''An Age of Kings'' is a fifteen-part serial adaptation of the eight sequential
history plays of
William Shakespeare
William Shakespeare ( 26 April 1564 – 23 April 1616) was an English playwright, poet and actor. He is widely regarded as the greatest writer in the English language and the world's pre-eminent dramatist. He is often called England's nation ...
(''
Richard II
Richard II (6 January 1367 – ), also known as Richard of Bordeaux, was King of England from 1377 until he was deposed in 1399. He was the son of Edward the Black Prince, Prince of Wales, and Joan, Countess of Kent. Richard's father ...
'', ''
1 Henry IV'', ''
2 Henry IV'', ''
Henry V Henry V may refer to:
People
* Henry V, Duke of Bavaria (died 1026)
* Henry V, Holy Roman Emperor (1081/86–1125)
* Henry V, Duke of Carinthia (died 1161)
* Henry V, Count Palatine of the Rhine (c. 1173–1227)
* Henry V, Count of Luxembourg (121 ...
'', ''
1 Henry VI'', ''
2 Henry VI'', ''
3 Henry VI'' and ''
Richard III
Richard III (2 October 145222 August 1485) was King of England and Lord of Ireland from 26 June 1483 until his death in 1485. He was the last king of the House of York and the last of the Plantagenet dynasty. His defeat and death at the Bat ...
''), produced and broadcast in
Britain
Britain most often refers to:
* The United Kingdom, a sovereign state in Europe comprising the island of Great Britain, the north-eastern part of the island of Ireland and many smaller islands
* Great Britain, the largest island in the United King ...
by the
BBC in 1960. The
United States
The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country Continental United States, primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 U.S. state, states, a Washington, D.C., ...
broadcast of the series the following year was hosted by
University of Southern California
, mottoeng = "Let whoever earns the palm bear it"
, religious_affiliation = Nonsectarian—historically Methodist
, established =
, accreditation = WSCUC
, type = Private research university
, academic_affiliations =
, endowment = $8.1 ...
professor
Frank Baxter, who provided an introduction for each episode specifically tailored for the American audience. At the time, the show was the most ambitious Shakespearean television adaptation ever made, and was a critical and commercial success in both the UK and the US.
Performed live, all episodes were
telerecorded during their original broadcasts and, for their success and cultural significance, have survived intact.
Introduction
The concept for the series originated in 1959 with
Peter Dews, a veteran BBC producer and director, who was inspired by a 1951
Anthony Quayle
Sir John Anthony Quayle (7 September 1913 – 20 October 1989) was a British actor and theatre director. He was nominated for an Oscar and a Golden Globe for his supporting role as Thomas Wolsey in the film '' Anne of the Thousand Days'' (1969 ...
directed production of the ''
Henriad
In Shakespearean scholarship, Henriad refers to a group of William Shakespeare's history plays. It is sometimes used to refer to a group of four plays (a tetralogy), but some sources and scholars use the term to refer to eight plays. In the ...
'' at the
Theatre Royal and a 1953
Douglas Seale
Douglas Seale (28 October 1913 – 13 June 1999) was an English film and stage actor.
Early life
Born in London, Seale was educated at Rutlish School in Wimbledon and trained for the stage at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art.
Career
He ...
directed
repertory
A repertory theatre is a theatre in which a resident company presents works from a specified repertoire, usually in alternation or rotation.
United Kingdom
Annie Horniman founded the first modern repertory theatre in Manchester after withdrawin ...
cast production of the three parts of ''Henry VI'' at the
Birmingham Repertory Theatre
Birmingham Repertory Theatre, commonly called Birmingham Rep or just The Rep, is a producing theatre based on Centenary Square in Birmingham, England. Founded by Barry Jackson, it is the longest-established of Britain's building-based theatre ...
and subsequently,
The Old Vic
The Old Vic is a 1,000-seat, not-for-profit producing theatre in Waterloo, London, England. Established in 1818 as the Royal Coburg Theatre, and renamed in 1833 the Royal Victoria Theatre. In 1871 it was rebuilt and reopened as the Royal ...
.
At the time, ''An Age of Kings'' was the most conceptually ambitious Shakespeare project ever undertaken, containing over 600 speaking roles, and requiring thirty weeks of rehearsal prior to performance. Each episode cost roughly £4,000. Adapter
Eric Crozier
Eric Crozier OBE (14 November 19147 September 1994) was a British theatrical director, opera librettist and producer, long associated with Benjamin Britten.
Early life and career
Crozier was born in London and studied at the Royal Academy of D ...
cut the text of the eight plays into sixty-, seventy-, seventy-five- and eighty-minute episodes, which each episode roughly corresponding to half of each play. The only exception to this was ''1 Henry VI'', which was reduced to a single hour-long episode.
Dews sourced most of his cast from The Old Vic, using many of the same actors who had appeared in Seale's production, although in different roles (
Paul Daneman for example, played
Henry VI for Seale, but played
Richard III
Richard III (2 October 145222 August 1485) was King of England and Lord of Ireland from 26 June 1483 until his death in 1485. He was the last king of the House of York and the last of the Plantagenet dynasty. His defeat and death at the Bat ...
in ''Age of Kings''). Dews also used actors with whom he had worked whilst directing undergraduate plays at
Oxford University
Oxford () is a city in England. It is the county town and only city of Oxfordshire. In 2020, its population was estimated at 151,584. It is north-west of London, south-east of Birmingham and north-east of Bristol. The city is home to the ...
. He gave the job of directing to his assistant,
Michael Hayes.
The initial plan was for the series to be the inaugural production in the BBC's newly built
BBC Television Centre
Television Centre (TVC) is a building complex in White City, West London, that was the headquarters of BBC Television between 1960 and 2013. After a refurbishment, the complex reopened in 2017 with three studios in use for TV production, opera ...
in London, but when the studios opened, the series was not ready, and was instead broadcast from the
Riverside Studios
Riverside Studios is an arts centre on the banks of the River Thames in Hammersmith, London, England. The venue plays host to contemporary performance, film, visual art exhibitions and television production.
Having closed for redevelopment ...
in
Hammersmith
Hammersmith is a district of West London, England, southwest of Charing Cross. It is the administrative centre of the London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham, and identified in the London Plan as one of 35 major centres in Greater London ...
.
Peter Dews described the set as "a large permanent structure; platforms, steps, corridors, pillars, and gardens, which will house nearly all the plays' action and which will, despite its outward realism, be not very far from Shakespeare's "unworthy scaffold"." The entire production was shot with four cameras running at any given time. For battle scenes, a
cyclorama
A cyclorama is a panoramic image on the inside of a cylindrical platform, designed to give viewers standing in the middle of the cylinder a 360° view, and also a building designed to show a panoramic image. The intended effect is to make view ...
was used as a backdrop, obscured with smoke. Almost the entire series was shot in medium and close ups. All fifteen episodes were broadcast live, though a "
telerecording
Kinescope , shortened to kine , also known as telerecording in Britain, is a recording of a television program on motion picture film, directly through a lens focused on the screen of a video monitor. The process was pioneered during the 1940 ...
" of the series was made.
Many of the episodes ended with wordless pseudo-teasers for the following episode. For example, "The Deposing of the King" ends with a shot of
Northumberland
Northumberland () is a county in Northern England, one of two counties in England which border with Scotland. Notable landmarks in the county include Alnwick Castle, Bamburgh Castle, Hadrian's Wall and Hexham Abbey.
It is bordered by land ...
's dagger stabbed into
Henry IV's paperwork, visually alluding to his later rebellion. "Signs of War" ends with a shot of a signpost reading "
Agincourt", alluding to the upcoming battle in the following episode. "The Sun in Splendour" ends with
George, Duke of Clarence
George Plantagenet, Duke of Clarence (21 October 144918 February 1478), was the 6th son of Richard Plantagenet, 3rd Duke of York, and Cecily Neville, and the brother of English kings Edward IV and Richard III. He played an important role in t ...
almost falling into a vat of wine, only to be saved by his brother, Richard, who looks deviously at the camera and smiles, alluding to his subsequent murder. "The Dangerous Brother" ends with Richard watching the sleeping
Princes in the Tower before smiling to himself and then blowing out a candle, again alluding to his planned murder. Head of BBC drama
Michael Barry referred to these "teasers" by explaining that "a strengthened purpose is added to the narrative when it is wholly seen, and we are able to look forward to 'what happens next'."
The series was a great success, with an average viewing audience of three million in the UK. ''
The Times
''The Times'' is a British daily national newspaper based in London. It began in 1785 under the title ''The Daily Universal Register'', adopting its current name on 1 January 1788. ''The Times'' and its sister paper '' The Sunday Times'' ( ...
'' hailed the production as "monumental; a landmark in the BBC's Shakespearian tradition." The series won the British Guild of Directors' award for "Excellence in Directing" and the
Peabody Award
The George Foster Peabody Awards (or simply Peabody Awards or the Peabodys) program, named for the American businessman and philanthropist George Peabody, honor the most powerful, enlightening, and invigorating stories in television, radio, and ...
in the US. It led to a follow-up, ''
The Spread of the Eagle'', consisting of Shakespeare's Roman plays which did not prove as successful.
United States airing
After a run on the New York City independent commercial station
WNEW beginning on 10 January 1961, the series was acquired for the United States
public television
Public broadcasting involves radio, television and other electronic media outlets whose primary mission is public service. Public broadcasters receive funding from diverse sources including license fees, individual contributions, public financing ...
network
National Educational Television
National Educational Television (NET) was an American educational broadcast television network owned by the Ford Foundation and later co-owned by the Corporation for Public Broadcasting. It operated from May 16, 1954 to October 4, 1970, and ...
(NET) by the
National Educational Television and Radio Center (NETRC), with financial support from the
Humble Oil and Refining Company (the show was the first nationally distributed non-commercial series to receive support from a commercial source).
Costing $250,000, Humble Oil not only paid for the national rights, but also for all publicity. NETRC promoted the show based on its educational value rather than its entertainment value, referring to it as "an experience in historical and cultural understanding," and stating "insofar as we are able, cultural phenomena peculiar to the time and environment will be
..explained, and significant themes will be explored wherever appropriate." Well-known Shakespeare authority and
Emmy Award
The Emmy Awards, or Emmys, are an extensive range of awards for artistic and technical merit for the American and international television industry. A number of annual Emmy Award ceremonies are held throughout the calendar year, each with the ...
-winning
TV personality Frank Baxter of the
University of Southern California
, mottoeng = "Let whoever earns the palm bear it"
, religious_affiliation = Nonsectarian—historically Methodist
, established =
, accreditation = WSCUC
, type = Private research university
, academic_affiliations =
, endowment = $8.1 ...
provided commentary on the "historical, geographical and genealogical backgrounds of the plays."
First airing on 20 October 1961, on the 60 non-commercial TV stations then on the air, it proved a hit with both audiences and critics; the ''
New York Herald Tribune
The ''New York Herald Tribune'' was a newspaper published between 1924 and 1966. It was created in 1924 when Ogden Mills Reid of the ''New-York Tribune'' acquired the '' New York Herald''. It was regarded as a "writer's newspaper" and competed ...
'' called it "easily one of the most magnificent efforts of the TV season"; ''
The New York Times
''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid ...
'' wrote "whatever may be said of their ethics, those noblemen make for superb entertainment."
As public television's first smash hit, the series led to many other successful British drama imports.
Other countries
The series was also shown in several other countries, typically to a positive response. For example, in Australia, it was broadcast on
ABC from October 1961, and was met with positive reviews. In Canada the series started October 1963. In West Germany, it was shown on
WDR in 1967–1968. In the Netherlands, it was shown on
NCRV from January 1966, again meeting with good reviews.
The episodes
"The Hollow Crown"
* First transmitted: 28 April 1960
* Running time: 60 minutes
* Content: ''Richard II'' Acts 1, 2 and Act 3, Scenes 1 and 2 (up to
Richard
Richard is a male given name. It originates, via Old French, from Old Frankish and is a compound of the words descending from Proto-Germanic ''*rīk-'' 'ruler, leader, king' and ''*hardu-'' 'strong, brave, hardy', and it therefore means 'stro ...
conceding defeat despite the protests of
Carlisle
Carlisle ( , ; from xcb, Caer Luel) is a city that lies within the Northern English county of Cumbria, south of the Scottish border at the confluence of the rivers Eden, Caldew and Petteril. It is the administrative centre of the City ...
, Scroop and
Aumerle).
*
David William as
King Richard the Second
*
Edgar Wreford
Edgar Wreford (29 December 1923 – 20 January 2006) was an English stage and television actor.
Biography
He trained at the Old Vic School and went on to have a long and distinguished career on stage.
His television roles included guest a ...
as
John of Gaunt
John of Gaunt, Duke of Lancaster (6 March 1340 – 3 February 1399) was an English royal prince, military leader, and statesman. He was the fourth son (third to survive infancy as William of Hatfield died shortly after birth) of King Edward ...
*
Tom Fleming as
Henry Bolingbroke
Henry IV ( April 1367 – 20 March 1413), also known as Henry Bolingbroke, was King of England from 1399 to 1413. He asserted the claim of his grandfather King Edward III, a maternal grandson of Philip IV of France, to the Kingdom of Fran ...
*
Noel Johnson as
Duke of Norfolk
Duke of Norfolk is a title in the peerage of England. The seat of the Duke of Norfolk is Arundel Castle in Sussex, although the title refers to the county of Norfolk. The current duke is Edward Fitzalan-Howard, 18th Duke of Norfolk. The dukes ...
*
David Andrews as
Sir John Bushy
*
Terence Lodge as
Sir William Bagot
*
Jerome Willis
Jerome Barry Willis (23 October 1928 – 11 January 2014) was a prominent British stage and screen actor with more than 100 screen credits to his name.
