in DEATH OF A SALESMAN. Tune in to hear some of the stories of his legendary career, including his collaboration with Fiona Shaw on MEDEA, touring as a young actor with the National Youth Theater, how he first encountered DEATH OF A SALESMAN, bringing Tennessee Williams' BABY DOLL to the stage, joining the Royal Shakespeare Company, how AND JUST LIKE THAT changed the way he dresses, working with an American company on CYMBELINE, why he turned down RICHARD III, a memorable incident while performing DOUBT, what he thinks about onstage intimacy, changing his look for THE PHILANTHROPIST, what he's learned from his podcast STAGE DOOR JONNY, working with Ethan Coen on ALMOST AN EVENING, performing in the Globe Theatre, starring in FUENTE OVEJUNA after the pandemic, balancing being a father with being an actor, the challenges of starring in CORIOLANUS in the Park, and so much more. Don't miss this thoughtful conversation with a master craftsman.

Actor Micah Balfour joins Johnny Seifert on Secure The Insecure podcast.Micah opens up about being a dad for the first time at forty six years old, how Micah wants to change what you are taught in drama schools and Micah shares his memories of working on The Bill and Eastenders. Finally, Micah talks about playing Exeter in Henry V at the Royal Shakespeare Company.For tickets to see Micah visit www.rsc.org.uk Secure The Insecure is the celebrity mental health podcast that airs on Mondays available to watch on Youtube or listen to on Apple Podcasts and Spotify. Make sure you subscribe/rate/review where you are watching or listening to Secure The Insecure.Follow Johnny Seifert on Social Media:Instagram: www.instagram.com/johnnyseifertInstagram: www.instagram.com/securetheinsecurepodcastTikTok www.tiktok.com/johnnyseifert92 Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Today's guest is Jon Robyns who is starring as Miss Trunchbull in the West End production of Matilda.Having premiered in Stratford-upon-Avon in 2010, the Royal Shakespeare Company's musical has been seen by 11 million people across 100 cities worldwide. Written by Dennis Kelly, Matilda has music and lyrics by Tim Minchin and direction by Matthew Warchus. Jon took over as Miss Trunchbull last year, immediately after his run as Tom Buchanan in The Great Gatsby at the London Coliseum.Jon's West End credits include The Phantom in The Phantom of the Opera, Jean Valjean in Les Misérables (having previously played Enjolras and Marius), King George in Hamilton, alternate Huey in Memphis, Scrooge & others in Dickens Abridged, Galahad in Spamalot and Princeton & Rod in Avenue Q.Jon's other theatre credits include: Adam Nehemiah in Dessa Rose (Trafalgar Studios 2), Robbie in The Wedding Singer (UK & Ireland Tour), Emmet in Legally Blonde (Leicester Curve), Eddie in Sister Act (UK & Ireland Tour), Caractacus Potts in Chitty Chitty Bang Bang (West Yorkshire Playhouse), Jamie in The Last Five Years (Greenwich Theatre), Hollis in Road Show (Menier Chocolate Factory), Mark in Rent (Frankfurt) and alternate Chris in Miss Saigon (UK & Ireland Tour). Jon performs in concerts all around the world and, alongside his performing work, is also a writer. Jon and his writing partner Christopher J Orton's musical Then, Now & Next premiered at the Southwark Playhouse in the summer of 2023, and they continue to collaborate on new writing projects.In this episode Jon discusses his time in The Great Gatsby, the process of taking over as Miss Trunchbull and his next writing project, plus lots more.Matilda runs at the Cambridge Theatre. Visit www.uk.matildathemusical.com for info and tickets.This podcast is hosted by Andrew Tomlins @AndrewTomlins32 Thanks for listening! Email: andrew@westendframe.co.uk Visit westendframe.co.uk for more info about our podcasts. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Our guest on this episode of White Wine Question Tim is Joanna Page, an actor and presenter from Swansea, who was told whilst she was training at RADA that she was not a bad actress, the problem was that she was Welsh…Luckily for all of us she didn't let these comments hold her back, and ended up leaving RADA early to join the Royal National Theatre and then the Royal Shakespeare Company, appearing in the star-studded 1999 BBC adaptation of David Copperfield, and then what proved to be one of the nation's all-time favourite Christmas films, Love Actually.She seems to have a knack of winning roles in some of our most beloved shows, playing the titular Stacey Shipman in the BAFTA-winning series Gavin & Stacey alongside Ruth Jones, James Corden, and Matthew Horne - the final episode was one of the most-watched TV shows of the last two decades, with an audience of over 20 million.She has four children with her actor husband James Thornton, who she starred with in David Copperfield, but in a truly Dickensian plot-twist she didn't meet him at the time – it took a later introduction to throw them together from drama school friend Maxine PeakeSo sit back and enjoy this chat with Joanna Page as she discusses that Gavin & Stacey finale, Hollywood's very own Margot Robbie being a fan, and how she feels about nude scenes.If you're looking for more information about the National Lottery Open Week that Joanna mentioned - it runs from 7-15 March, and it's your chance to unlock some of the UK's hidden gems. You can show any National Lottery ticket, Scratchcard or Instant Win Game and get free or discounted entry, plus special offers, at hundreds of funded venues across the UK - from BFI Escapes to creative spaces and iconic hidden gems like Dover's wartime tunnels and the Eden Project's living clay sculpture. To find a participating venue near you, visit www.nationallotteryopenweek.comCheers! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Broadway prepares for blizzard, ‘Titanique’ welcomes ‘In the Heights’ star, ‘Game of Thrones’ at Royal Shakespeare Company this summer Every week, Matt Tamanini will bring you the biggest news from across the theatrical landscape and will prepare you for what’s ahead over the next seven days. Any and all feedback read more

