Watch Shakespeare Uncovered

Shakespeare Uncovered is a television series that explores the works of William Shakespeare in the context of Shakespeare's history and modern performances. Notable actors, directors, and scholars are interviewed over the course of six episodes about their work with Shakespeare's plays. Shakespeare Uncovered offers insights into how the plays were originally written and performed by Shakespeare and his company, and why they are still performed today.

Each episode of Shakespeare Uncovered is narrated by a notable modern practitioner of Shakespeare's works, including David Tennant, Ethan Hawke, and Trevor Nunn. Each episode examines a different play, or genre of plays, including Macbeth, Ricard II, Henry IV (parts 1 and 2), Henry V, Hamlet, and The Tempest. Episodes include sample scenes and backstage looks at the work of the Royal Shakespeare Company, Shakespeare's Globe (London), and the American Shakespeare Center.

In addition to modern productions of the plays, Shakespeare Uncovered examines the historical and literary conditions in which Shakespeare wrote. The series generally argues that William Shakespeare helped establish the modern theatre four centuries ago by adapting other literary works, writing prequels to well known stories, rebooting other writers' characters, and incorporating contemporary politics into his work. Parts of Shakespeare's biography, including his family and professional lives, are also considered in relation to his craft in writing plays.

Notable Shakespeare scholars Stephen Greenblatt, Gail Kern Paster, and Stanley Wells, Abigail Rokison, and Rene Weis served as the project advisory board for Shakespeare Uncovered. Some of the more noteworthy performers interviewed include Judy Dench, Patrick Stewart, Kate Fleetwood, and Ian McKellan. Film, television, and radio adaptations of Shakespeare's plays are also examined, from the early twentieth century through the present.

Shakespeare Uncovered was produced by Blakeway Productions, 116 Films, and THIRTEEN in association with Shakespeare's Globe, and first aired on June 19th, 2012. Each episode of Shakespeare Uncovered runs for sixty minutes.