Willis had a leading role in the ITV drama series ''The Sandbaggers'' as Matthew Peele. He ...
as
Sir Henry Green
*
Julian Glover
Julian Wyatt Glover (born 27 March 1935) is an English classical actor with many stage, television, and film roles since commencing his career in the 1950s. He is a recipient of the Laurence Olivier Award and has performed many times for the ...
as Lord Marshal
*
John Greenwood as
Duke of Aumerle
Edward, 2nd Duke of York, ( – 25 October 1415) was an English nobleman, military commander and magnate. He was the eldest son of Edmund of Langley, 1st Duke of York, and a grandson of King Edward III of England. He held significant appointme ...
*
Geoffrey Bayldon as
Duke of York
Duke of York is a title of nobility in the Peerage of the United Kingdom. Since the 15th century, it has, when granted, usually been given to the second son of English (later British) monarchs. The equivalent title in the Scottish peerage was ...
*
Juliet Cooke as
Queen
Queen or QUEEN may refer to:
Monarchy
* Queen regnant, a female monarch of a Kingdom
** List of queens regnant
* Queen consort, the wife of a reigning king
* Queen dowager, the widow of a king
* Queen mother, a queen dowager who is the mother ...
*
George A. Cooper
George Alphonsus Cooper (7 March 1925 – 16 November 2018)
was an English actor and voice artist. He died in November 2018 at the age of 93.
Early life
Cooper was born in Leeds, the son of William and Eleanor (née Dobson) Cooper. His father ...
as
Earl of Northumberland
The title of Earl of Northumberland has been created several times in the Peerage of England and of Great Britain, succeeding the title Earl of Northumbria. Its most famous holders are the House of Percy (''alias'' Perci), who were the most po ...
*
Alan Rowe as
Lord Ross
*
Gordon Gostelow
Gordon Massey Gostelow (14 May 1925 – 3 June 2007) was an Australian actor. He was educated in Australia at North Sydney Boys High School and Sydney University where he graduated in Economics.
Gostelow went to England in 1950 and worked i ...
as
Lord Willoughby
*
Brian Smith as Servant
*
Sean Connery
Sir Sean Connery (born Thomas Connery; 25 August 1930 – 31 October 2020) was a Scottish actor. He was the first actor to portray fictional British secret agent James Bond on film, starring in seven Bond films between 1962 and 1983. Origina ...
as
Harry Percy
*
John Ringham
John Henry Ringham (10 February 1928 – 20 October 2008) was a British actor who appeared on both television and stage. Among his roles was that of Norman Warrender in the 1980s sitcom '' Just Good Friends''.
Early life
Ringham was born in Ch ...
as
Lord Berkeley
*
Frank Windsor
Frank Windsor Higgins (12 July 1928 – 30 September 2020), known professionally as Frank Windsor, was an English actor, primarily known for his roles on television, especially policeman John Watt in ''Z-Cars'' and its spin-offs.
Biography
Win ...
as
Bishop of Carlisle
The Bishop of Carlisle is the Ordinary of the Church of England Diocese of Carlisle in the Province of York.
The diocese covers the county of Cumbria except for Alston Moor and the former Sedbergh Rural District. The see is in the city of ...
*
Leon Shepperdson as
Earl of Salisbury
Earl of Salisbury is a title that has been created several times in English and British history. It has a complex history, and is now a subsidiary title to the marquessate of Salisbury.
Background
The title was first created for Patrick de S ...
*
Patrick Garland
Patrick Ewart Garland (10 April 1935 – 19 April 2013) was a British director, writer and actor.
Career
Garland was educated at St Mary's College, Southampton, and St Edmund Hall, Oxford where he studied English and was Literary Editor of Isi ...
as Sir Stephen Scroop
"The Deposing of a King"
* First transmitted: 12 May 1960
* Running time: 60 minutes
* Content: ''Richard II'' from Act 3, Scene 3 onwards (beginning with
York
York is a cathedral city with Roman origins, sited at the confluence of the rivers Ouse and Foss in North Yorkshire, England. It is the historic county town of Yorkshire. The city has many historic buildings and other structures, such as a ...
chiding
Northumberland
Northumberland () is a county in Northern England, one of two counties in England which border with Scotland. Notable landmarks in the county include Alnwick Castle, Bamburgh Castle, Hadrian's Wall and Hexham Abbey.
It is bordered by land ...
for not referring to Richard as "King").
*
Tom Fleming as
Henry Bolingbroke
Henry IV ( April 1367 – 20 March 1413), also known as Henry Bolingbroke, was King of England from 1399 to 1413. He asserted the claim of his grandfather King Edward III, a maternal grandson of Philip IV of France, to the Kingdom of Fran ...
*
George A. Cooper
George Alphonsus Cooper (7 March 1925 – 16 November 2018)
was an English actor and voice artist. He died in November 2018 at the age of 93.
Early life
Cooper was born in Leeds, the son of William and Eleanor (née Dobson) Cooper. His father ...
as
Earl of Northumberland
The title of Earl of Northumberland has been created several times in the Peerage of England and of Great Britain, succeeding the title Earl of Northumbria. Its most famous holders are the House of Percy (''alias'' Perci), who were the most po ...
*
Geoffrey Bayldon as
Duke of York
Duke of York is a title of nobility in the Peerage of the United Kingdom. Since the 15th century, it has, when granted, usually been given to the second son of English (later British) monarchs. The equivalent title in the Scottish peerage was ...
*
Sean Connery
Sir Sean Connery (born Thomas Connery; 25 August 1930 – 31 October 2020) was a Scottish actor. He was the first actor to portray fictional British secret agent James Bond on film, starring in seven Bond films between 1962 and 1983. Origina ...
as
Harry Percy
*
David William as
King Richard the Second
*
John Greenwood as
Duke of Aumerle
Edward, 2nd Duke of York, ( – 25 October 1415) was an English nobleman, military commander and magnate. He was the eldest son of Edmund of Langley, 1st Duke of York, and a grandson of King Edward III of England. He held significant appointme ...
*
Juliet Cooke as
Queen
Queen or QUEEN may refer to:
Monarchy
* Queen regnant, a female monarch of a Kingdom
** List of queens regnant
* Queen consort, the wife of a reigning king
* Queen dowager, the widow of a king
* Queen mother, a queen dowager who is the mother ...
*
Maggie Barton as Lady
*
Eileen Atkins
Dame Eileen June Atkins, (born 16 June 1934), is an English actress and occasional screenwriter. She has worked in the theatre, film, and television consistently since 1953. In 2008, she won the BAFTA TV Award for Best Actress and the Emmy Aw ...
as Lady
*
Gordon Gostelow
Gordon Massey Gostelow (14 May 1925 – 3 June 2007) was an Australian actor. He was educated in Australia at North Sydney Boys High School and Sydney University where he graduated in Economics.
Gostelow went to England in 1950 and worked i ...
as A Gardener
*
Terence Lodge as A Servant
*
Frank Windsor
Frank Windsor Higgins (12 July 1928 – 30 September 2020), known professionally as Frank Windsor, was an English actor, primarily known for his roles on television, especially policeman John Watt in ''Z-Cars'' and its spin-offs.
Biography
Win ...
as
Bishop of Carlisle
The Bishop of Carlisle is the Ordinary of the Church of England Diocese of Carlisle in the Province of York.
The diocese covers the county of Cumbria except for Alston Moor and the former Sedbergh Rural District. The see is in the city of ...
*
Michael Graham Cox as Abbot of Westminster
*
Mary Law as
Duchess of York
Duchess of York is the principal courtesy title held by the wife of the duke of York. Three of the eleven dukes of York either did not marry or had already assumed the throne prior to marriage, whilst two of the dukes married twice, therefore t ...
*
Robert Lang as Sir Pierce of Exton
*
Anthony Valentine
Anthony Valentine (17 August 1939 – 2 December 2015) was an English actor best known for his television roles: the ruthless Toby Meres in '' Callan'' (1967–72), the sadistic Major Horst Mohn in ''Colditz'' (1972–74), Bob in Tales of the U ...
as Servant
*
Julian Glover
Julian Wyatt Glover (born 27 March 1935) is an English classical actor with many stage, television, and film roles since commencing his career in the 1950s. He is a recipient of the Laurence Olivier Award and has performed many times for the ...
as Groom
*
Michael Graham Cox as Keeper
"Rebellion from the North"
* First transmitted: 26 May 1960
* Running time: 80 minutes
* Content: ''1 Henry IV'' Acts 1 and 2 (up to
Prince Hal
Prince Hal is the standard term used in literary criticism to refer to Shakespeare's portrayal of the young Henry V of England as a prince before his accession to the throne, taken from the diminutive form of his name used in the plays almost ex ...
expressing his disdain for the war).
*
Tom Fleming as
King Henry the Fourth
*
Julian Glover
Julian Wyatt Glover (born 27 March 1935) is an English classical actor with many stage, television, and film roles since commencing his career in the 1950s. He is a recipient of the Laurence Olivier Award and has performed many times for the ...
as
Earl of Westmoreland
Earl of Westmorland is a title that has been created twice in the Peerage of England. The title was first created in 1397 for Ralph Neville. It was forfeited in 1571 by Charles Neville, 6th Earl of Westmorland, for leading the Rising of the Nor ...
*
Frank Windsor
Frank Windsor Higgins (12 July 1928 – 30 September 2020), known professionally as Frank Windsor, was an English actor, primarily known for his roles on television, especially policeman John Watt in ''Z-Cars'' and its spin-offs.
Biography
Win ...
as
Sir Walter Blunt
*
Patrick Garland
Patrick Ewart Garland (10 April 1935 – 19 April 2013) was a British director, writer and actor.
Career
Garland was educated at St Mary's College, Southampton, and St Edmund Hall, Oxford where he studied English and was Literary Editor of Isi ...
as
John of Lancaster
John of Lancaster, Duke of Bedford KG (20 June 138914 September 1435) was a medieval English prince, general and statesman who commanded England's armies in France during a critical phase of the Hundred Years' War. Bedford was the third son of ...
*
Robert Hardy
Timothy Sydney Robert Hardy (29 October 1925 – 3 August 2017) was an English actor who had a long career in theatre, film and television. He began his career as a classical actor and later earned widespread recognition for roles such as Sieg ...
as
Henry, Prince of Wales
*
Frank Pettingell as
Sir John Falstaff
*
Brian Smith as
Poins
*
Geoffrey Bayldon as
Earl of Worcester
Earl of Worcester is a title that has been created five times in the Peerage of England.
Five creations
The first creation came in 1138 in favour of the Norman noble Waleran de Beaumont. He was the son of Robert de Beaumont, 1st Earl of Leice ...
*
George A. Cooper
George Alphonsus Cooper (7 March 1925 – 16 November 2018)
was an English actor and voice artist. He died in November 2018 at the age of 93.
Early life
Cooper was born in Leeds, the son of William and Eleanor (née Dobson) Cooper. His father ...
as
Earl of Northumberland
The title of Earl of Northumberland has been created several times in the Peerage of England and of Great Britain, succeeding the title Earl of Northumbria. Its most famous holders are the House of Percy (''alias'' Perci), who were the most po ...
*
Sean Connery
Sir Sean Connery (born Thomas Connery; 25 August 1930 – 31 October 2020) was a Scottish actor. He was the first actor to portray fictional British secret agent James Bond on film, starring in seven Bond films between 1962 and 1983. Origina ...
as
Hotspur
*
Jerome Willis
Jerome Barry Willis (23 October 1928 – 11 January 2014) was a prominent British stage and screen actor with more than 100 screen credits to his name.
Willis had a leading role in the ITV drama series ''The Sandbaggers'' as Matthew Peele. He ...
as Carrier
*
Michael Graham Cox as Carrier
*
Kenneth Farrington as Gadshill
*
Gordon Gostelow
Gordon Massey Gostelow (14 May 1925 – 3 June 2007) was an Australian actor. He was educated in Australia at North Sydney Boys High School and Sydney University where he graduated in Economics.
Gostelow went to England in 1950 and worked i ...
as
Bardolph
*
Terence Lodge as Peto
*
Patricia Heneghan
Patricia is a female given name of Latin origin. Derived from the Latin word '' patrician'', meaning "noble"; it is the feminine form of the masculine given name Patrick. The name Patricia was the second most common female name in the United Stat ...
as
Lady Percy
*
Derek Ware
Derek Gene Ware (born September 17, 1967) is a former American football tight end in the National Football League (NFL) for the Arizona Cardinals, Cincinnati Bengals, and Dallas Cowboys. He played college football at the University of Central ...
as Servant
*
Timothy Harley as Francis
*
John Ringham
John Henry Ringham (10 February 1928 – 20 October 2008) was a British actor who appeared on both television and stage. Among his roles was that of Norman Warrender in the 1980s sitcom '' Just Good Friends''.
Early life
Ringham was born in Ch ...
as Vintner
*
Angela Baddeley as
Mistress Quickly
Mistress Nell Quickly is a fictional character who appears in several plays by William Shakespeare. She is an inn-keeper, who runs the Boar's Head Tavern, at which Sir John Falstaff and his disreputable cronies congregate.
The character appe ...
*
Robert Lang as Sheriff
"The Road to Shrewsbury"
* First transmitted: 9 June 1960
* Running time: 70 minutes
* Content: ''1 Henry IV'' from Act 3, Scene 1 onwards (beginning with the strategy meeting between
Hotspur,
Mortimer and
Glendower).