It was announced yesterday that a stage play based on the stories by George RR Martin, a prequel to Game of Thrones, would receive its world premiere this Summer at the Royal Shakespeare Company.The play, titled Game of Thrones: The Mad King, will debut in Stratford Upon Avon, with full details to be confirmed, and will be written by Duncan Macmillan and directed by Dominic Cooke.Check out Mickey-Jo's thoughts on this announcement as well as how the play is likely to fare alongside other IP adaptations such as Stranger Things: The First Shadow, or The Hunger Games.•00:00 | introduction03:22 | details09:50 | creatives14:43 | expectations21:17 | conclusionAbout Mickey-Jo:As one of the leading voices in theatre criticism on a social platform, Mickey-Jo is pioneering a new medium for a dwindling field. His YouTube channel: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠MickeyJoTheatre⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ is the largest worldwide in terms of dedicated theatre criticism, where he also share features, news and interviews as well as lifestyle content for over 95,000 subscribers. With a viewership that is largely split between the US and the UK he has been fortunate enough to be able to work with PR, Marketing, and Social Media representatives for shows in New York, London, Edinburgh, Hamburg, Toronto, Sao Pãolo, and Paris. His reviews and features have also been published by WhatsOnStage, for whom he was a panelist to help curate nominees for their 2023 and 2024 Awards as well as BroadwayWorldUK, Musicals Magazine and LondonTheatre.co.uk. Instagram/TikTok/X: @MickeyJoTheatre Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

My guest this episode is the globally-renowned, multi-award-winning playwright, poet, and performer, Inua Ellams MBE FRSL, whose work has been produced by the National Theatre, the Royal Shakespeare Company and BBC / Disney+'s Doctor Who, to name just three. Research Producer: Eileen Gbagbo

Last Wednesday, Mickey-Jo spent all day at the Royal Shakespeare Company in Stratford upon Avon to see the two part play ALL IS BUT FANTASY.The piece, which is written, composed, directed and performed by Whitney White, extrapolates Shakespeare's tragic heroines in order to study their arcs, empowerment and lasting social impact.Check out this full review for Mickey-Jo's thoughts on both plays separately and together, as well as the creative choices and supporting cast...•00:00 | introduction02:37 | synopsis / overview08:11 | development15:36 | creatives / performances22:02 | conclusion•About Mickey-Jo:As one of the leading voices in theatre criticism on a social platform, Mickey-Jo is pioneering a new medium for a dwindling field. His YouTube channel: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠MickeyJoTheatre⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ is the largest worldwide in terms of dedicated theatre criticism, where he also share features, news and interviews as well as lifestyle content for over 95,000 subscribers. With a viewership that is largely split between the US and the UK he has been fortunate enough to be able to work with PR, Marketing, and Social Media representatives for shows in New York, London, Edinburgh, Hamburg, Toronto, Sao Pãolo, and Paris. His reviews and features have also been published by WhatsOnStage, for whom he was a panelist to help curate nominees for their 2023 and 2024 Awards as well as BroadwayWorldUK, Musicals Magazine and LondonTheatre.co.uk. Instagram/TikTok/X: @MickeyJoTheatre Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Whitney White is a theatrical powerhouse. A director, writer, actor, and musician, White's work has been seen on Broadway, Off Broadway, and at major institutions including The Public Theater, the Brooklyn Academy of Music, and, most recently, the Royal Shakespeare Company. Her projects include Jaja's African Hair Braiding, The Last Five Years, Macbeth in Stride, and By The Queen, which was featured in the Folger's 2025 Reading Room Festival. In this episode, White discusses All Is But Fantasy, her four-play musical cycle created for the RSC, where it's now receiving its world premiere. The high-energy, gig-theater show investigates Shakespeare's women and ambition, focusing on Lady Macbeth, Emilia, Juliet, and Richard III. Each piece combines performance with original music, using sound and rhythm as a way into the text and as a tool for rethinking these characters whose inner lives are often cut short or overlooked. White reflects on why Shakespeare's women so often meet tragic ends, how those stories continue to feel familiar, and what it means to keep staging them now. She considers the ways that music, performance, and adaptation can help us better understand Shakespeare today. From the Shakespeare Unlimited podcast. Published February 10, 2026. © Folger Shakespeare Library. All rights reserved. This episode was produced by Matt Frassica, with Garland Scott serving as executive producer. It was edited by Gail Kern Paster. Technical support was provided by Melvin Rickarby in Stratford, England, and Voice Trax West in Studio City, California. Web production was handled by Paola García Acuña. Transcripts are edited by Leonor Fernandez. Final mixing services were provided by Clean Cuts at Three Seas, Inc. Whitney White is an Obie and Lily Award-winning and Tony Award-nominated director, actor, and musician, celebrated for her bold, innovative storytelling across both Broadway and off-Broadway. She recently received the Drama League's 2025 Founders Award for Excellence in Directing and an Obie Award for Sustained Achievement in Directing. All Is But Fantasy, White's four-part musical exploration of Shakespeare's women and ambition, commissioned by the Royal Shakespeare Company, marks her RSC debut as a writer, director, and actor. The two-part high-energy gig theater show is receiving its world premiere at The Other Place in Stratford-upon-Avon in January and February 2026. White's other directing credits on Broadway include The Last Five Years and Jaja's African Hair Braiding, off-Broadway credits include Liberation, Walden, Jordan's, Soft, On Sugarland, What to Send Up When It Goes Down, Our Dear Drug Lord, and For All the Women Who Thought They Were Mad. She recently opened Saturday Church, a new musical featuring songs by Sia and Honey Dijon at New York Theatre Workshop. She also created Macbeth In Stride at Brooklyn Academy of Music, writing the book, music and lyrics. Additional directing work includes The Secret Life of Bees, By The Queen, The Spectacularly Lamentable Trial of Miz Martha Washington, A Human Being of a Sort, An Iliad, The Amen Corner, Othello, Canyon, and Jump. On screen, White has appeared in Ocean's Eight, Single Drunk Female, Louie, and The Playboy Club, and she contributed as a writer to Boots Riley's acclaimed series I'm A Virgo for Prime Video.

