BBC Shakespeare - All 37 Plays (1978-1985)
by weirdquark | created - 01 Feb 2019 | updated - 15 Dec 2022 | PublicThis is the only complete set of screen adaptations that I know of. These films may also represent the only available screen version for some of the Bard's lesser known work. The cast list contains many of the greats of British acting talent. They were produced and broadcast over a 7 year period in the UK from December 1978 to April 1985. They are now available as a DVD Box Set.
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1. All's Well That Ends Well (1981 TV Movie)
Not Rated | 141 min | Comedy, Romance
Helena loves Bertram but he's of noble birth, while she's just a doctor's daughter. But Bertram is at the court of the King of France, who is ill, and Helena has a remedy that might cure ... See full summary »
Director: Elijah Moshinsky | Stars: Celia Johnson, Ian Charleson, Michael Hordern, Angela Down
Votes: 161
2. Antony & Cleopatra (1981 TV Movie)
170 min | Drama, History, Romance
After the murder of her lover Julius Caesar, Egypt's queen Cleopatra needs a new ally. She seduces his probable successor Mark Antony. This develops into real love and slowly leads to a war with the other possible successor, Octavius.
Director: Jonathan Miller | Stars: John Paul, Jonathan Adams, Jane Lapotaire, Colin Blakely
Votes: 157
3.
The BBC Television Shakespeare (1978–1985)
Episode:
As You Like It
(1978)
TV-14 | 151 min
After the overthrowing of Duke Senior by his tyrannical brother, Senior's daughter Rosalind disguises herself as a man and sets out to find her banished father while also counseling her clumsy suitor Orlando in the art of wooing.
Director: Basil Coleman | Stars: Helen Mirren, Brian Stirner, Richard Pasco, Angharad Rees
Votes: 356
4. The Comedy of Errors (1983 TV Movie)
Not Rated | 109 min | Comedy
Aegeon of Syracuse has come to Ephesus to seek his son, who went in search of his missing twin and mother months ago. Unfortunately, Ephesus has just declared war on Syracuse, and will ... See full summary »
Director: James Cellan Jones | Stars: Cyril Cusack, Charles Gray, Nicolas Chagrin, Nick Burnell
Votes: 223
5. The Tragedy of Coriolanus (1984 TV Movie)
145 min | Drama, History
A banished hero of Rome allies with a sworn enemy to take his revenge on the city.
Director: Elijah Moshinsky | Stars: Paul Jesson, Ray Roberts, Leon Lissek, Jon Rumney
Votes: 138
6. Cymbeline (1982 TV Movie)
Not Rated | 175 min | Drama, Comedy
Cymbeline (Richard Johnson), the King of Britain, is angry that his daughter Imogen (Dame Helen Mirren) has chosen a poor (but worthy) man for her husband. So he banishes Posthumus (Michael... See full summary »
Director: Elijah Moshinsky | Stars: Richard Johnson, Michael Pennington, Claire Bloom, Robert Lindsay
Votes: 199
7.
The BBC Television Shakespeare (1978–1985)
Episode:
Hamlet, Prince of Denmark
(1980)
TV-14 | 210 min
Hamlet suspects his uncle has murdered his father to claim the throne of Denmark and the hand of Hamlet's mother, but the Prince cannot decide whether or not he should take vengeance.
Directors: Rodney Bennett, John Gorrie | Stars: Derek Jacobi, Claire Bloom, Patrick Stewart, Eric Porter
Votes: 664
8. Henry IV Part I (1979 TV Movie)
Not Rated | 148 min | Drama
Henry Bolingbroke has now been crowned King of England, but faces a rebellion headed by the embittered Earl of Northumberland and his son, (nicknamed "Hotspur"). Henry's son, Hal, the ... See full summary »
Director: David Giles | Stars: Jon Finch, David Gwillim, Rob Edwards, Robert Brown
Votes: 224
9. Henry IV Part II (1979 TV Movie)
Not Rated | 150 min | Drama
Henry Bolingbroke has now been crowned King of England, but faces a rebellion headed by the embittered Earl of Northumberland and his son (nicknamed "Hotspur"). Henry's son Hal, the Prince ... See full summary »
Director: David Giles | Stars: Jon Finch, David Gwillim, Rob Edwards, Martin Neil
Votes: 156
10. Henry V (1979 TV Movie)
Not Rated | 170 min | Biography, Drama, War
In the midst of the Hundred Years' War, the young King Henry V of England embarks on the conquest of France in 1415.