*
David Andrews as
Edmund Mortimer
*
Sean Connery
Sir Sean Connery (born Thomas Connery; 25 August 1930 – 31 October 2020) was a Scottish actor. He was the first actor to portray fictional British secret agent James Bond on film, starring in seven Bond films between 1962 and 1983. Origina ...
as
Hotspur
*
William Squire
William Squire (29 April 1917 – 3 May 1989) was a Welsh actor of stage, film and television.
Squire was born in Neath, Glamorgan, the son of William Squire and his wife Martha (née Bridgeman).
Career
As a stage actor, Squire performed at S ...
as
Owen Glendower
*
Geoffrey Bayldon as
Earl of Worcester
Earl of Worcester is a title that has been created five times in the Peerage of England.
Five creations
The first creation came in 1138 in favour of the Norman noble Waleran de Beaumont. He was the son of Robert de Beaumont, 1st Earl of Leice ...
*
Valerie Gearon as
Lady Mortimer
*
Patricia Heneghan
Patricia is a female given name of Latin origin. Derived from the Latin word '' patrician'', meaning "noble"; it is the feminine form of the masculine given name Patrick. The name Patricia was the second most common female name in the United Stat ...
as
Lady Percy
*
Tom Fleming as
King Henry the Fourth
*
Robert Hardy
Timothy Sydney Robert Hardy (29 October 1925 – 3 August 2017) was an English actor who had a long career in theatre, film and television. He began his career as a classical actor and later earned widespread recognition for roles such as Sieg ...
as
Henry, Prince of Wales
*
Frank Windsor
Frank Windsor Higgins (12 July 1928 – 30 September 2020), known professionally as Frank Windsor, was an English actor, primarily known for his roles on television, especially policeman John Watt in ''Z-Cars'' and its spin-offs.
Biography
Win ...
as
Sir Walter Blunt
*
Frank Pettingell as
Sir John Falstaff
*
Gordon Gostelow
Gordon Massey Gostelow (14 May 1925 – 3 June 2007) was an Australian actor. He was educated in Australia at North Sydney Boys High School and Sydney University where he graduated in Economics.
Gostelow went to England in 1950 and worked i ...
as
Bardolph
*
Angela Baddeley as
Mistress Quickly
Mistress Nell Quickly is a fictional character who appears in several plays by William Shakespeare. She is an inn-keeper, who runs the Boar's Head Tavern, at which Sir John Falstaff and his disreputable cronies congregate.
The character appe ...
*
Andrew Faulds
Andrew Matthew William Faulds (1 March 1923 – 31 May 2000) was a British actor and Labour Party politician. After a successful acting career on stage, on radio and in films, he was a Member of Parliament from 1966 to 1997.
Early life
Fauld ...
as
Earl of Douglas
*
Anthony Valentine
Anthony Valentine (17 August 1939 – 2 December 2015) was an English actor best known for his television roles: the ruthless Toby Meres in '' Callan'' (1967–72), the sadistic Major Horst Mohn in ''Colditz'' (1972–74), Bob in Tales of the U ...
as Messenger
*
Alan Rowe as Sir Richard Vernon
*
Julian Glover
Julian Wyatt Glover (born 27 March 1935) is an English classical actor with many stage, television, and film roles since commencing his career in the 1950s. He is a recipient of the Laurence Olivier Award and has performed many times for the ...
as
Earl of Westmoreland
Earl of Westmorland is a title that has been created twice in the Peerage of England. The title was first created in 1397 for Ralph Neville. It was forfeited in 1571 by Charles Neville, 6th Earl of Westmorland, for leading the Rising of the Nor ...
*
John Murray-Scott as 2nd Messenger
*
Edgar Wreford
Edgar Wreford (29 December 1923 – 20 January 2006) was an English stage and television actor.
Biography
He trained at the Old Vic School and went on to have a long and distinguished career on stage.
His television roles included guest a ...
as
Archbishop of York
The archbishop of York is a senior bishop in the Church of England, second only to the archbishop of Canterbury. The archbishop is the diocesan bishop of the Diocese of York and the metropolitan bishop of the province of York, which covers ...
*
Kenneth Farrington as Sir Michael
*
Patrick Garland
Patrick Ewart Garland (10 April 1935 – 19 April 2013) was a British director, writer and actor.
Career
Garland was educated at St Mary's College, Southampton, and St Edmund Hall, Oxford where he studied English and was Literary Editor of Isi ...
as
John of Lancaster
John of Lancaster, Duke of Bedford KG (20 June 138914 September 1435) was a medieval English prince, general and statesman who commanded England's armies in France during a critical phase of the Hundred Years' War. Bedford was the third son of ...
"The New Conspiracy"
* First transmitted: 23 June 1960
* Running time: 60 minutes
* Content: ''2 Henry IV'' Acts 1 and 2 (up to Prince Hal being summoned to court).
*
David Andrews as
Lord Bardolph
Thomas Bardolf, 5th Baron Bardolf (22 December 1369 – 19 February 1408) was a baron in the Peerage of England, Lord of Wormegay, Norfolk, of Shelford and Stoke Bardolph in Nottinghamshire, Hallaton (Hallughton), Leicestershire, and others, ...
*
John Ringham
John Henry Ringham (10 February 1928 – 20 October 2008) was a British actor who appeared on both television and stage. Among his roles was that of Norman Warrender in the 1980s sitcom '' Just Good Friends''.
Early life
Ringham was born in Ch ...
as Porter
*
George A. Cooper
George Alphonsus Cooper (7 March 1925 – 16 November 2018)
was an English actor and voice artist. He died in November 2018 at the age of 93.
Early life
Cooper was born in Leeds, the son of William and Eleanor (née Dobson) Cooper. His father ...
as
Earl of Northumberland
The title of Earl of Northumberland has been created several times in the Peerage of England and of Great Britain, succeeding the title Earl of Northumbria. Its most famous holders are the House of Percy (''alias'' Perci), who were the most po ...
*
Terence Lodge as Travers
*
Jerome Willis
Jerome Barry Willis (23 October 1928 – 11 January 2014) was a prominent British stage and screen actor with more than 100 screen credits to his name.
Willis had a leading role in the ITV drama series ''The Sandbaggers'' as Matthew Peele. He ...
as Morton
*
Frank Pettingell as
Sir John Falstaff
*
Dane Howell as Page
*
Geoffrey Bayldon as
Lord Chief Justice
Lord is an appellation for a person or deity who has authority, control, or power over others, acting as a master, chief, or ruler. The appellation can also denote certain persons who hold a title of the peerage in the United Kingdom, or are ...
*
John Greenwood as Servant
*
Edgar Wreford
Edgar Wreford (29 December 1923 – 20 January 2006) was an English stage and television actor.
Biography
He trained at the Old Vic School and went on to have a long and distinguished career on stage.
His television roles included guest a ...
as
Archbishop of York
The archbishop of York is a senior bishop in the Church of England, second only to the archbishop of Canterbury. The archbishop is the diocesan bishop of the Diocese of York and the metropolitan bishop of the province of York, which covers ...
*
Noel Johnson as
Thomas Mowbray
*
Robert Lang as Lord Hastings
*
Angela Baddeley as
Mistress Quickly
Mistress Nell Quickly is a fictional character who appears in several plays by William Shakespeare. She is an inn-keeper, who runs the Boar's Head Tavern, at which Sir John Falstaff and his disreputable cronies congregate.
The character appe ...
*
John Ringham
John Henry Ringham (10 February 1928 – 20 October 2008) was a British actor who appeared on both television and stage. Among his roles was that of Norman Warrender in the 1980s sitcom '' Just Good Friends''.
Early life
Ringham was born in Ch ...
as Fang
*
Alan Rowe as Snare
*
Jeremy Bisley as Gower
*
Margaret Courtenay as Wife to Northumberland
*
Patricia Heneghan
Patricia is a female given name of Latin origin. Derived from the Latin word '' patrician'', meaning "noble"; it is the feminine form of the masculine given name Patrick. The name Patricia was the second most common female name in the United Stat ...
as
Lady Percy
*
Robert Hardy
Timothy Sydney Robert Hardy (29 October 1925 – 3 August 2017) was an English actor who had a long career in theatre, film and television. He began his career as a classical actor and later earned widespread recognition for roles such as Sieg ...
as
Henry, Prince of Wales
*
Brian Smith as
Poins
*
Gordon Gostelow
Gordon Massey Gostelow (14 May 1925 – 3 June 2007) was an Australian actor. He was educated in Australia at North Sydney Boys High School and Sydney University where he graduated in Economics.
Gostelow went to England in 1950 and worked i ...
as
Bardolph
*
Timothy Harley as Drawer
*
Michael Graham Cox as Drawer
*
Hermione Baddeley
Hermione Youlanda Ruby Clinton-Baddeley (13 November 1906 – 19 August 1986) was an English actress of theatre, film and television. She typically played brash, vulgar characters, often referred to as "brassy" or "blowsy".Folkart, Burt, "Noted ...
as
Doll Tearsheet
*
George A. Cooper
George Alphonsus Cooper (7 March 1925 – 16 November 2018)
was an English actor and voice artist. He died in November 2018 at the age of 93.
Early life
Cooper was born in Leeds, the son of William and Eleanor (née Dobson) Cooper. His father ...
as
Ancient Pistol
*
Terence Lodge as Peto
"Uneasy Lies the Head"
* First transmitted: 7 July 1960
* Running time: 75 minutes
* Content: ''2 Henry IV'' from Act 3, Scene 1 onwards (beginning with
Henry IV recalling Richard II's prediction of civil war).
*
Tom Fleming as
King Henry the Fourth
*
Kenneth Farrington as
Earl of Warwick
Earl of Warwick is one of the most prestigious titles in the peerages of the United Kingdom. The title has been created four times in English history, and the name refers to Warwick Castle and the town of Warwick.
Overview
The first creation ...
*
William Squire
William Squire (29 April 1917 – 3 May 1989) was a Welsh actor of stage, film and television.
Squire was born in Neath, Glamorgan, the son of William Squire and his wife Martha (née Bridgeman).
Career
As a stage actor, Squire performed at S ...
as
Shallow
*
John Warner
John William Warner III (February 18, 1927 – May 25, 2021) was an American lawyer and politician who served as the United States Secretary of the Navy from 1972 to 1974 and as a five-term Republican U.S. Senator from Virginia from 1979 to 20 ...
as Silence
*
Gordon Gostelow
Gordon Massey Gostelow (14 May 1925 – 3 June 2007) was an Australian actor. He was educated in Australia at North Sydney Boys High School and Sydney University where he graduated in Economics.
Gostelow went to England in 1950 and worked i ...
as
Bardolph
*
Dane Howell as Page
*
Frank Pettingell as
Sir John Falstaff
*
Terence Lodge as Mouldy
*
Leon Shepperdson as Shadow
*
Terry Wale as Wart
*
Brian Smith as Feeble
*
Frank Windsor
Frank Windsor Higgins (12 July 1928 – 30 September 2020), known professionally as Frank Windsor, was an English actor, primarily known for his roles on television, especially policeman John Watt in ''Z-Cars'' and its spin-offs.
Biography
Win ...
as Bullcalf
*
Patrick Garland
Patrick Ewart Garland (10 April 1935 – 19 April 2013) was a British director, writer and actor.
Career
Garland was educated at St Mary's College, Southampton, and St Edmund Hall, Oxford where he studied English and was Literary Editor of Isi ...
as
Prince John of Lancaster
*
Julian Glover
Julian Wyatt Glover (born 27 March 1935) is an English classical actor with many stage, television, and film roles since commencing his career in the 1950s. He is a recipient of the Laurence Olivier Award and has performed many times for the ...
as
Earl of Westmoreland
Earl of Westmorland is a title that has been created twice in the Peerage of England. The title was first created in 1397 for Ralph Neville. It was forfeited in 1571 by Charles Neville, 6th Earl of Westmorland, for leading the Rising of the Nor ...
*
Edgar Wreford
Edgar Wreford (29 December 1923 – 20 January 2006) was an English stage and television actor.
Biography
He trained at the Old Vic School and went on to have a long and distinguished career on stage.
His television roles included guest a ...
as
Archbishop of York
The archbishop of York is a senior bishop in the Church of England, second only to the archbishop of Canterbury. The archbishop is the diocesan bishop of the Diocese of York and the metropolitan bishop of the province of York, which covers ...
*
Noel Johnson as
Thomas Mowbray
*
Robert Lang as Lord Hastings
*
John Ringham
John Henry Ringham (10 February 1928 – 20 October 2008) was a British actor who appeared on both television and stage. Among his roles was that of Norman Warrender in the 1980s sitcom '' Just Good Friends''.
Early life
Ringham was born in Ch ...
as
Humphrey of Gloucester
Humphrey of Lancaster, Duke of Gloucester (3 October 139023 February 1447) was an English prince, soldier, and literary patron. He was (as he styled himself) "son, brother and uncle of kings", being the fourth and youngest son of Henry IV of ...
*
John Greenwood as
Thomas of Clarence
*
Alan Rowe as Harcourt
*
Robert Hardy
Timothy Sydney Robert Hardy (29 October 1925 – 3 August 2017) was an English actor who had a long career in theatre, film and television. He began his career as a classical actor and later earned widespread recognition for roles such as Sieg ...
as
Henry, Prince of Wales
*
Geoffrey Bayldon as
Lord Chief Justice
Lord is an appellation for a person or deity who has authority, control, or power over others, acting as a master, chief, or ruler. The appellation can also denote certain persons who hold a title of the peerage in the United Kingdom, or are ...
*
Michael Graham Cox as Davy
*
George A. Cooper
George Alphonsus Cooper (7 March 1925 – 16 November 2018)
was an English actor and voice artist. He died in November 2018 at the age of 93.