Theatre and opera director Katie Mitchell talks to John Wilson about her career and formative influences. She is renowned for her experimental storytelling on stage, her feminist perspective, and for contemporary reframing of classic plays, she has directed more than 100 productions over more than 30 years. She has worked at the Royal Shakespeare Company, the Royal Opera House and the National Theatre, where - as associate director - she staged bold new versions of work by a wide range of writers including Aeschylus, Virginia Woolf, Chekhov and Sarah Kane. For many theatre goers, she is one of Britain's most important and innovative living directors.Producer: Edwina Pitman

RNIB Connect Radio's Toby Davey is joined again by Vidar Hjardeng MBE, Inclusion and Diversity Consultant for ITV News across England, Wales, Northern Ireland and the Channel Islands for the first of his regular audio described theatre reviews for 2025.This week we have Tom Wells' magical new adaptation of Roald Dahl's powerful and darkly funny story ‘the BFG' (Big Friendly Giant) at the RSC (Royal Shakespeare Company) with description by Professional Audio Describers Gethyn Edwards and Ellie Packer.  About ‘The BFG'One extraordinary night, a young orphan named Sophie is snatched by a giant and taken far away to Giant Country.There she learns that human-eating giants are guzzling 'norphans' the world over. But she soon discovers that her new friend, the BFG, is different – he's a dream-catching, snozzcumber-munching gentle soul who refuses to eat humans.While other giants wreak havoc on the world, the BFG ignites Sophie's imagination, and they devise a daring plan to save children everywhere. In the end, the smallest human bean and the gentlest giant prove that a dream can change the world.Gather your chiddlers to see Roald Dahl's powerful and darkly funny story, packed full of frobscottle and whizzpoppers. Tom Wells' magical new adaptation is directed by RSC Co-Artistic Director Daniel Evans, whose previous productions include Quiz, South Pacific and Our Generation.There will be a further audio described performance of ‘The BFG' on Wednesday 28 January at 7.15pm. For more about access at the Royal Shakespeare Company including details about audio described performances of their productions do visit - https://www.rsc.org.uk/your-visit/access(Image shows the RNIB Connect Radio logo. On a white background ‘RNIB' written in bold black capital letters and underlined with a bold pink line. Underneath the line: ‘Connect Radio' is written in black in a smaller font)

Neil chats with Hiran about growing up in Sri Lanka, acting with the Royal Shakespeare Company, working with Theatre Director Peter Brook and his role as Pi Patel in Life Of Pi, which he performed in the West end And On Broadway. And of course, like all other guests he talks about his greatest challenge to date.Send us a textIf you enjoyed listening to this podcast, please follow me on X (formerly Twitter) @neilonwheelspod and on Instagram: theneilonwheelspodcast

Nigel's guest today is Daniel Brocklebank. Daniel is an actor of stage and screen who is known to millions through his work on TV shows like Emmerdale and Coronation Street. He recently left the Street and his role of Billy Mayhew having portrayed him since 2014. His cinematic work has included high profile smashes like Shakespeare In Love and The Hole and his extensive theatre work covers everything from Young Frankenstein through to treading the boards with the Royal Shakespeare Company. Daniel is a gay man who has always been authentic to the person he has always known he is. Sometimes in a world that tells him not to be.This series is a celebration of a beautiful queer community; people of all ages, people who have had to tread their own path to live their real truth, who have fought with their emotions and emerged victorious, who inspire, who aspire and always entertain. Hosted by Nigel May. Every episode Nigel speaks to a person from the LGBTQIA+ rainbow to hear their story; one person, one life, one conversation. And it always guarantees A Gay Old Time!Follow the podcast on TikTok @agayoldtime and on Instagram @agayoldtimepodcast Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Adjoa Andoh MBE is an award-winning actress, passionate social activist, and Fellow of the Royal Society of Literature. Whether it be on stage with the Royal Shakespeare Company, on the screen as Bridgerton's formidable Lady Danbury, or behind closed doors as a judge for the Booker Prize - Adjoa has helped to tell and share some of our most beloved and cherished stories. So, in this episode of Re-Enchanting, Belle and Adjoa talk about just that – the stories that Adjoa breathes in and out, the ones she finds herself telling both on and off stage.If you found this conversation interesting, Seen & Unseen, the creators of Re-Enchanting, offers thousands of articles exploring how the Christian faith helps us understand the modern world. Discover more here: www.seenandunseen.com Generosity changes things — in us, in others and in the world.At Stewardship, we help Christians give well and see their generosity make a real difference.Find out how a Stewardship Giving Account can help you give, grow, and live generously every day.https://stwdshp.org/re-enchanting Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Louise Jameson is a classically trained actress whose first love is the stage—she spent two years with the Royal Shakespeare Company at the beginning of her career—but she also became known to millions of British television viewers through her roles in such hugely popular television series as Doctor Who, Tenko, Bergerac  and  EastEnders. Her recent theatre credits include Vincent River and directing the UK tour of Revenge. Her audio credits include Doctor Who (Big Finish), writing ATA Girl, about the women of the Air Transport Authority during World War II, and  multiple titles for BBC Audio and Audible. Louise talks with me about her unusually young start at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art, and how her training continued at the Royal Shakespeare Company, how her Doctor Who character, Leela of the Sevateem, reflected the feminism of the 1970s (and how she didn't), how she started writing, and what she thinks of the opportunities for—and representation of—women in film and TV over the years. If you want to watch this conversation, you can see it here on YouTube!   Episode breakdown: 00:00 Introduction 04:00 Louise describes childhood creativity, daydreaming, and reading early. 08:00 Drama school, age gap with classmates, and strict discipline. 12:00 Acting requires teamwork; Louise reflects on early career. 16:00 Louise's Shakespeare passion, favorite roles and performance experiences. 20:00 Louise talks about landing Leela role in Doctor Who. 24:00 Doctor Who impacts life daily; gratitude for lasting connections. 28:00 Leela's feminist traits and costume choices, fighting stereotypes. 32:00 Leela's intelligence and evolution, relationship with other companions. 36:00 Influence of audio plays; Gallifrey series has strong female fandom. 40:00 Louise discusses writing, self-doubt, and encouragement from collaborators. 44:00 Directing stage, teaching drama; regrets and living in the now. 48:00 Shakespeare's rhythmic influence on Louise's writing and teaching. 52:00 Conversation shifts to social media, attention economy, and technology. 56:00 Louise analyzes Shakespeare's poetic technique and its storytelling power. 01:00 Louise explains collective magic of live theater and storytelling. 01:04 Progress and ongoing challenges for women in TV and film.   Want more? Here are handy playlists with all my previous interviews with guests in writing, theatre, and Doctor Who.   Check out the full show notes (now including transcripts!) at fycuriosity.com, and connect with me and fellow creatives on Substack. Please leave a review for this episode—it's really easy and will only take a minute, and it really helps me reach new listeners. Thanks! If you enjoyed our conversation, I hope you'll share it with a friend.

At Anti Social Camp in November 2025, we recorded two special live conversations with music greats Jamie Cullum and Billy Bragg. It's a rare chance to hear a pair of brilliant and very different songwriters reflect on their craft in front of an audience of songwriters and musicians. Jamie talks about working with the Royal Shakespeare Company, the creative discipline of working to a brief, and how collaboration can unlock ideas you would never find alone. Billy shares his belief in songwriting as a way of building connection and empathy, drawing on a career shaped by honesty, community, and lived experience. Together, these conversations offer a warm, generous look at how songs are made, why voice matters, and how music continues to bring people together.

