Christopher Ecclestone, Hugh Quarshie, and Niamh Cusack are amongst those starring in the sextet of plays.
Amongst the many celebrating a birthday in quarantine is William Shakespeare, whose birthday falls upon April 23. Since he’s not around to lead the celebrations, however, the Royal Shakespeare Company have taken on the duties of the party committee. They’ll be releasing six of their favourite past shows onto BBC iPlayer on the 23rd, allowing you to binge on the Bard all evening long. (Featured image: @thersc)
That means some big names from the RSC’s history will be back on screens; take the 2018 version of Macbeth, which featured Christopher Eccleston as the titular character and Niamh Cusack as Lady Macbeth. Or Paapa Essiedu’s spectacular turn as the doomed Danish prince in 2016’s production of Hamlet. Or even Hugh Quarshie and Lucian Msamati matching wits as Othello and Iago, in a version which played in Stratford-upon-Avon back in 2015.
You’ll also be able to indulge in Much Ado About Nothing, Romeo and Juliet, and The Merchant of Venice, which is a pretty smashing collection in my opinion. The plays will arrive on BBC iPlayer on April 23, and will be sticking around for several weeks, so you can afford to take your time working your way through them. It’s a big birthday for the Bard, after all, so why not stretch it out a little?