Early life
Cooper was born in Leeds, the son of William and Eleanor (née Dobson) Cooper. His father ...
as
Ancient Pistol
*
Derek Ware
Derek Gene Ware (born September 17, 1967) is a former American football tight end in the National Football League (NFL) for the Arizona Cardinals, Cincinnati Bengals, and Dallas Cowboys. He played college football at the University of Central ...
as Groom
*
Anthony Valentine
Anthony Valentine (17 August 1939 – 2 December 2015) was an English actor best known for his television roles: the ruthless Toby Meres in '' Callan'' (1967–72), the sadistic Major Horst Mohn in ''Colditz'' (1972–74), Bob in Tales of the U ...
as Groom
*
William Squire
William Squire (29 April 1917 – 3 May 1989) was a Welsh actor of stage, film and television.
Squire was born in Neath, Glamorgan, the son of William Squire and his wife Martha (née Bridgeman).
Career
As a stage actor, Squire performed at S ...
as Epilogue
"Signs of War"
* First transmitted: 21 July 1960
* Running time: 60 minutes
* Content: ''Henry V'' Acts 1, 2 and 3 (up to the French yearning for what they feel will be an easy victory at
Agincourt).
*
William Squire
William Squire (29 April 1917 – 3 May 1989) was a Welsh actor of stage, film and television.
Squire was born in Neath, Glamorgan, the son of William Squire and his wife Martha (née Bridgeman).
Career
As a stage actor, Squire performed at S ...
as Chorus
*
Robert Hardy
Timothy Sydney Robert Hardy (29 October 1925 – 3 August 2017) was an English actor who had a long career in theatre, film and television. He began his career as a classical actor and later earned widespread recognition for roles such as Sieg ...
as
King Henry the Fifth
*
Noel Johnson as
Duke of Exeter
*
Julian Glover
Julian Wyatt Glover (born 27 March 1935) is an English classical actor with many stage, television, and film roles since commencing his career in the 1950s. He is a recipient of the Laurence Olivier Award and has performed many times for the ...
as
Earl of Westmoreland
Earl of Westmorland is a title that has been created twice in the Peerage of England. The title was first created in 1397 for Ralph Neville. It was forfeited in 1571 by Charles Neville, 6th Earl of Westmorland, for leading the Rising of the Nor ...
*
Cyril Luckham
Cyril Alexander Garland Luckham (25 July 1907 – 8 February 1989) was an English film, television and theatre actor. He was the husband of stage and screen actress Violet Lamb.
Career
The son of a paymaster captain in the Royal Navy, Cyril Lu ...
as
Archbishop of Canterbury
The archbishop of Canterbury is the senior bishop and a principal leader of the Church of England, the ceremonial head of the worldwide Anglican Communion and the diocesan bishop of the Diocese of Canterbury. The current archbishop is Just ...
*
Leon Shepperdson as Rambures
*
Frank Windsor
Frank Windsor Higgins (12 July 1928 – 30 September 2020), known professionally as Frank Windsor, was an English actor, primarily known for his roles on television, especially policeman John Watt in ''Z-Cars'' and its spin-offs.
Biography
Win ...
as
Earl of Cambridge
*
Brian Smith as
Lord Scroop
*
Tony Garnett
Tony Garnett (3 April 1936 – 12 January 2020) was a British film and television producer, and actor. Best known for his thirteen-year association with director Ken Loach, his work as a producer continued into the 21st century.
Early life and ...
as
Sir Thomas Grey
*
Anthony Valentine
Anthony Valentine (17 August 1939 – 2 December 2015) was an English actor best known for his television roles: the ruthless Toby Meres in '' Callan'' (1967–72), the sadistic Major Horst Mohn in ''Colditz'' (1972–74), Bob in Tales of the U ...
as English Herald
*
Gordon Gostelow
Gordon Massey Gostelow (14 May 1925 – 3 June 2007) was an Australian actor. He was educated in Australia at North Sydney Boys High School and Sydney University where he graduated in Economics.
Gostelow went to England in 1950 and worked i ...
as
Bardolph
*
David Andrews as
Nym
*
George A. Cooper
George Alphonsus Cooper (7 March 1925 – 16 November 2018)
was an English actor and voice artist. He died in November 2018 at the age of 93.
Early life
Cooper was born in Leeds, the son of William and Eleanor (née Dobson) Cooper. His father ...
as
Pistol
A pistol is a handgun, more specifically one with the chamber integral to its gun barrel, though in common usage the two terms are often used interchangeably. The English word was introduced in , when early handguns were produced in Europe, a ...
*
Angela Baddeley as
Mistress Quickly
Mistress Nell Quickly is a fictional character who appears in several plays by William Shakespeare. She is an inn-keeper, who runs the Boar's Head Tavern, at which Sir John Falstaff and his disreputable cronies congregate.
The character appe ...
*
Timothy Harley as Boy
*
Patrick Garland
Patrick Ewart Garland (10 April 1935 – 19 April 2013) was a British director, writer and actor.
Career
Garland was educated at St Mary's College, Southampton, and St Edmund Hall, Oxford where he studied English and was Literary Editor of Isi ...
as
Duke of Bedford
Duke of Bedford (named after Bedford, England) is a title that has been created six times (for five distinct people) in the Peerage of England. The first and second creations came in 1414 and 1433 respectively, in favour of Henry IV's third so ...
*
John Ringham
John Henry Ringham (10 February 1928 – 20 October 2008) was a British actor who appeared on both television and stage. Among his roles was that of Norman Warrender in the 1980s sitcom '' Just Good Friends''.
Early life
Ringham was born in Ch ...
as
Duke of Gloucester
Duke of Gloucester () is a British royal title (after Gloucester), often conferred on one of the sons of the reigning monarch. The first four creations were in the Peerage of England and the last in the Peerage of the United Kingdom; the curre ...
*
Alan Rowe as
King of France
France was ruled by monarchs from the establishment of the Kingdom of West Francia in 843 until the end of the Second French Empire in 1870, with several interruptions.
Classical French historiography usually regards Clovis I () as the fir ...
*
John Warner
John William Warner III (February 18, 1927 – May 25, 2021) was an American lawyer and politician who served as the United States Secretary of the Navy from 1972 to 1974 and as a five-term Republican U.S. Senator from Virginia from 1979 to 20 ...
as
The Dauphin
*
George Selway
George Selway (21 February 1924 – May 1994) was an English actor who had a lengthy career in film and television. He was married to and later separated from English actress Patricia Greene, of ''The Archers'' radio serial fame.
Coincidental ...
as
Constable of France
The Constable of France (french: Connétable de France, from Latin for 'count of the stables') was lieutenant to the King of France, the first of the original five Great Officers of the Crown (along with seneschal, chamberlain, butler, and ...
*
Terence Lodge as Messenger
*
Jerome Willis
Jerome Barry Willis (23 October 1928 – 11 January 2014) was a prominent British stage and screen actor with more than 100 screen credits to his name.
Willis had a leading role in the ITV drama series ''The Sandbaggers'' as Matthew Peele. He ...
as
Duke of Orléans
Duke of Orléans (french: Duc d'Orléans) was a French royal title usually granted by the King of France to one of his close relatives (usually a younger brother or son), or otherwise inherited through the male line. First created in 1344 by King ...
*
Adrian Brine
Adrian is a form of the Latin given name Adrianus or Hadrianus. Its ultimate origin is most likely via the former river Adria from the Venetic and Illyrian word ''adur'', meaning "sea" or "water".
The Adria was until the 8th century BC the main ...
as
Duke of Bourbon
Duke of Bourbon (french: Duc de Bourbon) is a title in the peerage of France. It was created in the first half of the 14th century for the eldest son of Robert of France, Count of Clermont and Beatrice of Burgundy, heiress of the lordship of ...
*
Stephanie Bidmead
Stephanie Bidmead (29 January 1929 – 22 September 1974) was a British stage and television actress.
Early life
She was born in Kidderminster. She attended Kidderminster High School for Girls, a girls' grammar school, now part of King Charles ...
as
Queen of France
This is a list of the women who were queens or empresses as wives of French monarchs from the 843 Treaty of Verdun, which gave rise to West Francia, until 1870, when the Third Republic was declared.
Living wives of reigning monarchs technica ...
*
Judi Dench
Dame Judith Olivia Dench (born 9 December 1934) is an English actress. Regarded as one of Britain's best actresses, she is noted for her versatile work in various films and television programmes encompassing several genres, as well as for her ...
as
Katherine
Katherine, also spelled Catherine, and other variations are feminine names. They are popular in Christian countries because of their derivation from the name of one of the first Christian saints, Catherine of Alexandria.
In the early Christ ...
*
Yvonne Coulette as Alice
*
Kenneth Farrington as
Fluellen
*
Jeremy Bisley as Gower
*
Joby Blanshard as Jamy
*
Michael Graham Cox as Macmorris
*
Robert Lang as Montjoy
"The Band of Brothers"
* First transmitted: 4 August 1960
* Running time: 60 minutes
* Content: ''Henry V'' from Act 4, Scene 0 onwards (beginning with the Chorus describing Henry's undercover surveillance of his camp).
*
William Squire
William Squire (29 April 1917 – 3 May 1989) was a Welsh actor of stage, film and television.
Squire was born in Neath, Glamorgan, the son of William Squire and his wife Martha (née Bridgeman).
Career
As a stage actor, Squire performed at S ...
as Chorus
*
Robert Hardy
Timothy Sydney Robert Hardy (29 October 1925 – 3 August 2017) was an English actor who had a long career in theatre, film and television. He began his career as a classical actor and later earned widespread recognition for roles such as Sieg ...
as
King Henry the Fifth
*
John Ringham
John Henry Ringham (10 February 1928 – 20 October 2008) was a British actor who appeared on both television and stage. Among his roles was that of Norman Warrender in the 1980s sitcom '' Just Good Friends''.
Early life
Ringham was born in Ch ...
as
Duke of Gloucester
Duke of Gloucester () is a British royal title (after Gloucester), often conferred on one of the sons of the reigning monarch. The first four creations were in the Peerage of England and the last in the Peerage of the United Kingdom; the curre ...
*
Patrick Garland
Patrick Ewart Garland (10 April 1935 – 19 April 2013) was a British director, writer and actor.
Career
Garland was educated at St Mary's College, Southampton, and St Edmund Hall, Oxford where he studied English and was Literary Editor of Isi ...
as
Duke of Bedford
Duke of Bedford (named after Bedford, England) is a title that has been created six times (for five distinct people) in the Peerage of England. The first and second creations came in 1414 and 1433 respectively, in favour of Henry IV's third so ...
*
Gordon Gostelow
Gordon Massey Gostelow (14 May 1925 – 3 June 2007) was an Australian actor. He was educated in Australia at North Sydney Boys High School and Sydney University where he graduated in Economics.
Gostelow went to England in 1950 and worked i ...
as
Sir Thomas Erpingham
Sir Thomas Erpingham (27 June 1428) was an English soldier and administrator who loyally served three generations of the House of Lancaster, including Henry IV and Henry V, and whose military career spanned four decades. After the Lancastrian ...
*
George A. Cooper
George Alphonsus Cooper (7 March 1925 – 16 November 2018)
was an English actor and voice artist. He died in November 2018 at the age of 93.
Early life
Cooper was born in Leeds, the son of William and Eleanor (née Dobson) Cooper. His father ...
as
Pistol
A pistol is a handgun, more specifically one with the chamber integral to its gun barrel, though in common usage the two terms are often used interchangeably. The English word was introduced in , when early handguns were produced in Europe, a ...
*
Jeremy Bisley as Gower
*
Kenneth Farrington as
Fluellen
*
Terry Wale as Court
*
Tony Garnett
Tony Garnett (3 April 1936 – 12 January 2020) was a British film and television producer, and actor. Best known for his thirteen-year association with director Ken Loach, his work as a producer continued into the 21st century.
Early life and ...
as Bates
*
Frank Windsor
Frank Windsor Higgins (12 July 1928 – 30 September 2020), known professionally as Frank Windsor, was an English actor, primarily known for his roles on television, especially policeman John Watt in ''Z-Cars'' and its spin-offs.
Biography
Win ...
as
Williams
*
Joby Blanshard as Jamy
*
Michael Graham Cox as Macmorris
*
Jerome Willis
Jerome Barry Willis (23 October 1928 – 11 January 2014) was a prominent British stage and screen actor with more than 100 screen credits to his name.
Willis had a leading role in the ITV drama series ''The Sandbaggers'' as Matthew Peele. He ...
as
Duke of Orléans
Duke of Orléans (french: Duc d'Orléans) was a French royal title usually granted by the King of France to one of his close relatives (usually a younger brother or son), or otherwise inherited through the male line. First created in 1344 by King ...
*
John Warner
John William Warner III (February 18, 1927 – May 25, 2021) was an American lawyer and politician who served as the United States Secretary of the Navy from 1972 to 1974 and as a five-term Republican U.S. Senator from Virginia from 1979 to 20 ...
as
The Dauphin
*
George Selway
George Selway (21 February 1924 – May 1994) was an English actor who had a lengthy career in film and television. He was married to and later separated from English actress Patricia Greene, of ''The Archers'' radio serial fame.
Coincidental ...
as
Constable of France
The Constable of France (french: Connétable de France, from Latin for 'count of the stables') was lieutenant to the King of France, the first of the original five Great Officers of the Crown (along with seneschal, chamberlain, butler, and ...
*
Leon Shepperdson as Rambures
*
Terence Lodge as Le Fer
*
Adrian Brine
Adrian is a form of the Latin given name Adrianus or Hadrianus. Its ultimate origin is most likely via the former river Adria from the Venetic and Illyrian word ''adur'', meaning "sea" or "water".