British Chinese actress Naomi Yang is perhaps best known for her role as Maggy in Sky series Wolfe. Up next, she stars in Sky's crime thriller Under Salt Marsh, alongside Kelly Reilly, Rafe Spall, Jonathan Pryce and Harry Lawtey. She's just been announced as joining the cast of BBC's acclaimed drama Vigil in a major role for its upcoming third season Naomi can be seen in a range of acclaimed television dramas including BBC's Nightsleeper and Peaky Blinders. Most recently she starred in ITV's DI Ray opposite Parminder Nagra and Jamie Bell. Other television credits include Apple TV+'s Liaison with Eva Green and Vincent Cassel, ITV's Protection, ITV's Maternal, Peacock's Brave New World, ITV's Deep Water, Channel 4's Chimerica, and Disney+'s Mars. Naomi made her screen debut in the BAFTA-nominated film Lilting, followed by roles in several short films including BIFA-nominated Housewarming, and critically acclaimed animated short A Kind of Testament. On stage, she portrayed Tsukiko in the Royal Shakespeare Company's widely celebrated, Olivier-nominated production of My Neighbour Totoro. In 2020, Naomi was selected for the prestigious BAFTA Elevate programme, spotlighting rising talent in the UK screen industry.Naomi Yang is our guest in episode 552 of My Time Capsule and chats to Michael Fenton Stevens about the five things she'd like to put in a time capsule; four she'd like to preserve and one she'd like to bury and never have to think about again .Follow Naomi Yang on Instagram: @imoanyang .Follow My Time Capsule on Instagram: @mytimecapsulepodcast & Twitter/X & Facebook: @MyTCpod .Follow Michael Fenton Stevens on Twitter/X: @fentonstevens & Instagram @mikefentonstevens .Produced and edited by John Fenton-Stevens for Cast Off Productions .Music by Pass The Peas Music .Artwork by matthewboxall.com .This podcast is proud to be associated with the charity Viva! Providing theatrical opportunities for hundreds of young people .To support this podcast, get all episodes ad-free and a bonus episode every Wednesday of "My Time Capsule The Debrief', please sign up here - https://mytimecapsule.supercast.com. All money goes straight into the making of the podcast. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

To untold millions of people she will always be bright-eyed Jane Banks in the original Mary Poppins (1964). The real-life Karen Dotrice is the mother of three who grew up in a show-business family. Her father Roy was a member of the Royal Shakespeare Company and her godfather was Charles Laughton! Luckily for us, Karen cherishes the memory of making Poppins and has especially fond recollections of Walt Disney, who lavished personal attention on her and her family while they were in Los Angeles. Jessie and Leonard were tickled pink to engage in conversation with a woman they've known and admired for years. (Karen even attended Jessie's bat mitzvah!) This interview first aired in 2022.

Noel catches up with Michael Ensign. The actor is a classic example of "Hey! It's that guy!" Michael is probably best known as the hotel manager in Ghostbusters and Benjamin Guggenheim in Titanic. He appeared in Midnight Express, Superman, Pink Floyd The Wall and Wargames. Michael's many television appearances include The Golden Girls, The X-Files, MacGyver, Dynasty, Star Trek, Friends and Alias. He was a member of the Royal Shakespeare Company.

This time we watched the 1973 British horror film Psychomania, a cult biker horror oddity originally filmed as The Living Dead before the title changed. In the United States it appeared as The Death Wheelers. Not to be confused with the 1963 American film Psychomania, also known as Violent Midnight. The film was produced by Benmar Productions, better known for Spaghetti Westerns shot in Spain. They also made Horror Express later the same year with the same writers, which we covered back in episode 7. Psychomania was created in association with Scotia Bar Distributors who had director Don Sharp under long term contract.Don Sharp was born in Tasmania and began as an actor before becoming a director in the mid 1950s. He turned out low and medium budget films including the Tommy Steele musical It's All Happening, then Hammer Films hired him and he made several well received thrillers. He also worked as second unit director on Those Magnificent Men in Their Flying Machines. Quiz time for Jon. Sharp directed BigChrisLee six times. Name them. Beryl Reid plays psychic medium Mrs Latham. She left school at 16 and debuted in 1936 as a music hall performer at the Floral Hall in Bridlington. She became famous on BBC radio in Educating Archie as Monica and as the Brummie Marlene. She later worked for the National Theatre and the Royal Shakespeare Company. She made the very first challenge on Just A Minute in the 1967 pilot. In the late 1970s and early 1980s she played Connie Sachs in Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy and Smiley's People, earning two British Academy Television Award nominations and winning for Smiley's People. Doctor Who fans will know her as Captain Briggs in Earthshock. The same year as Psychomania she appeared in Dr Phibes Rises Again. Ross will always remember her as Grandma in the Adrian Mole TV adaptation. Nicky Henson plays lead biker Tom Latham. A familiar face across British television, he excelled at playing cultivated gents, snobs and playboys. His many guest roles included several appearances in The Bill, A Touch of Frost, Pie in the Sky, Fawlty Towers and Witchfinder General as Trooper Swallow. His first wife was Una Stubbs, with whom he later appeared in EastEnders. Despite living with cancer for twenty years he continued acting on screen until 2018. Robert Hardy plays Chief Inspector Hesseltine. We discussed him fully in episode 41a when we covered The Stalls of Barchester from the BBC Ghost Stories for Christmas series. Academy Award winner George Sanders plays Shadwell. Born in Russia to an English horticulturist mother and a rope maker father, he became a British subject when the family fled during the revolution. His smooth voice and upper class accent made him perfect for polished villains. His roles included Jack Favell in Rebecca, Scott Folliott in Foreign Correspondent, the Saran of Gaza in Samson and Delilah and Addison DeWitt in All About Eve which won him the Oscar for Best Supporting Actor. He voiced Shere Khan in Disney's The Jungle Book and played Simon Templar in several films in The Saint series. British horror fans may know him from the Doomwatch movie as The Admiral. There are brief appearances by June Brown as Mrs Pettibone, John Levene from Doctor Who and Bill Pertwee as a publican. Levene worked with Jon Pertwee who was Bill's second cousin. The soundtrack by John Cameron was released in 2003 by Trunk Records. Cameron said they needed something spooky and different with a rock feeling, all pre synthesizer. They recorded at Shepperton's studios which had not been updated since before the war. He described hooligan musicians scratching inside pianos while the engineer sat there in suit and tie, completely anachronistic.Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/general-witchfinders. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

