Shakespeare's Restless World (omnibus)

Episode

First
Broadcast

Repeated

Comments

20231022

20231023 (BBC7)

Omnibus of the first five of 20 episodes.

Beginning with Sir Francis Drake's circumnavigation of the globe and how it changed the way Shakespeare's audiences viewed the world and their country's place on it.

For the first time, England was engaging with the whole world.

First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in April 2012.

Neil MacGregor uses objects of the time to explore the turbulent world of Shakespeare.

20231029

20231030 (BBC7)

Omnibus of eps 6-10 of 20 episodes.

Neil MacGregor shows what Henry V's armoury tells us about the depiction of history on the Elizabeth stage and the differences between Scottish and English witches are revealed by a model ship, made to be hung in a church.

First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in April 2012.

Neil MacGregor uses objects of the time to explore the turbulent world of Shakespeare.

20231105

20231106 (BBC7)

A tabloid history of Shakespeare's England, told through a collection of contemporary accounts of plots to murder Elizabeth I and James I.

Omnibus of eps 11-15 of 20 episodes.

Neil MacGregor shows what a delicate glass goblet reveals about the twin seductions of Venice: its sought after luxuries and its equally sought after women and the problems in uniting Scotland and England, creating a Great Britain and a set of designs for a common flag.

First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in May 2012.

Tabloid history of Shakespeare's England via contemporary accounts of royal murder plots.

20231112

20231113 (BBC7)

A rare domestic clock with an equally rare minute hand and quarter-hour chimes reveals the changing relationship Shakespeare's audiences had to time.

Omnibus of eps 16-20 of 20 episodes.

1603 saw not only a new king but the worst plague outbreak since the Black Death. Neil MacGregor shows how its impact and reach is told through a series of early seventeenth century proclamations and how the publication of the First Folio of Shakespeare's collected plays in 1623 began the process of turning an early modern playwright into a global phenomenon.

First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in May 2012.

Neil MacGregor uses objects of the time to explore the turbulent world of Shakespeare.

Episodes

Episode	First Broadcast	Repeated	Comments
01	20231022	20231023 (BBC7)	Omnibus of the first five of 20 episodes. Beginning with Sir Francis Drake's circumnavigation of the globe and how it changed the way Shakespeare's audiences viewed the world and their country's place on it. For the first time, England was engaging with the whole world. First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in April 2012. Neil MacGregor uses objects of the time to explore the turbulent world of Shakespeare.
02	20231029	20231030 (BBC7)	Omnibus of eps 6-10 of 20 episodes. Neil MacGregor shows what Henry V's armoury tells us about the depiction of history on the Elizabeth stage and the differences between Scottish and English witches are revealed by a model ship, made to be hung in a church. First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in April 2012. Neil MacGregor uses objects of the time to explore the turbulent world of Shakespeare.
03	20231105	20231106 (BBC7)	A tabloid history of Shakespeare's England, told through a collection of contemporary accounts of plots to murder Elizabeth I and James I. Omnibus of eps 11-15 of 20 episodes. Neil MacGregor shows what a delicate glass goblet reveals about the twin seductions of Venice: its sought after luxuries and its equally sought after women and the problems in uniting Scotland and England, creating a Great Britain and a set of designs for a common flag. First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in May 2012. Tabloid history of Shakespeare's England via contemporary accounts of royal murder plots.
04	20231112	20231113 (BBC7)	A rare domestic clock with an equally rare minute hand and quarter-hour chimes reveals the changing relationship Shakespeare's audiences had to time. Omnibus of eps 16-20 of 20 episodes. 1603 saw not only a new king but the worst plague outbreak since the Black Death. Neil MacGregor shows how its impact and reach is told through a series of early seventeenth century proclamations and how the publication of the First Folio of Shakespeare's collected plays in 1623 began the process of turning an early modern playwright into a global phenomenon. First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in May 2012. Neil MacGregor uses objects of the time to explore the turbulent world of Shakespeare.