The Adria was until the 8th century BC the main ...
as
Duke of Bourbon
Duke of Bourbon (french: Duc de Bourbon) is a title in the peerage of France. It was created in the first half of the 14th century for the eldest son of Robert of France, Count of Clermont and Beatrice of Burgundy, heiress of the lordship of ...
*
Julian Glover
Julian Wyatt Glover (born 27 March 1935) is an English classical actor with many stage, television, and film roles since commencing his career in the 1950s. He is a recipient of the Laurence Olivier Award and has performed many times for the ...
as
Earl of Westmoreland
Earl of Westmorland is a title that has been created twice in the Peerage of England. The title was first created in 1397 for Ralph Neville. It was forfeited in 1571 by Charles Neville, 6th Earl of Westmorland, for leading the Rising of the Nor ...
*
Noel Johnson as
Duke of Exeter
*
David Andrews as
Earl of Salisbury
Earl of Salisbury is a title that has been created several times in English and British history. It has a complex history, and is now a subsidiary title to the marquessate of Salisbury.
Background
The title was first created for Patrick de S ...
*
Robert Lang as Montjoy
*
John Greenwood as
Duke of York
Duke of York is a title of nobility in the Peerage of the United Kingdom. Since the 15th century, it has, when granted, usually been given to the second son of English (later British) monarchs. The equivalent title in the Scottish peerage was ...
*
Timothy Harley as Boy
*
Anthony Valentine
Anthony Valentine (17 August 1939 – 2 December 2015) was an English actor best known for his television roles: the ruthless Toby Meres in '' Callan'' (1967–72), the sadistic Major Horst Mohn in ''Colditz'' (1972–74), Bob in Tales of the U ...
as English Herald
*
Alan Rowe as
King of France
France was ruled by monarchs from the establishment of the Kingdom of West Francia in 843 until the end of the Second French Empire in 1870, with several interruptions.
Classical French historiography usually regards Clovis I () as the fir ...
*
Stephanie Bidmead
Stephanie Bidmead (29 January 1929 – 22 September 1974) was a British stage and television actress.
Early life
She was born in Kidderminster. She attended Kidderminster High School for Girls, a girls' grammar school, now part of King Charles ...
as
Queen of France
This is a list of the women who were queens or empresses as wives of French monarchs from the 843 Treaty of Verdun, which gave rise to West Francia, until 1870, when the Third Republic was declared.
Living wives of reigning monarchs technica ...
*
Edgar Wreford
Edgar Wreford (29 December 1923 – 20 January 2006) was an English stage and television actor.
Biography
He trained at the Old Vic School and went on to have a long and distinguished career on stage.
His television roles included guest a ...
as
Duke of Burgundy
Duke of Burgundy (french: duc de Bourgogne) was a title used by the rulers of the Duchy of Burgundy, from its establishment in 843 to its annexation by France in 1477, and later by Holy Roman Emperors and Kings of Spain from the House of Habsburg ...
*
Judi Dench
Dame Judith Olivia Dench (born 9 December 1934) is an English actress. Regarded as one of Britain's best actresses, she is noted for her versatile work in various films and television programmes encompassing several genres, as well as for her ...
as
Katherine
Katherine, also spelled Catherine, and other variations are feminine names. They are popular in Christian countries because of their derivation from the name of one of the first Christian saints, Catherine of Alexandria.
In the early Christ ...
*
Yvonne Coulette as Alice
"The Red Rose and the White"
* First transmitted: 25 August 1960
* Running time: 60 minutes
* Content: a heavily condensed version of ''1 Henry VI''.
* Alterations: as this is the only episode in the series which adapts an entire play, truncation is much more liberal here than elsewhere. The most obvious difference is the complete removal of
Talbot, the ostensible protagonist of the play. The characters of
Burgundy
Burgundy (; french: link=no, Bourgogne ) is a historical territory and former administrative region and province of east-central France. The province was once home to the Dukes of Burgundy from the early 11th until the late 15th century. The ...
and
Edmund Mortimer have also been removed, and dialogue is heavily cut from every scene. All of the battle scenes from France have also been removed and the episode concentrates almost entirely on the political disintegration in England.
*
Patrick Garland
Patrick Ewart Garland (10 April 1935 – 19 April 2013) was a British director, writer and actor.
Career
Garland was educated at St Mary's College, Southampton, and St Edmund Hall, Oxford where he studied English and was Literary Editor of Isi ...
as
Duke of Bedford
Duke of Bedford (named after Bedford, England) is a title that has been created six times (for five distinct people) in the Peerage of England. The first and second creations came in 1414 and 1433 respectively, in favour of Henry IV's third so ...
*
John Ringham
John Henry Ringham (10 February 1928 – 20 October 2008) was a British actor who appeared on both television and stage. Among his roles was that of Norman Warrender in the 1980s sitcom '' Just Good Friends''.
Early life
Ringham was born in Ch ...
as
Duke of Gloucester
Duke of Gloucester () is a British royal title (after Gloucester), often conferred on one of the sons of the reigning monarch. The first four creations were in the Peerage of England and the last in the Peerage of the United Kingdom; the curre ...
*
Noel Johnson as
Duke of Exeter
*
Robert Lang as
Cardinal of Winchester
*
John Greenwood as Messenger
*
Terry Wale as Messenger
*
John Murray-Scott as Messenger
*
Jerome Willis
Jerome Barry Willis (23 October 1928 – 11 January 2014) was a prominent British stage and screen actor with more than 100 screen credits to his name.
Willis had a leading role in the ITV drama series ''The Sandbaggers'' as Matthew Peele. He ...
as
The Dauphin
*
Anthony Valentine
Anthony Valentine (17 August 1939 – 2 December 2015) was an English actor best known for his television roles: the ruthless Toby Meres in '' Callan'' (1967–72), the sadistic Major Horst Mohn in ''Colditz'' (1972–74), Bob in Tales of the U ...
as
Duke of Alanson
*
John Warner
John William Warner III (February 18, 1927 – May 25, 2021) was an American lawyer and politician who served as the United States Secretary of the Navy from 1972 to 1974 and as a five-term Republican U.S. Senator from Virginia from 1979 to 20 ...
as
Regnier
*
David Andrews as
Bastard of Orléans
*
Eileen Atkins
Dame Eileen June Atkins, (born 16 June 1934), is an English actress and occasional screenwriter. She has worked in the theatre, film, and television consistently since 1953. In 2008, she won the BAFTA TV Award for Best Actress and the Emmy Aw ...
as
Joan la Pucelle
*
Julian Glover
Julian Wyatt Glover (born 27 March 1935) is an English classical actor with many stage, television, and film roles since commencing his career in the 1950s. He is a recipient of the Laurence Olivier Award and has performed many times for the ...
as Warder
*
Jeremy Bisley as Warder
*
Timothy Harley as Servingman
*
Derek Ware
Derek Gene Ware (born September 17, 1967) is a former American football tight end in the National Football League (NFL) for the Arizona Cardinals, Cincinnati Bengals, and Dallas Cowboys. He played college football at the University of Central ...
as Servingman
*
Kenneth Farrington as Servingman
*
Leon Shepperdson as Woodvile
*
Michael Graham Cox as Lord Mayor
*
Jack May
Jack Wynne May (23 April 1922 – 19 September 1997) was an English actor.
Early life and education
May was born in 1922 in Henley-on-Thames, and was educated at Forest School in Walthamstow. After war service with the Royal Indian Navy in ...
as
Duke of York
Duke of York is a title of nobility in the Peerage of the United Kingdom. Since the 15th century, it has, when granted, usually been given to the second son of English (later British) monarchs. The equivalent title in the Scottish peerage was ...
*
Edgar Wreford
Edgar Wreford (29 December 1923 – 20 January 2006) was an English stage and television actor.
Biography
He trained at the Old Vic School and went on to have a long and distinguished career on stage.
His television roles included guest a ...
as
Earl of Suffolk
*
Alan Rowe as
Duke of Somerset
Duke is a male title either of a monarch ruling over a duchy, or of a member of royalty, or nobility. As rulers, dukes are ranked below emperors, kings, grand princes, grand dukes, and sovereign princes. As royalty or nobility, they are rank ...
*
Frank Windsor
Frank Windsor Higgins (12 July 1928 – 30 September 2020), known professionally as Frank Windsor, was an English actor, primarily known for his roles on television, especially policeman John Watt in ''Z-Cars'' and its spin-offs.
Biography
Win ...
as
Earl of Warwick
Earl of Warwick is one of the most prestigious titles in the peerages of the United Kingdom. The title has been created four times in English history, and the name refers to Warwick Castle and the town of Warwick.
Overview
The first creation ...
*
Tony Garnett
Tony Garnett (3 April 1936 – 12 January 2020) was a British film and television producer, and actor. Best known for his thirteen-year association with director Ken Loach, his work as a producer continued into the 21st century.
Early life and ...
as Vernon
*
John Greenwood as Lawyer
*
Terry Scully
Terry Scully (13 May 1932 – 17 April 2001) was a British theatre and television actor.
After making his name in the theatre, from the 1960s onwards he became more known for TV work. In 1960 he starred in the BBC's production of ''An Age o ...
as
King Henry the Sixth
*
Mary Morris
Mary Lilian Agnes Morris (13 December 1915 – 14 October 1988) was a Fijian born British actress.
Life and career
Morris was the daughter of Herbert Stanley Morris, a botanist, and his wife, Sylvia Ena de Creft-Harford. She trained at the Ro ...
as
Margaret
Margaret is a female first name, derived via French () and Latin () from grc, μαργαρίτης () meaning "pearl". The Greek is borrowed from Persian.
Margaret has been an English name since the 11th century, and remained popular through ...
*
Michael Graham Cox as
Shepherd
A shepherd or sheepherder is a person who tends, herds, feeds, or guards flocks of sheep. ''Shepherd'' derives from Old English ''sceaphierde (''sceap'' 'sheep' + ''hierde'' ' herder'). ''Shepherding is one of the world's oldest occupations, ...
*
Barbara Grimes as Dancer
"The Fall of a Protector"
* First transmitted: 8 September 1960
* Running time: 60 minutes
* Content: ''2 Henry VI'' Acts 1, 2 and Act 3, Scene 1 (up to
York's soliloquy regarding the fact that he now has troops at his disposal and his revelation of his plans to use
Jack Cade to instigate a popular rebellion).
* Alterations: Peter Thump does not kill Thomas Horner during the combat; he compels him to confess by sitting on him, and Horner is promptly arrested.
*
Edgar Wreford
Edgar Wreford (29 December 1923 – 20 January 2006) was an English stage and television actor.
Biography
He trained at the Old Vic School and went on to have a long and distinguished career on stage.
His television roles included guest a ...
as
Duke of Suffolk
Duke of Suffolk is a title that has been created three times in the peerage of England.
The dukedom was first created for William de la Pole, 1st Duke of Suffolk, William de la Pole, who had already been elevated to the ranks of earl and marquess ...
*
Terry Scully
Terry Scully (13 May 1932 – 17 April 2001) was a British theatre and television actor.
After making his name in the theatre, from the 1960s onwards he became more known for TV work. In 1960 he starred in the BBC's production of ''An Age o ...
as
King Henry the Sixth
*
Mary Morris
Mary Lilian Agnes Morris (13 December 1915 – 14 October 1988) was a Fijian born British actress.
Life and career
Morris was the daughter of Herbert Stanley Morris, a botanist, and his wife, Sylvia Ena de Creft-Harford. She trained at the Ro ...
as
Margaret
Margaret is a female first name, derived via French () and Latin () from grc, μαργαρίτης () meaning "pearl". The Greek is borrowed from Persian.
Margaret has been an English name since the 11th century, and remained popular through ...
*
John Ringham
John Henry Ringham (10 February 1928 – 20 October 2008) was a British actor who appeared on both television and stage. Among his roles was that of Norman Warrender in the 1980s sitcom '' Just Good Friends''.
Early life
Ringham was born in Ch ...
as
Duke of Gloucester
Duke of Gloucester () is a British royal title (after Gloucester), often conferred on one of the sons of the reigning monarch. The first four creations were in the Peerage of England and the last in the Peerage of the United Kingdom; the curre ...
*
Robert Lang as
Cardinal Beaufort
*
Gordon Gostelow
Gordon Massey Gostelow (14 May 1925 – 3 June 2007) was an Australian actor. He was educated in Australia at North Sydney Boys High School and Sydney University where he graduated in Economics.
Gostelow went to England in 1950 and worked i ...
as
Earl of Salisbury
Earl of Salisbury is a title that has been created several times in English and British history. It has a complex history, and is now a subsidiary title to the marquessate of Salisbury.
Background
The title was first created for Patrick de S ...
*
Frank Windsor
Frank Windsor Higgins (12 July 1928 – 30 September 2020), known professionally as Frank Windsor, was an English actor, primarily known for his roles on television, especially policeman John Watt in ''Z-Cars'' and its spin-offs.
Biography
Win ...
as
Earl of Warwick
Earl of Warwick is one of the most prestigious titles in the peerages of the United Kingdom. The title has been created four times in English history, and the name refers to Warwick Castle and the town of Warwick.
Overview
The first creation ...
*
Jack May
Jack Wynne May (23 April 1922 – 19 September 1997) was an English actor.
Early life and education
May was born in 1922 in Henley-on-Thames, and was educated at Forest School in Walthamstow. After war service with the Royal Indian Navy in ...
as
Duke of York
Duke of York is a title of nobility in the Peerage of the United Kingdom. Since the 15th century, it has, when granted, usually been given to the second son of English (later British) monarchs. The equivalent title in the Scottish peerage was ...