‘The Muppet Christmas Carol' underwhelmed at the box office when it was first released on 11th December, 1992 - but found its audience on video and DVD in the decades later, becoming a gold-plated Christmas classic, re-watched by families, year after year.  There was darkness behind the scenes - from the sudden death of Muppets creator Jim Henson, to the legal wrangling over Disney's acquisition deal for his company, and composer Paul Williams's return from a difficult decade of addiction. But, despite this, or, perhaps, because of it, 28 year-old first-time director Brian Henson delivered a faithful and enduring adaptation of Charles Dickens's novel. In this episode, Arion, Rebecca and Olly discover how Steve Whitmire shouldered the daunting job of playing Kermit for the first time; consider Michael Caine's masterstroke performance as Scrooge (‘as if playing opposite the Royal Shakespeare Company'); and reveal how Jerry Juhl's script shifted from comedy pastiche to heartfelt musical…  Further Reading: • ‘‘You'll never see Michael Caine blink': An oral history of The Muppet Christmas Carol at 30' (The Independent, 2022): https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/films/features/the-muppet-christmas-carol-brian-henson-b2243015.html • ‘The Muppet Christmas Carol movie review' (Roger Ebert, 1992): https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/the-muppet-christmas-carol-1992 • ‘The Muppet Christmas Carol Trailer #1' (Disney, 1992):  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pNo-Q0IDJi0 #90s #Film #Christmas #Heartwarming Thanks so much for supporting the show! We massively appreciate it. The Retrospectors are Olly Mann, Rebecca Messina & Arion McNicoll, with Matt Hill. Edit producer:  Ollie Peart Theme Music: Pass The Peas. Announcer: Bob Ravelli. Graphic Design: Terry Saunders. Copyright: Rethink Audio / Olly Mann 2025. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

You might know the star of Rivals for his revealing role in the hit Disney+ show, but did you know about his dramatic allium allergy?! I thought not. Alex Hassell might be best known for his portrayal of the dashing bounder, Rupert Campbell-Black in the Emmy-Award winning TV adaptation of Jilly Cooper's Rivals but his career spans the Royal Shakespeare Company, a leading role opposite Anya Taylor-Joy in The Miniaturist, HBO's His Dark Materials and co-founding the pioneering Factory Theatre Company. In this conversation, Alex reflects on the role therapy and his marriage have played in weathering early-career rejection. We talk about his struggle with self-confidence, his unlikely 'failure' to get into trouble and the rebellious streak that defined his youth - including that time he took acid at Alton Towers. Plus: having to spray tan his own private parts. This episode was recorded live at the Barbican earlier this year. ✨ IN THIS EPISODE: 00:00 Intro 03:17 Season Two of Rivals 04:35 The Challenges of Acting 05:28 Therapy and Self-Reflection 11:17 Overcoming Self-Doubt 13:31 School Experiences and Bullying 20:13 The Factory Theater Company 23:31 Reflecting on Early Career Challenges 23:57 The Onion Allergy Struggle 28:16 Balancing Historical Accuracy and Sensitivity in 'Rivals' 29:30 The Pressure to Be Good 33:12 Family Influence and Personal Growth 40:57 The Actor's Vulnerability and Connection

In this engaging conversation, David Peck interviews Matt Whitaker and Rupert Evans about their film Truth and Treason. They explore the complexities of good and evil and the emotional weight of loyalty and doubt in the context of Nazi Germany. We dig into the nature of violence, the importance of subtext in relationships, and the challenges of bravery and conformity. The film serves as a poignant reminder of the need for compassion and the call to action against oppression in today's world.Rupert Evans is an actor and director best known for his leading roles in Amazon's The Man in the High Castle, CBS's Charmed & Netflix's Bridgerton Season 2. His recent work includes the BBC adaptation of the Moonflower Murders alongside Lesley Manville, & the Nordic crime drama Wisting. Evans' feature breakthrough came as FBI agent John Meyers in Guillermo Del Toro's Hellboy. He has since starred in American Pastoral with Ewan McGregor & Jennifer Connelly, the thriller The Boy with Lauren Cohan, and Alejandro Amenábar's Agora opposite Rachel Weisz. Evans has led acclaimed productions such as the Golden Globe–nominated Emma & the BAFTA nominated Fingersmith. His other notable credits include The Secrets, Fleming, The Village, Lucan, World Without End, and Poirot.On stage, Evans is a Royal Shakespeare Company alumnus, having played the Dauphin in King John, earning an Ian Charleson Award nomination.Matt Whitaker has written and directed for film and television, becoming a leading storyteller for more than 30 years, in the WWII genre. His produced screenplays include the acclaimed war dramas Saints & Soldiers & Instrument of War. Beyond narrative features, he has creative-produced or directed over 100 commercials and short films across more than 30 countries. Whitaker's documentary work includes award winning films for PBS such as Ancestors & Small Fortunes: Microcredit & the Future of Poverty, featuring Nobel Prize Laureate Muhammad Yunus & Academy Award–winning actress Linda Hunt.In 2002, Whitaker traveled to Germany with the last surviving member of a teenage resistance group opposing the Nazis. That profound experience resulted in the PBS documentary Truth & Conviction: The Helmuth Hübener Story.David Peck is a writer, speaker, and award-winning podcaster who works at the intersection of storytelling, social change, and meaningful dialogue. As the host of Face2Face and former host of Toronto Threads on 640 AM, he has published over 650 in-depth interviews with some of the world's most compelling thinkers, artists and storytellers, including Viggo Mortensen, Sarah Polley, Raoul Peck, Werner Herzog, Chris Hadfield, David Cronenberg, Gillian Anderson and Wade Davis.With a background in philosophy and international development, David brings a thoughtful, globally aware perspective to every conversation. He's a published author and experienced keynote speaker, known for creating spaces where complexity is welcomed and ideas come alive. Whether moderating panels, hosting live events, or speaking on issues ranging from ethics to media, David's work is grounded in a deep curiosity about people.At heart, he simply loves good conversation and believes it's one of the best ways we grow, connect, and make sense of the world. For more information about David Peck's podcasting, writing and public speaking please visit his site here.F2F Music and Image Copyright: David Peck, ICBL and Face2Face. Used with permission. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

