Shakespeare and popular culture

Why has Shakespeare become such a cultural hero? 

How we use our personal influences and theoretical positions to inform our reading of Shakespeare. 

A discussion debating these two different methods of analysing Shakespeare's work. 

How Shakespeare has influenced contemporary popular culture. 

Matthew Sweet is joined by Professor Preti Taneja – author of a novel We That Are Young which sets the King Lear in Delhi, by Dr Iain Robert Smith who studies films from around the world, and by Andrew Dickson, journalist and author of Worlds Elsewhere: Journeys Around Shakespear ... Show More

Ian McMillan celebrates what Shakespeare can tell future generations - about animals, sound, performance and language. With actor Paterson Joseph, grime poet and writer Debris Stevenson, Verb regular Kate Fox and Prof Todd Borlick from the University of Huddersfield. 

William Shakespeare is the most famous writer in the English language. He lived more than 400 years ago, but people still read his poetry and plays today. Christy VanArragon and Colin Lowther look at Shakespeare’s life. 

Is Shakespeare still at the heart of British culture? Tony Howard discusses Shakespeare’s continued relevance in reflecting the shifts in British society; the marginalisation of Black and Asian performers; and how the entertainment sector still faces urgent calls for greater dive ... Show More

We learn phrases from Shakespeare that are still used today. 

Join Greg Jenner in 16th century England to meet the bard himself, one of England's greatest writers, William Shakespeare. How did he go from the son of a glove maker in Stratford Upon Avon to a famed theatre owner, actor and writer in London? What was life really like in a Shake ... Show More