*
Kenneth Farrington as
Duke of Buckingham
Duke of Buckingham held with Duke of Chandos, referring to Buckingham, is a title that has been created several times in the peerages of England, Great Britain, and the United Kingdom. There have also been earls and marquesses of Buckingham.
...
*
Alan Rowe as
Duke of Somerset
Duke is a male title either of a monarch ruling over a duchy, or of a member of royalty, or nobility. As rulers, dukes are ranked below emperors, kings, grand princes, grand dukes, and sovereign princes. As royalty or nobility, they are rank ...
*
Nancie Jackson as
Duchess of Gloucester
*
John Greenwood as Messenger
*
Patrick Garland
Patrick Ewart Garland (10 April 1935 – 19 April 2013) was a British director, writer and actor.
Career
Garland was educated at St Mary's College, Southampton, and St Edmund Hall, Oxford where he studied English and was Literary Editor of Isi ...
as John Hume
*
David Andrews as Petitioner
*
Anthony Valentine
Anthony Valentine (17 August 1939 – 2 December 2015) was an English actor best known for his television roles: the ruthless Toby Meres in '' Callan'' (1967–72), the sadistic Major Horst Mohn in ''Colditz'' (1972–74), Bob in Tales of the U ...
as Petitioner
*
Derek Ware
Derek Gene Ware (born September 17, 1967) is a former American football tight end in the National Football League (NFL) for the Arizona Cardinals, Cincinnati Bengals, and Dallas Cowboys. He played college football at the University of Central ...
as Peter
*
Julian Glover
Julian Wyatt Glover (born 27 March 1935) is an English classical actor with many stage, television, and film roles since commencing his career in the 1950s. He is a recipient of the Laurence Olivier Award and has performed many times for the ...
as An Armourer
*
Terence Lodge as
Bolingbroke
*
Jeremy Bisley as Southwell
*
Nan Marriott-Watson as
Mother Jordan
*
John Murray-Scott as A Spirit
*
Timothy Harley as A Citizen
*
John Warner
John William Warner III (February 18, 1927 – May 25, 2021) was an American lawyer and politician who served as the United States Secretary of the Navy from 1972 to 1974 and as a five-term Republican U.S. Senator from Virginia from 1979 to 20 ...
as Simpcox
*
Audrey Noble as Wife to Simpcox
*
Jerome Willis
Jerome Barry Willis (23 October 1928 – 11 January 2014) was a prominent British stage and screen actor with more than 100 screen credits to his name.
Willis had a leading role in the ITV drama series ''The Sandbaggers'' as Matthew Peele. He ...
as Mayor
*
Leon Shepperdson as Beadle
*
Tony Garnett
Tony Garnett (3 April 1936 – 12 January 2020) was a British film and television producer, and actor. Best known for his thirteen-year association with director Ken Loach, his work as a producer continued into the 21st century.
Early life and ...
as Neighbour
*
Anthony Valentine
Anthony Valentine (17 August 1939 – 2 December 2015) was an English actor best known for his television roles: the ruthless Toby Meres in '' Callan'' (1967–72), the sadistic Major Horst Mohn in ''Colditz'' (1972–74), Bob in Tales of the U ...
as Neighbour
*
Terry Wale as Neighbour
*
Timothy Harley as Prentice
*
John Greenwood as Prentice
*
Jeffry Wickham
Jeffry Wickham (5 August 1933 – 17 June 2014) was an English stage, film and television actor. He served as President of the actors' trade union Equity from 1992 to 1994 and was the father of the actress Saskia Wickham and Rupert Wickham. ...
as Sheriff
*
Jerome Willis
Jerome Barry Willis (23 October 1928 – 11 January 2014) was a prominent British stage and screen actor with more than 100 screen credits to his name.
Willis had a leading role in the ITV drama series ''The Sandbaggers'' as Matthew Peele. He ...
as Sir John Stanley
*
Tony Garnett
Tony Garnett (3 April 1936 – 12 January 2020) was a British film and television producer, and actor. Best known for his thirteen-year association with director Ken Loach, his work as a producer continued into the 21st century.
Early life and ...
as A Post
"The Rabble from Kent"
* First transmitted: 22 September 1960
* Running time: 60 minutes
* Content: ''2 Henry VI'' from Act 3, Scene 2 onwards (beginning with the murder of the
Duke of Gloucester
Duke of Gloucester () is a British royal title (after Gloucester), often conferred on one of the sons of the reigning monarch. The first four creations were in the Peerage of England and the last in the Peerage of the United Kingdom; the curre ...
).
* Alterations: the murder of Gloucester is shown, whereas in the text, it happens off-stage. The characters of both
George Plantagenet and
Edmund Plantagenet are introduced just prior to the
First Battle of St Albans, whereas in the text, neither character is introduced until ''3 Henry VI'' (Edmund in Act 1, Scene 3; George in Act 2, Scene 2). Additionally, Edmund is played by an adult actor, whereas in the text, he is a child.
Buckingham
Buckingham ( ) is a market town in north Buckinghamshire, England, close to the borders of Northamptonshire and Oxfordshire, which had a population of 12,890 at the United Kingdom Census 2011, 2011 Census. The town lies approximately west of ...
is killed on screen. In the text, his fate remains unknown until the opening lines of ''3 Henry VI'', where it is revealed he was killed by
Edward
Edward is an English given name. It is derived from the Anglo-Saxon name ''Ēadweard'', composed of the elements '' ēad'' "wealth, fortune; prosperous" and '' weard'' "guardian, protector”.
History
The name Edward was very popular in Anglo-Sax ...
.
*
John Ringham
John Henry Ringham (10 February 1928 – 20 October 2008) was a British actor who appeared on both television and stage. Among his roles was that of Norman Warrender in the 1980s sitcom '' Just Good Friends''.
Early life
Ringham was born in Ch ...
as
Duke of Gloucester
Duke of Gloucester () is a British royal title (after Gloucester), often conferred on one of the sons of the reigning monarch. The first four creations were in the Peerage of England and the last in the Peerage of the United Kingdom; the curre ...
*
Terence Lodge as Murderer
*
Adrian Brine
Adrian is a form of the Latin given name Adrianus or Hadrianus. Its ultimate origin is most likely via the former river Adria from the Venetic and Illyrian word ''adur'', meaning "sea" or "water".
The Adria was until the 8th century BC the main ...
as Murderer
*
Patrick Garland
Patrick Ewart Garland (10 April 1935 – 19 April 2013) was a British director, writer and actor.
Career
Garland was educated at St Mary's College, Southampton, and St Edmund Hall, Oxford where he studied English and was Literary Editor of Isi ...
as Murderer
*
Edgar Wreford
Edgar Wreford (29 December 1923 – 20 January 2006) was an English stage and television actor.
Biography
He trained at the Old Vic School and went on to have a long and distinguished career on stage.
His television roles included guest a ...
as
Duke of Suffolk
Duke of Suffolk is a title that has been created three times in the peerage of England.
The dukedom was first created for William de la Pole, 1st Duke of Suffolk, William de la Pole, who had already been elevated to the ranks of earl and marquess ...
*
Terry Scully
Terry Scully (13 May 1932 – 17 April 2001) was a British theatre and television actor.
After making his name in the theatre, from the 1960s onwards he became more known for TV work. In 1960 he starred in the BBC's production of ''An Age o ...
as
King Henry the Sixth
*
Mary Morris
Mary Lilian Agnes Morris (13 December 1915 – 14 October 1988) was a Fijian born British actress.
Life and career
Morris was the daughter of Herbert Stanley Morris, a botanist, and his wife, Sylvia Ena de Creft-Harford. She trained at the Ro ...
as
Queen Margaret
*
Robert Lang as
Cardinal Beaufort
*
Alan Rowe as
Duke of Somerset
Duke is a male title either of a monarch ruling over a duchy, or of a member of royalty, or nobility. As rulers, dukes are ranked below emperors, kings, grand princes, grand dukes, and sovereign princes. As royalty or nobility, they are rank ...
*
Frank Windsor
Frank Windsor Higgins (12 July 1928 – 30 September 2020), known professionally as Frank Windsor, was an English actor, primarily known for his roles on television, especially policeman John Watt in ''Z-Cars'' and its spin-offs.
Biography
Win ...
as
Earl of Warwick
Earl of Warwick is one of the most prestigious titles in the peerages of the United Kingdom. The title has been created four times in English history, and the name refers to Warwick Castle and the town of Warwick.
Overview
The first creation ...
*
Gordon Gostelow
Gordon Massey Gostelow (14 May 1925 – 3 June 2007) was an Australian actor. He was educated in Australia at North Sydney Boys High School and Sydney University where he graduated in Economics.
Gostelow went to England in 1950 and worked i ...
as
Earl of Salisbury
Earl of Salisbury is a title that has been created several times in English and British history. It has a complex history, and is now a subsidiary title to the marquessate of Salisbury.
Background
The title was first created for Patrick de S ...
*
John Murray-Scott as Vaux
*
David Andrews as A Sea-Captain
*
John Ringham
John Henry Ringham (10 February 1928 – 20 October 2008) was a British actor who appeared on both television and stage. Among his roles was that of Norman Warrender in the 1980s sitcom '' Just Good Friends''.
Early life
Ringham was born in Ch ...
as Master
*
Derek Ware
Derek Gene Ware (born September 17, 1967) is a former American football tight end in the National Football League (NFL) for the Arizona Cardinals, Cincinnati Bengals, and Dallas Cowboys. He played college football at the University of Central ...
as Master's Mate
*
John Greenwood as Gentleman
*
Jeremy Bisley as Gentleman
*
Adrian Brine
Adrian is a form of the Latin given name Adrianus or Hadrianus. Its ultimate origin is most likely via the former river Adria from the Venetic and Illyrian word ''adur'', meaning "sea" or "water".
The Adria was until the 8th century BC the main ...
as Walter Whitmore
*
Timothy Harley as George Bevis
*
Tony Garnett
Tony Garnett (3 April 1936 – 12 January 2020) was a British film and television producer, and actor. Best known for his thirteen-year association with director Ken Loach, his work as a producer continued into the 21st century.
Early life and ...
as John Holland
*
Esmond Knight
Esmond Penington Knight (4 May 1906 – 23 February 1987) was an English actor. He had a successful stage and film career before World War II. For much of his later career Knight was half-blind. He had been badly wounded in 1941 while on active ...
as
Jack Cade
*
Anthony Valentine
Anthony Valentine (17 August 1939 – 2 December 2015) was an English actor best known for his television roles: the ruthless Toby Meres in '' Callan'' (1967–72), the sadistic Major Horst Mohn in ''Colditz'' (1972–74), Bob in Tales of the U ...
as Dick the Butcher
*
Terence Lodge as Smith the Weaver
*
Terry Wale as The Clerk
*
Barry Jackson as Michael
*
Leon Shepperdson as Sir Humphrey Stafford
*
John Murray-Scott as Brother to Stafford
*
Kenneth Farrington as
Duke of Buckingham
Duke of Buckingham held with Duke of Chandos, referring to Buckingham, is a title that has been created several times in the peerages of England, Great Britain, and the United Kingdom. There have also been earls and marquesses of Buckingham.
...
*
John Warner
John William Warner III (February 18, 1927 – May 25, 2021) was an American lawyer and politician who served as the United States Secretary of the Navy from 1972 to 1974 and as a five-term Republican U.S. Senator from Virginia from 1979 to 20 ...
as
Lord Say
*
John Greenwood as Messenger
*
Jeremy Bisley as Messenger
*
Derek Ware
Derek Gene Ware (born September 17, 1967) is a former American football tight end in the National Football League (NFL) for the Arizona Cardinals, Cincinnati Bengals, and Dallas Cowboys. He played college football at the University of Central ...
as Soldier
*
John Barcroft as
Lord Clifford
*
Jerome Willis
Jerome Barry Willis (23 October 1928 – 11 January 2014) was a prominent British stage and screen actor with more than 100 screen credits to his name.
Willis had a leading role in the ITV drama series ''The Sandbaggers'' as Matthew Peele. He ...
as
Young Clifford
*
Jeffry Wickham
Jeffry Wickham (5 August 1933 – 17 June 2014) was an English stage, film and television actor. He served as President of the actors' trade union Equity from 1992 to 1994 and was the father of the actress Saskia Wickham and Rupert Wickham. ...
as Alexander Iden
*
Jack May
Jack Wynne May (23 April 1922 – 19 September 1997) was an English actor.
Early life and education
May was born in 1922 in Henley-on-Thames, and was educated at Forest School in Walthamstow. After war service with the Royal Indian Navy in ...
as
Duke of York
Duke of York is a title of nobility in the Peerage of the United Kingdom. Since the 15th century, it has, when granted, usually been given to the second son of English (later British) monarchs. The equivalent title in the Scottish peerage was ...
*
Julian Glover
Julian Wyatt Glover (born 27 March 1935) is an English classical actor with many stage, television, and film roles since commencing his career in the 1950s. He is a recipient of the Laurence Olivier Award and has performed many times for the ...
as
Edward
Edward is an English given name. It is derived from the Anglo-Saxon name ''Ēadweard'', composed of the elements '' ēad'' "wealth, fortune; prosperous" and '' weard'' "guardian, protector”.
History
The name Edward was very popular in Anglo-Sax ...
*
Patrick Garland
Patrick Ewart Garland (10 April 1935 – 19 April 2013) was a British director, writer and actor.
Career
Garland was educated at St Mary's College, Southampton, and St Edmund Hall, Oxford where he studied English and was Literary Editor of Isi ...
as
George
*
Paul Daneman as
Richard
Richard is a male given name. It originates, via Old French, from Old Frankish and is a compound of the words descending from Proto-Germanic ''*rīk-'' 'ruler, leader, king' and ''*hardu-'' 'strong, brave, hardy', and it therefore means 'stro ...