After a three-year hiatus, I’m excited to be back with MikeyPod. This conversation with Kevin (as a robot) Laibson is exactly what I needed—it cracked open things I’ve been grappling with in my own work. I’ve been thinking about AI and human interaction as I work on my creative projects, and Kevin is exploring these same questions through performance. He’s a director and performer working at the intersection of live performance and emerging technology. His solo show The Harmnf—an adaptation of Chekhov using AI tools—is a meditation on failure, alienation, and our relationship with technology. We talk about directing AI actors, how the show evolved, and what he’s learned about human error and connection when technology mediates everything. This is the kind of peer thinking I need—someone building serious work at the edge of what performance can be. Get tickets for this weekend’s performance of The Harmnf right here. Based in New York City, Kevin Laibson is a director, performer, and educator working at the intersection of live performance and emerging technology. As a mixed-reality artist, he explores what happens when human creativity meets AI and code. His work has been featured at SXSW, SIGGRAPH, and venues including National Sawdust, The Flea, and Abrons Arts Center. He’s served as Artistic Director of Magic Futurebox and The Peoples Improv Theater, and currently leads XR performance research at Agile Lens in collaboration with institutions like the Royal Shakespeare Company and NYU. His solo performance The Harmnf—an adaptation of Chekhov using AI tools—is a meditation on failure, alienation, and our uneasy relationship with technology. This podcast is powered by my subscribers on Patreon who, in addition to the warm feeling they get from co-creating with me, get lots of sweet perks including bonus podcast episodes, free downloads, zines, and more! This week's bonus podcast will feature an extended conversation with today's guest, Kevin! Learn more right here!

With a career spanning theatre, film and television, Irish actor Fiona Shaw has been a household name in Ireland for decades. The Cork native is known for her award-winning stage work, as well as her iconic roles in the Harry Potter films, Killing Eve, and Bad Sisters.Shaw's latest project, Park Avenue, opened in Irish cinemas this week. Earlier this year, while in Dublin for the International Film Festival, she joined Kathy Sheridan in studio to talk about the film, in which she plays the glamorous and wealthy widow Kit.In this wide-ranging conversation, Shaw reflects on her early career and explains what led her to setting up a women's group while working with the Royal Shakespeare Company in London. She also tells Sheridan about her friendship with Phoebe Waller-Bridge, why she turned down a move to Hollywood in the 1990s, and how she met her Sri Lankan wife, Sonali Deraniyagala. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Democrats in the US Congress release three emails by the late convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein mentioning Donald Trump. One of the emails says the president spent several hours with a woman described as a victim of Epstein's sex trafficking. The Democrats say the communications raise serious questions about what the president knew at the time about Epstein's behaviour. The White House says the emails represent a "false narrative" and their release is an attempt to smear the president. Also: another corruption scandal shakes the Ukrainian government, with the justice minister being suspended; and how the Royal Shakespeare Company is trying to sell Britain's most famous playwright to young people. The Global News Podcast brings you the breaking news you need to hear, as it happens. Listen for the latest headlines and current affairs from around the world. Politics, economics, climate, business, technology, health – we cover it all with expert analysis and insight. Get the news that matters, delivered twice a day on weekdays and daily at weekends, plus special bonus episodes reacting to urgent breaking stories. Follow or subscribe now and never miss a moment. Get in touch: globalpodcast@bbc.co.uk

In this episode, host Tracy Collins is once again joined by Lisa Benjamin from Go Cotswolds to dive deep into Stratford-upon-Avon - the world-renowned birthplace of William Shakespeare and a destination that deserves more than just a day trip.Together they share why Stratford is the perfect place to slow down and stay longer, from scenic riverside walks, rowing and cruises to hidden Royal Shakespeare Company gems like the free tower and museum. Discover how to make the most of your visit with insider tips on: • Starting with the Stratford Town Walk • Best areas to stay – from cosy B&Bs to central hotels • Cafes, bakeries, pubs and standout local restaurants • Getting around on foot, by bus or hop-on hop-off • Avoiding traffic and timing your visit for markets, Mop Fair and festivals • Quick wins for smart booking, passes and reservationsLisa also explains why Stratford makes an ideal base for exploring the Cotswolds, with easy access to award-winning Go Cotswolds tours and routes.

Before he was Tywin Lannister in Game of Thrones or the commanding presence of The Jewel in the Crown, Charles Dance was a boy from Worcestershire whose father died when he was three and whose mother built a new life for the family, remarried to their lodger. A childhood marked by loss, a stammer and humble beginnings gave little hint of the commanding actor he would become.In this episode of Full Disclosure, James O'Brien sits down with the Emmy-nominated actor to trace an extraordinary journey from working-class Devon to the stages of the Royal Shakespeare Company and Hollywood sets alongside Meryl Streep, Arnold Schwarzenegger and Maggie Smith. Dance reveals how two eccentric mentors in rural Devon taught him to speak, act and think like an actor, and why, even now at 79, he still considers himself a “working actor” rather than a star.It's an intimate, reflective conversation about identity, perseverance, class, craft and the enduring magic of the stage- told with the wit and humility of a man who's seen it all and still can't quite believe his luck.

In this episode of Money Tales, our guest is David Adjmi. From childhood, our money stories shape the way we see the world—sometimes with clarity, and sometimes with confusion. For playwright David, growing up in a family and a neighborhood where money was about hustle, performance, and status left him questioning what financial security and self-worth really meant. David Adjmi's plays have been produced at theatres around the world such as Lincoln Center, RSC, Steppenwolf, and Soho Rep--where he was the Mellon Foundation playwright-in-residence for three years. Stereophonic (music by Will Butler of Arcade Fire) is running on London's West End after a successful run on Broadway, where it became the most Tony-nominated play in history. Stereophonic received the 2024 Drama Desk Award, New York Drama Critics' Circle Award, Outer Critics Circle Award, Drama League, and Tony Awards for Best Play. The Stumble was recently excerpted in The Paris Review, and his two-part play The Blind King is currently in development with The Public. Adjmi's controversial hit 3C was selected as one of the top ten plays of the year by the New York Post, Time Out and the Advocate. Elective Affinities premiered at the Royal Shakespeare Company and received a sold-out U.S. premiere at Soho Rep starring Zoe Caldwell (Top 10 of the year in Time Out, The New Yorker.) Other plays include Stunning, The Evildoers, and Marie Antoinette. He was awarded a Guggenheim Fellowship, the Whiting Writers' Award, the Kesselring Prize for Drama, and the Steinberg Playwright Award, among others.  He holds commissions from The Public, Playwrights Horizons, Yale Rep, Berkeley Rep, and the Royal Court (UK). His critically acclaimed memoir Lot Six was published by HarperCollins in 2020, and his collected plays are published by TCG.

