I worked in the production office on this series in the middle seventies and it was the happiest of my working life for ATV Elstree. John Mortimer's witty writing (he used to bring his dog to work), Peter Woods' stylish first episode direction (he used to bring his cat), and the stunning young talent of the cast added up to what I assumed would be a fantastic hit. The sets were also magical and the incidental music by the City Waites (?) unique. There was of course occasional "trouble at mill". No series ever gets made without blood on the floor. Changing directors meant getting used to different styles of command in the studio. But these were overcome and the direction of each episode became more and more assured. In addition some actors were having an energetic social life, some had been unwell and there was pressure to conform to more delicate American sensibilities. Nonetheless it was a magical summer working on it. After all that work I never read a review in the UK - it seemed to fall into a black hole. To my mind that's worse than a bad review - no one knows what has worked/not worked as a consequence and it's insulting for the actors. But while we made it and when I watched it go to air I loved every moment of it.
Review of Will Shakespeare
