Shakespeare Uncovered debuts its third season

Helen Hunt in Shakespeare Uncovered. Photo: Rory Mulvey

As fall begins, the public television series Shakespeare Uncovered returns, too, with a third season of richly visual episodes. Hosted by renowned actors, the series dives into the challenges, highlights, and contemporary meanings of Shakespeare’s plays. It’s produced by Blakeway Productions, 116 Films, and THIRTEEN Productions LLC for WNET in association with PBS and Shakespeare’s Globe in London.

The season unfolds over the next three weeks, with two shows each week. It starts this Friday, October 12, with episodes on Much Ado About Nothing with Helen Hunt and The Merchant of Venice with F. Murray Abraham. The next two episodes, Measure for Measure with Romola Garai and Julius Caesar with Brian Cox, arrive on Friday, October 19. The last two, premiering on Friday, October 26, are The Winter’s Tale with Simon Russell Beale and Richard III with Sir Antony Sher. Sher joined us earlier this year on the Folger podcast Shakespeare Unlimited.

And there is more, too: An episode of our Shakespeare Unlimited podcast features an in-depth interview with series producers Richard Denton and Nicola Stockley, exploring how Shakespeare Uncovered came to be and what’s been involved in creating it.

For a sample of the first shows this fall, enjoy the following video previews.

If you haven’t seen the series before, each episode explores one of Shakespeare’s plays, presented by a well-known actor who has forged a special connection to it. In this season, British actress Romola Garai, who played Isabella in Measure for Measure at the Young Vic, hosts the Measure for Measure episode. She tells us, “I think it’s the best play he ever wrote.”

Narrated by the actors, the episodes include conversations with directors, scholars, and other actors, rehearsals and performances at Shakespeare’s Globe, beautiful locations, and scenes from past films and stagings of the play. Keep an eye out for Folger Director Michael Witmore or former Folger Director Gail Kern Paster in some of the episodes. Paster is one of the project advisors for the series, too.

As always, check local schedule listings for your public TV station. You can also stream the episodes starting the next day at Shakespeare Uncovered or on PBS apps. To see still more of the series, look for past episodes at the Shakespeare Uncovered episodes page.

Meet the people behind the series in our Shakespeare Unlimited podcast interview with producers Richard Denton and Nicola Stockley.  

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