Actor Nikki Amuka-Bird discusses her awe for Zadie Smith, the need for humour in books about difficult conversations and her relationship with playing “mean” characters.  Nikki is an actor whose career spans across film, television, and stage. She was born in Nigeria and grew up in Antigua before moving to the UK to attend boarding school. She studied at LAMDA – the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art – and quickly fell in love with the craft, before beginning what would become a stellar stage career with the Royal Shakespeare Company. Nikki has starred in a number of critically acclaimed roles in both British and international productions. She is perhaps best known for her work in television, with standout performances in Luther & the adaptation of Zadie Smith's NW, which earned her a BAFTA nomination. Nikki also appeared in the BBC adaptation of Small Island by Andrea Levy, winner of the 2004 Women's Prize for Fiction, and most recently as the lead in UKTV's I, Jack Wright. Her impressive filmography spans a wide array of roles, from starring alongside Rachel Weisz in Denial, to working with director and producer M. Night Shyamalan in Knock at the Cabin. Nikki's book choices are: ** The Colour Purple by Alice Walker ** A Return to Love by Marianne Williamson ** The Secret History by Donna Tart ** Such A Fun Age by Kiley Reid ** Tomorrow and Tomorrow and Tomorrow by Gabrielle Zevin  Vick Hope, multi-award winning TV and BBC Radio 1 presenter, author and journalist, is the host of season eight of the Women's Prize's BookshelfiePodcast. Every week, Vick will be joined by another inspirational woman to discuss the work of incredible female authors. The Women's Prize for Fiction is the biggest celebration of women's creativity in the world and has been running for over 30 years.  Don't want to miss the rest of season eight? Listen and subscribe now! You can buy all books mentioned from our dedicated shelf on Bookshop.org - every purchase supports the work of the Women's Prize Trust and independent bookshops.  Recorded May 2025. This podcast is sponsored by Baileys and produced by Bird Lime Media.

I've got more and more respect, these days, for the humble webquest. Slash hyperdoc. Slash game board. Slash immersive digital multimedia experience. Slash clickable infographic. Slash playlist. Slash choice board. When it comes to sharing information and contemporary texts with your students, there is SO MUCH available online right now. Students can see actors practicing behind the scenes at the Royal Shakespeare Company. Read John Green's thoughts on drafting. Hear Jason Reynolds' read his children's book, There was a Party for Langston, while the illustrations wash across the screen. Students can learn MLA with Purdue, watch Joy Harjo read her own poetry, listen to our country's top researchers and academics and start-up founders on podcasts and Ted stages. So cool, right? With so many immersive, multimodal resources waiting for our students, building their roadmaps to what's available becomes an important (and fun) job. We want to present them with great options, and help them feel positive and excited about the experience of exploring. We want to give them possibilities across modes and from many perspectives, so students can use their agency to learn in ways that feel good to them, and connect to at least some aspects of what they discover. We want to provide options in terms of how they synthesize the information they take in so they can use it later. As I see it, here are some of the benefits to building quality webquests for students: students have choice in what to explore, starting with what seems most interesting to them and continuing to make choices until they're out of time plugging in to the kinds of contemporary connections available online (like listening to author interviews, visiting settings, seeing adaptations, and viewing connected social media) can often make learning feel more relevant for students you can build in resources across genres and modes, letting students listen, watch, read, explore, view, and zoom in according to their preferences it's easier to provide more viewpoints, voices, and perspectives, helping you to diversify your curriculum sharing a webquest is less stressful than giving a lecture, and more likely to keep students engaged you'll save a tree, since photocopying a packet of information won't be necessary you can take advantage of the incredible wealth of informational resources available online Today on the pod, let's talk through some examples. Be sure to grab the free templates that complement the episode! These are meant to make this whole process quick and easy for you as you get started, and then you can go on to develop your own.  Get the Free Templates Here: https://sparkcreativity.kartra.com/page/webquesttemplates Sources Considered and Cited: Beers, Kylene and Robert Probst. Disrupting Thinking: Why How We Read Matters. Scholastic, 2017. This book features a helpful look at why relevance is key to engagement. Read more in this blog post. Chavez, Felicia Rose. The Anti-Racist Writing Workshop. Haymarket Books, 2021. Felicia Rose Chavez talks about letting students have a voice in the texts that form the curriculum, and "completing the canon" (97) to go well beyond the white Eurocentric voices so often enshrined there. Clapp, Edward. "5+3 = 8: The Eight Barriers to Access and Equity in the Creative Classroom." Participatory Creativity: Introducing Access and Equity to the Creative Classroom. MSU Article Retrieval Service. Accessed October 2025. The chapter from Edward Clapp discusses sharing models of creativity that don't just reflect individual creatives working in isolation, but also collective and collaborative creativity. Rodriguez-Mojica, Claudia and Allison Briceño. Conscious Classrooms. PD Essentials, 2022. (+ Related Podcast Interview). Claudia and Rodriguez-Mojica and Allison Briceño showcase the increase in student performance when they can see themselves in the texts they read. Muhammad, Gholdy. Cultivating Genius. Scholastic Teaching Resources, 2020. Gholdy Muhammad's Cultivating Genius calls for us to layer contemporary multimodal texts into our curriculum, something that reinforced my own long-term interest in this possibility. Ivcevic, Zorana. The Creativity Choice. Public Affairs, 2025. "Research-Based Practices to Ignite Creativity, with Dr. Zorana Ivcevic Pringle." The Spark Creativity Teacher Podcast. Episode 393. September, 2025. Ivcevic suggests that teachers use models and mentors of creative thought that allow students to see themselves, both in terms of their identity and in terms of the level of creativity. Stockman, Angela. Creating Inclusive Writing Environments in the K-12 Classroom. Eye on Education, 2020. Angela's work on multimodal texts, makerspace freedom, and creating more inclusive curriculum is helpful in this conversation.  