Director: David Giles | Stars: John Abineri, Robert Ashby, Trevor Baxter, Rod Beacham
Votes: 160
11. The First Part of Henry the Sixth (1983 TV Movie)
188 min | Drama, History
Following his father's early death and the loss of possessions in France, young Henry VI comes to the throne, under the protection of the Duke of Gloucester. He is unaware that there are ... See full summary »
Director: Jane Howell | Stars: John Benfield, Peter Benson, Brenda Blethyn, Antony Brown
Votes: 146
12. The Second Part of Henry the Sixth (1983 TV Movie)
203 min | Drama, History
Following his father's early death and the loss of possessions in France young Henry VI comes to the throne, under the protection of the duke of Gloucester. He is unaware that there are ... See full summary »
Director: Jane Howell | Stars: John Benfield, Peter Benson, Antony Brown, David Burke
Votes: 121
13. The Third Part of Henry the Sixth (1983 TV Movie)
211 min | Drama, History
Following his father's early death and the loss of possessions in France young Henry VI comes to the throne, under the protection of the duke of Gloucester. He is unaware that there are ... See full summary »
Director: Jane Howell | Stars: John Benfield, Peter Benson, Gerald Blackmore, Antony Brown
Votes: 115
14.
The BBC Television Shakespeare (1978–1985)
Episode:
Henry VIII
(1979)
Not Rated | 166 min
Henry VIII is a proud and wilful monarch who defies Rome's ban on divorce to marry his mistress Anne Boleyn. Cardinal Wolsey, the Powerful Lord Chancellor of England, attempts to bend Rome ... See full summary »
Director: Kevin Billington | Stars: John Stride, Julian Glover, Ronald Pickup, Barbara Kellerman
Votes: 140
15.
The BBC Television Shakespeare (1978–1985)
Episode:
Julius Caesar
(1979)
TV-14 | 161 min
The assassination of the would be ruler of Rome at the hands of Brutus and company has tragic consequences for Brutus and the republic.
Director: Herbert Wise | Stars: Richard Pasco, Charles Gray, Keith Michell, David Collings
Votes: 258
16. The Life and Death of King John (1984 TV Movie)
Not Rated | 155 min | Drama
King John does whatever it takes to keep himself on the throne of England, making enemies of the pope, France, and his nephew along the way.
Director: David Giles | Stars: Leonard Rossiter, William Whymper, Mary Morris, Robert Brown
Votes: 144
17. King Lear (1982 TV Movie)
Not Rated | 180 min | Drama
King Lear (Sir Michael Hordern), old and tired, divides his kingdom amongst his daughters, giving great importance to their protestations of love for him. When Cordelia (Brenda Blethyn), ... See full summary »
Director: Jonathan Miller | Stars: John Shrapnel, Norman Rodway, Michael Kitchen, Michael Hordern
Votes: 280
18. Love's Labour's Lost (1985 TV Movie)
Not Rated | 120 min | Comedy, Romance
A scholarly king and his three companions swear off the society of women for three years, only to have a diplomatic visit from a French princess and her three ladies-in-waiting thwart their intentions.
Director: Elijah Moshinsky | Stars: Jonathan Kent, Christopher Blake, Geoffrey Burridge, Mike Gwilym
Votes: 126
19. Macbeth (1983 TV Movie)
TV-14 | 148 min | Drama
Macbeth and his wife murder Duncan in order to gain his crown, but the bloodbath doesn't stop there, and things supernatural combine to bring the Macbeths down.
Director: Jack Gold | Stars: Brenda Bruce, Eileen Way, Anne Dyson, Mark Dignam
Votes: 389
20.
The BBC Television Shakespeare (1978–1985)
Episode:
Measure for Measure
(1979)
Not Rated | 145 min
When the Duke of Vienna takes a mysterious leave of absence and leaves the strict Angelo in charge, things couldn't be worse for Claudio, who is sentenced to death for premarital sex. His ... See full summary »
Director: Desmond Davis | Stars: Kenneth Colley, Kate Nelligan, Tim Pigott-Smith, Christopher Strauli
Votes: 232
21. The Merchant of Venice (1980 TV Movie)
TV-14 | 157 min | Comedy, Drama
A rich merchant, Antonio is depressed for no good reason, until his good friend Bassanio comes to tell him how he's in love with Portia. Portia's father has died and left a very strange ... See full summary »
Director: Jack Gold | Stars: John Franklyn-Robbins, John Rhys-Davies, Alan David, John Nettles
Votes: 296
22. The Merry Wives of Windsor (1982 TV Movie)
Not Rated | 170 min | Comedy, Romance
When Sir John Falstaff decides that he wants to have a little fun he writes two letters to a pair of Windsor wives: Mistress Ford and Mistress Page. When they put their heads together and ... See full summary »
Director: David Hugh Jones | Stars: Alan Bennett, Richard O'Callaghan, Tenniel Evans, Bryan Marshall
Votes: 167
23. A Midsummer Night's Dream (I) (1981 TV Movie)
TV-14 | 112 min | Comedy
The adventures of four young lovers, a group of amateur actors and their interactions with fairies come to light in a moonlit forest.
Director: Elijah Moshinsky | Stars: Estelle Kohler, Nigel Davenport, Hugh Quarshie, Geoffrey Lumsden
Votes: 338
24. Much Ado About Nothing (1984 TV Movie)
Not Rated | 148 min | Comedy, Romance
Benedick and Beatrice fight their merry war of words. But when Beatrice's friend, Hero, is humiliatingly jilted by Benedick's best friend, Claudio, Benedick has to choose which side he's on... See full summary »
Director: Stuart Burge | Stars: Lee Montague, Tim Faulkner, Cherie Lunghi, Katharine Levy
Votes: 275
25. Othello (1981 TV Movie)
TV-14 | 195 min | Drama, Romance
General Othello (Sir Anthony Hopkins) becomes convinced that his wife is having an affair, even though there is no evidence.
