The BBC Shakespeare Plays: Making the Televised Canon

Between 1978 and 1985 the BBC televised the entire Shakespeare canon of thirty-seven plays, a remarkable technical and dramatic accomplishment. Susan Willis, an American scholar in Shakespeare studies and performance, observed the making of a number of these television plays. Here she presents not only a full-scale history and analysis of BBC series but an unprecedented eyewitness account of the productions, from planning and rehearsal to taping and editing.

Library Journal

The story behind the seven-year BBC project to create television versions of all 37 of Shakespeare's plays is potentially an engrossing and fascinating tale. Unfortunately, this is not it. The elements are here, and Willis does shine in certain chapters--especially those on the series' three most prolific directors: Jonathan Miller, Elijah Moshinsky, and Jane Howell--but others plod. There are so many names tossed around that one loses track of characters, actors, production people, directors, and critics (an appendix of full cast and crew for each play would have been helpful). Willis assumes a familiarity with Shakespeare that few readers have; even scholars might not recognize scenes from Henry VI, Part 2 cited solely by act and scene number. Likewise, familiarity with various modes of television production is not a requisite, but would make reading easier. For very large Shakespeare or television collections.-- Keith R.A. DeCandido, ``Library Journal''