This week on Crack the Book, I'm still in awe of Shakespeare — and not ready to leave him behind. Somewhere between Falstaff's jokes and Othello's heartbreak, I realized just how much I've climbed the Shakespeare learning curve. The language that once felt impossible now feels like music, and these plays — Henry IV, Parts 1 & 2, and Othello — have been my favorite week yet.To start, though, I covered a little of Shakespeare's own history, so that we can better understand what was happening around him as he wrote his plays.The Henry IV plays are part of Shakespeare's “Henriad,” tracing Prince Hal's transformation from tavern-dwelling prankster to King Henry V. Part 1 sets up the tension between fathers and sons — King Henry and Hal, Northumberland and Hotspur — while Falstaff brings both comedy and chaos. I was surprised by how much I loved the histories: the mix of battle and banter, the political drama, and the emotional depth. By Part 2, the story turns elegiac. Henry IV is aging, Hal is ready to lead, and Falstaff's charm finally wears thin. The final father–son scenes left me sobbing under a tree outside our hotel — Shakespeare reached across 400 years and hit me right in the heart.Then comes Othello, which could not be more different. Where Falstaff is funny, Iago is chilling. He's not a misunderstood fool — he's pure manipulation, the “honest” man who deceives everyone. I was struck by how quickly Shakespeare draws each character: Desdemona's sweetness, Emilia's courage, Othello's nobility. The tragedy lands hard because we believe them all. And even here, amid jealousy and death, Shakespeare finds humor — like a quick, ridiculous debate about national drinking habits.I watched the Royal Shakespeare Company productions of Henry IV with Anthony Sher's Falstaff, and they were brilliant — vivid sword fights, excellent pacing, and real warmth. By Othello, I'd developed my ear enough to read without watching.This project keeps surprising me — and this week, it reminded me why Shakespeare endures. His plays aren't ancient; they're alive, human, and heartbreakingly funny.This is a year-long challenge! Join me next week for Giorgio Vasari's Lives of the Artists and Benvenuto Cellini's Autobiography.LINKTed Gioia/The Honest Broker's 12-Month Immersive Humanities Course (paywalled!)My Amazon Book List (NOT an affiliate link)CONNECTThe complete list of Crack the Book Episodes: https://cheryldrury.substack.com/p/crack-the-book-start-here?r=u3t2rTo read more of my writing, visit my Substack - https://www.cheryldrury.substack.com.Follow me on Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/cldrury/ LISTENSpotify - https://open.spotify.com/show/5GpySInw1e8IqNQvXow7Lv?si=9ebd5508daa245bdApple Podcasts -

Professor Suzannah Lipscomb engages in a captivating conversation with award-winning dramatist Liz Duffy Adams about the new Royal Shakespeare production of her play Born With Teeth, which imagines a thrilling collaboration between William Shakespeare and Christopher Marlowe. Suzannah and Liz delve into the fiery dynamics of the two men's relationship and the influence of politics on their works.Shakespeare and Marlowe existed under a time of oppressive royal censorship, when displeasing the crown would mean a trip to the Tower, or worse. How did they balance this struggle for truth and creativity amid the palpable danger?Extracts from Born With Teeth by Liz Duffy Adams, performed by Ncuti Gatwa and Edward Bluemel, courtesy of Royal Shakespeare CompanyMORE:Murder of Christopher MarloweShakespeare's Son Hamnet with Maggie O'FarrellPresented by Professor Suzannah Lipscomb. The researcher is Max Wintle. Edited and produced by Rob Weinberg. The senior producer is Anne-Marie Luff.All music courtesy of Epidemic Sounds.Not Just the Tudors is a History Hit podcastSign up to History Hit for hundreds of hours of original documentaries, with a new release every week and ad-free podcasts. Sign up at https://www.historyhit.com/subscribe. You can take part in our listener survey here: https://insights.historyhit.com/history-hit-podcast-always-on Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Sir Gregory Doran is the former artistic director of the Royal Shakespeare Company. He spent a total of thirty five years with the RSC directing fifty productions in the UK and abroad. He's been called “one of the great Shakespeareans of his age” and has won multiple awards for his work.Born in 1958, Greg was brought up near Preston and played a number of female Shakespeare roles when he was a young pupil attending an all-boys secondary school. He went on to study English and Drama at Bristol University followed by a stint studying classical acting at the Bristol Old Vic Theatre School. After a few bit parts in TV sitcoms and a spell at Nottingham Playhouse, Sir Greg decided that he would prefer to carve out a career as a director. He went on to stage some of the most critically acclaimed theatre productions – including an all-black cast of Julius Caesar and took Titus Andronicus to South Africa.More recently, he has been touring the globe on his Shakespeare's First Folio tour to look at as many different copies of the texts as possible. He survives his husband, the actor Sir Anthony Sher whom he met in 1987 whilst they were both part of a production of the Merchant of Venice at the RSC in Stratford. Sir Greg lives in London.DISC ONE: Giulio Cesare in Egitto, HWV 17, Act 1: Duetto. "Son nata a lagrimar" (Cornelia, Sesto) Composed by Georg Friedrich Händel and performed by Nathalie Stutzmann (contralto) Philippe Jaroussky (counter tenor) Oreo 55 (Orchestra) DISC TWO: Sicut cervus – The Choir of Preston Catholic College DISC THREE: Born Free - Matt Monro DISC FOUR: It's Raining Men - The Weather Girls DISC FIVE: Diamonds on the Soles of Her Shoes - Paul Simon DISC SIX: J.S. Bach: Cantata "Ich habe genug" BWV 82: I. "Ich habe genug, ich habe den Heiland". Performed by Thomas Quasthoff (bass-baritone), Berliner Barock Solisten, conducted by Rainer Kussmaul DISC SEVEN: Piano Concerto No. 12 in A, K.414: 2. Andante. Composed by Mozart and performed by Alfred Brendel (piano) and Academy of St Martin in the Fields, conducted by Sir Neville Marriner DISC EIGHT: Where the Bee Sucks - Paul Englishby, Royal Shakespeare Company BOOK CHOICE: A 1609 copy of Shakespeare's Sonnets LUXURY ITEM: A shelf of photo albums CASTAWAY'S FAVOURITE: Piano Concerto No. 12 in A, K.414: 2. Andante. Composed by Mozart and performed by Alfred Brendel (piano) and Academy of St Martin in the Fields, conducted by Sir Neville MarrinerPresenter: Lauren Laverne Producer: Sarah Taylor