The Essay: The Beeb and the Bard

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The Essay: The Beeb and the Bard: Finding a way

Finding a way

The Beeb and the Bard

BBC Radio 3 - The Essay, The Beeb and the Bard, Finding a way

Samuel West introduces a centenary celebration of BBC radio productions of Shakespeare.

Actor Samuel West, with academic Dr Andrea Smith, chronicles Shakespeare on the radio from the early days, when plays were performed live for an audience of journalists!

Soon after the BBC was born came the ambition to broadcast Shakespeare plays on 'the wireless'.  Theatres refused to allow recording of stage versions so the BBC had to go it alone.  The BBC's first Director-General, Lord Reith, thought radio well suited to the task of producing Shakespeare: 

‘The plays of Shakespeare fulfil to a great extent the requirements of wireless, for he had little in the way of setting and scenery, and relied chiefly on the vigour of his plot and the conviction of the speakers to convey his ideas. It is not at all unlikely that wireless will render a highly important service in popularising Shakespeare.’

Our series looks at how well Reith's ambition was realised. We have brilliant clips from some of the country's best loved actors who have performed Shakespeare on the radio as productions grew more sophisticated, as acting styles changed and as radio's production values allowed the listener to experience Shakespeare's world in the most imaginative way.

Presented by Samuel West and Dr Andrea Smith
Produced by Susan Marling
A Just Radio Production

Live music and the arts: broadcasts more live music than any other radio network. Classical music is its core. Genres include world and new music, jazz, speech and drama.

A centenary celebration of BBC radio productions of Shakespeare plays.

Actor Samuel West is joined by Dr Andrea Smith to chronicle 100 years (nearly) of Shakespeare on the radio.

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