Director: Jonathan Miller | Stars: Anthony Pedley, Bob Hoskins, Geoffrey Chater, Alexander Davion
Votes: 488
26. Pericles, Prince of Tyre (1984 TV Movie)
Not Rated | 177 min | Drama
When Pericles discovers the dread answer to Antioch's riddle, he flees for his life straight into famine, shipwreck, love, fatherhood, and another shipwreck; he loses his wife and daughter,... See full summary »
Director: David Hugh Jones | Stars: Edward Petherbridge, John Woodvine, Edita Brychta, Mike Gwilym
Votes: 118
27.
The BBC Television Shakespeare (1978–1985)
Episode:
Richard II
(1978)
158 min
The incompetent King Richard II is deposed by Henry Bolingbroke and undergoes a crisis of identity once he is no longer King.
Director: David Giles | Stars: Derek Jacobi, John Gielgud, Jon Finch, Wendy Hiller
Votes: 323
28. Richard III (1983 TV Movie)
Not Rated | 239 min | Drama
Richard of Gloucester uses murder and manipulation to claim England's throne.
Director: Jane Howell | Stars: Peter Benson, Antony Brown, David Burke, Michael Byrne
Votes: 231
29.
The BBC Television Shakespeare (1978–1985)
Episode:
Romeo & Juliet
(1978)
TV-14 | 168 min
Two teenagers fall in love, but their feuding families and fate itself cause the relationship to end in tragedy.
Director: Alvin Rakoff | Stars: Patrick Ryecart, Rebecca Saire, Celia Johnson, Michael Hordern
Votes: 465
While this may not be the best adaptation ever made of the Star Cross'd Lovers, it offers other benefits, like seeing a young Hans Gruber/Professor Snape snarling the line "Turn thee Benvolio, and look upon thy death."
30. The Taming of the Shrew (1980 TV Movie)
TV-14 | 127 min | Comedy, Romance
The swaggering Petruchio agrees to marry the spitting hellcat, Katherine.
Director: Jonathan Miller | Stars: Simon Chandler, Anthony Pedley, John Franklyn-Robbins, Frank Thornton
Votes: 397
31. The Tempest (1980 TV Movie)
TV-14 | 125 min | Drama
Exiled Prospero lives on a desolate island with his daughter, Miranda. When Prospero's usurping brother sails by the island, Prospero conjures a storm that wrecks the ship and changes all of their lives.
Director: John Gorrie | Stars: Michael Hordern, Derek Godfrey, David Waller, Warren Clarke
Votes: 328
32. Timon of Athens (1981 TV Movie)
Not Rated | 128 min | Comedy, Drama
Timon loves to give parties and objects to friends, but when he cannot pay his creditors, his "friends" refuse to help him, and he becomes a misanthropic hermit.
Director: Jonathan Miller | Stars: John Fortune, John Bird, Tony Jay, David Kinsey
Votes: 139
33. Titus Andronicus (1985 TV Movie)
Not Rated | 168 min | Drama, Horror
Roman warrior Titus Andronicus finds himself trapped in a nightmarish cycle of vengeance, misery, and bloodshed.
Director: Jane Howell | Stars: Paul Davies Prowles, Edward Hardwicke, Walter Brown, Brian Protheroe
Votes: 193
34. Troilus & Cressida (1981 TV Movie)
190 min | Drama
During the Trojan War, a Trojan warrior is distraught when his lover takes up with a Greek.
Director: Jonathan Miller | Stars: Charles Gray, Anton Lesser, Tony Steedman, Suzanne Burden
Votes: 149
35. Twelfth Night (1980 TV Movie)
Not Rated | 128 min | Comedy, Drama, Romance
Lookalike twins Viola and Sebastian are separated by a shipwreck. Viola lands in Illyria, where she disguises herself as her brother and goes into the service of the Duke Orsino. Orsino ... See full summary »
Director: John Gorrie | Stars: Alec McCowen, Robert Hardy, Felicity Kendal, Annette Crosbie
Votes: 289
36. The Two Gentlemen of Verona (1983 TV Movie)
Not Rated | 137 min | Comedy
In 16th century Italy, two inseparable friends suddenly become rivals for the love of a noblewoman.
Director: Don Taylor | Stars: Frank Barrie, Tessa Peake-Jones, Hetta Charnley, Tyler Butterworth
Votes: 129
37. The Winter's Tale (1981 TV Movie)
173 min | Comedy, Drama
King Leontes of Bohemia suspects his wife, Hermione, and his friend, Polixenes, of betraying him. When he forces Polixenes to flee for his life, Leontes sets in motion a chain of events ... See full summary »
Director: Jane Howell | Stars: John Welsh, David Burke, Robert Stephens, Jeremy Kemp
Votes: 161
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