*
Terry Wale as
Edmund
Edmund is a masculine given name or surname in the English language. The name is derived from the Old English elements ''ēad'', meaning "prosperity" or "riches", and ''mund'', meaning "protector".
Persons named Edmund include:
People Kings an ...
"The Morning's War"
* First transmitted: 6 October 1960
* Running time: 60 minutes
* Content: ''3 Henry VI'' Acts 1, 2 and Act 3, Scenes 1 and 2 (up to
Richard's soliloquy wherein he vows to attain the crown).
* Alterations: the character of Edmund, Earl of Rutland is played by an adult actor, whereas in the text, he is a child. Additionally,
Margaret
Margaret is a female first name, derived via French () and Latin () from grc, μαργαρίτης () meaning "pearl". The Greek is borrowed from Persian.
Margaret has been an English name since the 11th century, and remained popular through ...
is present during his murder, and we see her wipe his blood on the handkerchief which she later gives to York; in the text, Margaret does not witness the murder. During the
Battle of Towton
The Battle of Towton took place on 29 March 1461 during the Wars of the Roses, near Towton in North Yorkshire, and "has the dubious distinction of being probably the largest and bloodiest battle on English soil". Fought for ten hours between a ...
, Richard fights and kills
Clifford, whereas in the text, they fight, but Clifford flees and is mortally wounded off-stage when hit by an arrow.
*
Frank Windsor
Frank Windsor Higgins (12 July 1928 – 30 September 2020), known professionally as Frank Windsor, was an English actor, primarily known for his roles on television, especially policeman John Watt in ''Z-Cars'' and its spin-offs.
Biography
Win ...
as
Earl of Warwick
Earl of Warwick is one of the most prestigious titles in the peerages of the United Kingdom. The title has been created four times in English history, and the name refers to Warwick Castle and the town of Warwick.
Overview
The first creation ...
*
Jack May
Jack Wynne May (23 April 1922 – 19 September 1997) was an English actor.
Early life and education
May was born in 1922 in Henley-on-Thames, and was educated at Forest School in Walthamstow. After war service with the Royal Indian Navy in ...
as
Duke of York
Duke of York is a title of nobility in the Peerage of the United Kingdom. Since the 15th century, it has, when granted, usually been given to the second son of English (later British) monarchs. The equivalent title in the Scottish peerage was ...
*
Julian Glover
Julian Wyatt Glover (born 27 March 1935) is an English classical actor with many stage, television, and film roles since commencing his career in the 1950s. He is a recipient of the Laurence Olivier Award and has performed many times for the ...
as
Edward IV
Edward IV (28 April 1442 – 9 April 1483) was King of England from 4 March 1461 to 3 October 1470, then again from 11 April 1471 until his death in 1483. He was a central figure in the Wars of the Roses, a series of civil wars in Englan ...
*
Patrick Garland
Patrick Ewart Garland (10 April 1935 – 19 April 2013) was a British director, writer and actor.
Career
Garland was educated at St Mary's College, Southampton, and St Edmund Hall, Oxford where he studied English and was Literary Editor of Isi ...
as
George, Duke of Clarence
George Plantagenet, Duke of Clarence (21 October 144918 February 1478), was the 6th son of Richard Plantagenet, 3rd Duke of York, and Cecily Neville, and the brother of English kings Edward IV and Richard III. He played an important role in t ...
*
Paul Daneman as
Richard, Duke of Gloucester
*
Adrian Brine
Adrian is a form of the Latin given name Adrianus or Hadrianus. Its ultimate origin is most likely via the former river Adria from the Venetic and Illyrian word ''adur'', meaning "sea" or "water".
The Adria was until the 8th century BC the main ...
as
Marquess of Montague
*
Jeffry Wickham
Jeffry Wickham (5 August 1933 – 17 June 2014) was an English stage, film and television actor. He served as President of the actors' trade union Equity from 1992 to 1994 and was the father of the actress Saskia Wickham and Rupert Wickham. ...
as
Duke of Norfolk
Duke of Norfolk is a title in the peerage of England. The seat of the Duke of Norfolk is Arundel Castle in Sussex, although the title refers to the county of Norfolk. The current duke is Edward Fitzalan-Howard, 18th Duke of Norfolk. The dukes ...
*
Terry Scully
Terry Scully (13 May 1932 – 17 April 2001) was a British theatre and television actor.
After making his name in the theatre, from the 1960s onwards he became more known for TV work. In 1960 he starred in the BBC's production of ''An Age o ...
as
King Henry the Sixth
*
Kenneth Farrington as
Earl of Northumberland
The title of Earl of Northumberland has been created several times in the Peerage of England and of Great Britain, succeeding the title Earl of Northumbria. Its most famous holders are the House of Percy (''alias'' Perci), who were the most po ...
*
Jerome Willis
Jerome Barry Willis (23 October 1928 – 11 January 2014) was a prominent British stage and screen actor with more than 100 screen credits to his name.
Willis had a leading role in the ITV drama series ''The Sandbaggers'' as Matthew Peele. He ...
as
Lord Clifford
*
Leon Shepperdson as
Earl of Westmoreland
Earl of Westmorland is a title that has been created twice in the Peerage of England. The title was first created in 1397 for Ralph Neville. It was forfeited in 1571 by Charles Neville, 6th Earl of Westmorland, for leading the Rising of the Nor ...
*
Terence Lodge as
Duke of Exeter
*
Mary Morris
Mary Lilian Agnes Morris (13 December 1915 – 14 October 1988) was a Fijian born British actress.
Life and career
Morris was the daughter of Herbert Stanley Morris, a botanist, and his wife, Sylvia Ena de Creft-Harford. She trained at the Ro ...
as
Queen Margaret
*
John Greenwood as
Prince of Wales
Prince of Wales ( cy, Tywysog Cymru, ; la, Princeps Cambriae/Walliae) is a title traditionally given to the heir apparent to the English and later British throne. Prior to the conquest by Edward I in the 13th century, it was used by the rule ...
*
Derek Ware
Derek Gene Ware (born September 17, 1967) is a former American football tight end in the National Football League (NFL) for the Arizona Cardinals, Cincinnati Bengals, and Dallas Cowboys. He played college football at the University of Central ...
as Gabriel
*
Anthony Valentine
Anthony Valentine (17 August 1939 – 2 December 2015) was an English actor best known for his television roles: the ruthless Toby Meres in '' Callan'' (1967–72), the sadistic Major Horst Mohn in ''Colditz'' (1972–74), Bob in Tales of the U ...
as Sir John Mortimer
*
Terry Wale as
Rutland
Rutland () is a ceremonial county and unitary authority in the East Midlands, England. The county is bounded to the west and north by Leicestershire, to the northeast by Lincolnshire and the southeast by Northamptonshire.
Its greatest len ...
*
John Murray-Scott as Messenger
*
Tony Garnett
Tony Garnett (3 April 1936 – 12 January 2020) was a British film and television producer, and actor. Best known for his thirteen-year association with director Ken Loach, his work as a producer continued into the 21st century.
Early life and ...
as Messenger
*
David Andrews as A Son
*
John Ringham
John Henry Ringham (10 February 1928 – 20 October 2008) was a British actor who appeared on both television and stage. Among his roles was that of Norman Warrender in the 1980s sitcom '' Just Good Friends''.
Early life
Ringham was born in Ch ...
as A Father
*
Timothy Harley as Sinklo
*
John Warner
John William Warner III (February 18, 1927 – May 25, 2021) was an American lawyer and politician who served as the United States Secretary of the Navy from 1972 to 1974 and as a five-term Republican U.S. Senator from Virginia from 1979 to 20 ...
as Humphrey
*
Jane Wenham as
Lady Elizabeth Grey
*
Jeremy Bisley as Nobleman
"The Sun in Splendour"
* First transmitted: 20 October 1960
* Running time: 60 minutes
* Content: ''3 Henry VI'' from Act 3, Scene 3 onwards (beginning with Margaret's visit to
Louis XI of France
Louis XI (3 July 1423 – 30 August 1483), called "Louis the Prudent" (french: le Prudent), was King of France from 1461 to 1483. He succeeded his father, Charles VII.
Louis entered into open rebellion against his father in a short-lived revol ...
).
* Alterations: Edward is rescued from his imprisonment by Richard and
Lord Stafford, whereas in the play, he is rescued by Richard,
Lord Hastings
Baron Hastings is a title that has been created three times. The first creation was in the Peerage of England in 1290, and is extant. The second creation was in the Peerage of England in 1299, and became extinct on the death of the first holder in ...
and
Lord Stanley.
Warwick
Warwick ( ) is a market town, civil parish and the county town of Warwickshire in the Warwick District in England, adjacent to the River Avon, Warwickshire, River Avon. It is south of Coventry, and south-east of Birmingham. It is adjoined wit ...
is killed during the
Battle of Barnet
The Battle of Barnet was a decisive engagement in the Wars of the Roses, a dynastic conflict of 15th-century England. The military action, along with the subsequent Battle of Tewkesbury, secured the throne for Edward IV. On Sunday 14 April ...
by George, whereas in the text, he is carried onto stage mortally wounded by Edward. Also, the end of the episode differs slightly from the end of the play. After Edward expresses his wish that all conflict has ceased, a large celebration ensues. As the credits roll, Richard and George stand to one side, and George almost slips into a barrel of wine, only to be saved by Richard. As George walks away, Richard muses silently to himself and then smiles deviously at the camera.
*
John Warner
John William Warner III (February 18, 1927 – May 25, 2021) was an American lawyer and politician who served as the United States Secretary of the Navy from 1972 to 1974 and as a five-term Republican U.S. Senator from Virginia from 1979 to 20 ...
as
King Lewis XI
*
Tamara Hinchco as
Lady Bona
*
Mary Morris
Mary Lilian Agnes Morris (13 December 1915 – 14 October 1988) was a Fijian born British actress.
Life and career
Morris was the daughter of Herbert Stanley Morris, a botanist, and his wife, Sylvia Ena de Creft-Harford. She trained at the Ro ...
as
Queen Margaret
*
John Greenwood as
Edward, Prince of Wales
*
Robert Lang as
Earl of Oxford
Earl of Oxford is a dormant title in the Peerage of England, first created for Aubrey de Vere by the Empress Matilda in 1141. His family was to hold the title for more than five and a half centuries, until the death of the 20th Earl in 1703 ...
*
Frank Windsor
Frank Windsor Higgins (12 July 1928 – 30 September 2020), known professionally as Frank Windsor, was an English actor, primarily known for his roles on television, especially policeman John Watt in ''Z-Cars'' and its spin-offs.
Biography
Win ...
as
Earl of Warwick
Earl of Warwick is one of the most prestigious titles in the peerages of the United Kingdom. The title has been created four times in English history, and the name refers to Warwick Castle and the town of Warwick.
Overview
The first creation ...
*
Anthony Valentine
Anthony Valentine (17 August 1939 – 2 December 2015) was an English actor best known for his television roles: the ruthless Toby Meres in '' Callan'' (1967–72), the sadistic Major Horst Mohn in ''Colditz'' (1972–74), Bob in Tales of the U ...
as Post
*
Paul Daneman as
Richard, Duke of Gloucester
*
Patrick Garland
Patrick Ewart Garland (10 April 1935 – 19 April 2013) was a British director, writer and actor.
Career
Garland was educated at St Mary's College, Southampton, and St Edmund Hall, Oxford where he studied English and was Literary Editor of Isi ...
as
George, Duke of Clarence
George Plantagenet, Duke of Clarence (21 October 144918 February 1478), was the 6th son of Richard Plantagenet, 3rd Duke of York, and Cecily Neville, and the brother of English kings Edward IV and Richard III. He played an important role in t ...
*
Alan Rowe as
Duke of Somerset
Duke is a male title either of a monarch ruling over a duchy, or of a member of royalty, or nobility. As rulers, dukes are ranked below emperors, kings, grand princes, grand dukes, and sovereign princes. As royalty or nobility, they are rank ...
*
Julian Glover
Julian Wyatt Glover (born 27 March 1935) is an English classical actor with many stage, television, and film roles since commencing his career in the 1950s. He is a recipient of the Laurence Olivier Award and has performed many times for the ...
as
King Edward the Fourth
*
Jane Wenham as
Queen Elizabeth
Queen Elizabeth, Queen Elisabeth or Elizabeth the Queen may refer to:
Queens regnant
* Elizabeth I (1533–1603; ), Queen of England and Ireland
* Elizabeth II (1926–2022; ), Queen of the United Kingdom and other Commonwealth realms
* Queen ...
*
John Ringham
John Henry Ringham (10 February 1928 – 20 October 2008) was a British actor who appeared on both television and stage. Among his roles was that of Norman Warrender in the 1980s sitcom '' Just Good Friends''.
Early life
Ringham was born in Ch ...
as Watchman
*
Timothy Harley as Watchman
*
Kenneth Farrington as
Lord Rivers
*
David Andrews as
Lord Hastings
Baron Hastings is a title that has been created three times. The first creation was in the Peerage of England in 1290, and is extant. The second creation was in the Peerage of England in 1299, and became extinct on the death of the first holder in ...
*
Edgar Wreford
Edgar Wreford (29 December 1923 – 20 January 2006) was an English stage and television actor.
Biography
He trained at the Old Vic School and went on to have a long and distinguished career on stage.
His television roles included guest a ...
as
Lord Stafford
*
Derek Ware
Derek Gene Ware (born September 17, 1967) is a former American football tight end in the National Football League (NFL) for the Arizona Cardinals, Cincinnati Bengals, and Dallas Cowboys. He played college football at the University of Central ...
as Huntsman
*
Terry Scully
Terry Scully (13 May 1932 – 17 April 2001) was a British theatre and television actor.
After making his name in the theatre, from the 1960s onwards he became more known for TV work. In 1960 he starred in the BBC's production of ''An Age o ...
as
King Henry the Sixth
*
Gareth Tandy as
Henry Tudor, Earl of Richmond
*
John Murray-Scott as Messenger to King Henry
*
Jeffry Wickham
Jeffry Wickham (5 August 1933 – 17 June 2014) was an English stage, film and television actor. He served as President of the actors' trade union Equity from 1992 to 1994 and was the father of the actress Saskia Wickham and Rupert Wickham. ...
as Mayor of York
*
Jerome Willis
Jerome Barry Willis (23 October 1928 – 11 January 2014) was a prominent British stage and screen actor with more than 100 screen credits to his name.
Willis had a leading role in the ITV drama series ''The Sandbaggers'' as Matthew Peele. He ...
as Sir John Montgomery
*
Terry Wale as Soldier
*
Terence Lodge as
Duke of Exeter
*
Timothy Harley as Messenger to Warwick
*
Jeremy Bisley as Messenger to Warwick
*
Tony Garnett
Tony Garnett (3 April 1936 – 12 January 2020) was a British film and television producer, and actor. Best known for his thirteen-year association with director Ken Loach, his work as a producer continued into the 21st century.
Early life and ...
as Sir John Somerville
*
Adrian Brine
Adrian is a form of the Latin given name Adrianus or Hadrianus. Its ultimate origin is most likely via the former river Adria from the Venetic and Illyrian word ''adur'', meaning "sea" or "water".
The Adria was until the 8th century BC the main ...
as
Marquess of Montague
*
Leon Shepperdson as Messenger to Queen Margaret
"The Dangerous Brother"
* First transmitted: 3 November 1960
* Running time: 60 minutes
* Content: ''Richard III'' Acts 1, 2 and Act 3, Scene 1 (up to Richard promising
Buckingham
Buckingham ( ) is a market town in north Buckinghamshire, England, close to the borders of Northamptonshire and Oxfordshire, which had a population of 12,890 at the United Kingdom Census 2011, 2011 Census. The town lies approximately west of ...
the Dukedom of Hereford).
* Alterations: the character of
Lord Grey is not portrayed as
Queen Elizabeth
Queen Elizabeth, Queen Elisabeth or Elizabeth the Queen may refer to:
Queens regnant
* Elizabeth I (1533–1603; ), Queen of England and Ireland
* Elizabeth II (1926–2022; ), Queen of the United Kingdom and other Commonwealth realms
* Queen ...
's son, but simply as a kinsman; only
Dorset
Dorset ( ; archaically: Dorsetshire , ) is a county in South West England on the English Channel coast. The ceremonial county comprises the unitary authority areas of Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole and Dorset. Covering an area of , ...
is her son. In the text, although there is some confusion and overlapping regarding the two characters in the early scenes, in the latter half of the play, they are both depicted as her sons. As the closing credits roll, there is a scene of Richard watching the Princes sleeping; there is no such scene in the text.
*
Paul Daneman as
Richard, Duke of Gloucester
*
Patrick Garland
Patrick Ewart Garland (10 April 1935 – 19 April 2013) was a British director, writer and actor.
Career
Garland was educated at St Mary's College, Southampton, and St Edmund Hall, Oxford where he studied English and was Literary Editor of Isi ...
as
George, Duke of Clarence
George Plantagenet, Duke of Clarence (21 October 144918 February 1478), was the 6th son of Richard Plantagenet, 3rd Duke of York, and Cecily Neville, and the brother of English kings Edward IV and Richard III. He played an important role in t ...
*
Frank Windsor
Frank Windsor Higgins (12 July 1928 – 30 September 2020), known professionally as Frank Windsor, was an English actor, primarily known for his roles on television, especially policeman John Watt in ''Z-Cars'' and its spin-offs.
Biography
Win ...
as
Brackenbury
*
David Andrews as
Lord Hastings
Baron Hastings is a title that has been created three times. The first creation was in the Peerage of England in 1290, and is extant. The second creation was in the Peerage of England in 1299, and became extinct on the death of the first holder in ...
*
Jill Dixon
Jill Dixon (born 1935) is an English actress.
Personal life and career
Jill Dixon was born in England in 1935. She made her debut as an actress at the age of three, appearing as a water nymph at the London Hippodrome. Although she appeared in se ...
as
Lady Anne
*
John Greenwood as A Gentleman
*
Terry Scully
Terry Scully (13 May 1932 – 17 April 2001) was a British theatre and television actor.
After making his name in the theatre, from the 1960s onwards he became more known for TV work. In 1960 he starred in the BBC's production of ''An Age o ...
as
King Henry VI
Henry VI (6 December 1421 – 21 May 1471) was King of England and Lord of Ireland from 1422 to 1461 and again from 1470 to 1471, and disputed King of France from 1422 to 1453. The only child of Henry V, he succeeded to the English throne at ...
*
Kenneth Farrington as
Earl Rivers
Earl Rivers was an English title, which has been created three times in the Peerage of England. It was held in succession by the families of Woodville (or Wydeville), Darcy and Savage.
History
The first creation was made for Richard Woodville, 1s ...
*
Leon Shepperdson as
Lord Grey
*
Jane Wenham as
Queen Elizabeth
Queen Elizabeth, Queen Elisabeth or Elizabeth the Queen may refer to:
Queens regnant
* Elizabeth I (1533–1603; ), Queen of England and Ireland
* Elizabeth II (1926–2022; ), Queen of the United Kingdom and other Commonwealth realms
* Queen ...
*
Edgar Wreford
Edgar Wreford (29 December 1923 – 20 January 2006) was an English stage and television actor.
Biography
He trained at the Old Vic School and went on to have a long and distinguished career on stage.
His television roles included guest a ...
as
Duke of Buckingham
Duke of Buckingham held with Duke of Chandos, referring to Buckingham, is a title that has been created several times in the peerages of England, Great Britain, and the United Kingdom. There have also been earls and marquesses of Buckingham.
...
*
Jack May
Jack Wynne May (23 April 1922 – 19 September 1997) was an English actor.
Early life and education
May was born in 1922 in Henley-on-Thames, and was educated at Forest School in Walthamstow. After war service with the Royal Indian Navy in ...
as
Lord Stanley
*
Mary Morris
Mary Lilian Agnes Morris (13 December 1915 – 14 October 1988) was a Fijian born British actress.
Life and career
Morris was the daughter of Herbert Stanley Morris, a botanist, and his wife, Sylvia Ena de Creft-Harford. She trained at the Ro ...
as
Queen Margaret
*
John Ringham
John Henry Ringham (10 February 1928 – 20 October 2008) was a British actor who appeared on both television and stage. Among his roles was that of Norman Warrender in the 1980s sitcom '' Just Good Friends''.
Early life
Ringham was born in Ch ...
as
Catesby
*
Robert Lang as Murderer
*
Terry Wale as Murderer
*
Julian Glover
Julian Wyatt Glover (born 27 March 1935) is an English classical actor with many stage, television, and film roles since commencing his career in the 1950s. He is a recipient of the Laurence Olivier Award and has performed many times for the ...
as
King Edward IV
Edward IV (28 April 1442 – 9 April 1483) was King of England from 4 March 1461 to 3 October 1470, then again from 11 April 1471 until his death in 1483. He was a central figure in the Wars of the Roses, a series of civil wars in Englan ...
*
Anthony Valentine
Anthony Valentine (17 August 1939 – 2 December 2015) was an English actor best known for his television roles: the ruthless Toby Meres in '' Callan'' (1967–72), the sadistic Major Horst Mohn in ''Colditz'' (1972–74), Bob in Tales of the U ...
as
Marquess of Dorset
The title Marquess of Dorset has been created three times in the Peerage of England. It was first created in 1397 for John Beaufort, 1st Earl of Somerset, but he lost the title two years later. It was then created in 1442 for Edmund Beaufort, 1st ...
*
Alan Rowe as
Ratcliff
Ratcliff or Ratcliffe is a locality in the London Borough of Tower Hamlets. It lies on the north bank of the River Thames between Limehouse (to the east), and Shadwell (to the west). The place name is no longer commonly used.
History
Etymolog ...
*
Violet Carson as
Duchess of York
Duchess of York is the principal courtesy title held by the wife of the duke of York. Three of the eleven dukes of York either did not marry or had already assumed the throne prior to marriage, whilst two of the dukes married twice, therefore t ...
*
Jeffry Wickham
Jeffry Wickham (5 August 1933 – 17 June 2014) was an English stage, film and television actor. He served as President of the actors' trade union Equity from 1992 to 1994 and was the father of the actress Saskia Wickham and Rupert Wickham. ...
as
Archbishop of York
The archbishop of York is a senior bishop in the Church of England, second only to the archbishop of Canterbury. The archbishop is the diocesan bishop of the Diocese of York and the metropolitan bishop of the province of York, which covers ...
*
Michael Lewis
Michael Monroe Lewis (born October 15, 1960) Gale Biography In Context. is an American author and financial journalist. He has also been a contributing editor to ''Vanity Fair'' since 2009, writing mostly on business, finance, and economics. He ...
as
Richard, Duke of York
*
Terence Lodge as Messenger
*
Hugh Janes as
King Edward V
Edward V (2 November 1470 – mid-1483)R. F. Walker, "Princes in the Tower", in S. H. Steinberg et al, ''A New Dictionary of British History'', St. Martin's Press, New York, 1963, p. 286. was ''de jure'' King of England and Lord of Ireland fro ...
*
John Sharp as
Lord Mayor
*
Jerome Willis
Jerome Barry Willis (23 October 1928 – 11 January 2014) was a prominent British stage and screen actor with more than 100 screen credits to his name.
Willis had a leading role in the ITV drama series ''The Sandbaggers'' as Matthew Peele. He ...
as
Cardinal Bourchier
Thomas Bourchier (140430 March 1486) was a medieval English cardinal, Archbishop of Canterbury, and Lord Chancellor of England.
Origins
Bourchier was a younger son of William Bourchier, 1st Count of Eu (died 1420) by his wife Anne of Gloucest ...
"The Boar Hunt"
* First transmitted: 17 November 1960
* Running time: 75 minutes
* Content: ''Richard III'' from Act 3, Scene 1 onwards (beginning with Stanley's messenger arriving at Hastings' house).
* Alterations: the scrivener's lamentation regarding the illegality of Hasting's execution is presented in the form of a plea as he attempts to convince two citizens to join him and speak out against Richard's actions; in the text, his speech is delivered as a soliloquy. The two priests between whom Richard stands as the
Lord Mayor urges him to become King are not real priests, but two servants dressed up as priests. As Richard ascends to the throne for the first time, he stumbles, and has Buckingham help him into the chair; there is no such scene in the play. As in most filmed versions up this point (such as the 1912 ''
The Life and Death of King Richard the Third'' and
Laurence Olivier
Laurence Kerr Olivier, Baron Olivier (; 22 May 1907 – 11 July 1989) was an English actor and director who, along with his contemporaries Ralph Richardson and John Gielgud, was one of a trio of male actors who dominated the British stage ...
's 1955 ''
Richard III
Richard III (2 October 145222 August 1485) was King of England and Lord of Ireland from 26 June 1483 until his death in 1485. He was the last king of the House of York and the last of the Plantagenet dynasty. His defeat and death at the Bat ...
''), the ghosts appear only to Richard, whereas in the text they appear to both Richard and
Richmond
Richmond most often refers to:
* Richmond, Virginia, the capital of Virginia, United States
* Richmond, London, a part of London
* Richmond, North Yorkshire, a town in England
* Richmond, British Columbia, a city in Canada
* Richmond, Californi ...
.
*
John Greenwood as A Messenger
*
David Andrews as
Lord Hastings
Baron Hastings is a title that has been created three times. The first creation was in the Peerage of England in 1290, and is extant. The second creation was in the Peerage of England in 1299, and became extinct on the death of the first holder in ...
*
John Ringham
John Henry Ringham (10 February 1928 – 20 October 2008) was a British actor who appeared on both television and stage. Among his roles was that of Norman Warrender in the 1980s sitcom '' Just Good Friends''.
Early life
Ringham was born in Ch ...
as
Sir William Catesby
*
Jack May
Jack Wynne May (23 April 1922 – 19 September 1997) was an English actor.
Early life and education
May was born in 1922 in Henley-on-Thames, and was educated at Forest School in Walthamstow. After war service with the Royal Indian Navy in ...
as
Lord Stanley, Earl of Derby
*
Jeremy Bisley as A Priest
*
Edgar Wreford
Edgar Wreford (29 December 1923 – 20 January 2006) was an English stage and television actor.
Biography
He trained at the Old Vic School and went on to have a long and distinguished career on stage.
His television roles included guest a ...
as
Duke of Buckingham
Duke of Buckingham held with Duke of Chandos, referring to Buckingham, is a title that has been created several times in the peerages of England, Great Britain, and the United Kingdom. There have also been earls and marquesses of Buckingham.
...
*
Alan Rowe as
Sir Richard Ratcliff
*
Kenneth Farrington as
Earl Rivers
Earl Rivers was an English title, which has been created three times in the Peerage of England. It was held in succession by the families of Woodville (or Wydeville), Darcy and Savage.
History
The first creation was made for Richard Woodville, 1s ...
*
Leon Shepperdson as
Lord Grey
*
Robert Lang as
Sir Thomas Vaughan
*
Frank Pettingell as
Bishop of Ely
The Bishop of Ely is the ordinary of the Church of England Diocese of Ely in the Province of Canterbury. The diocese roughly covers the county of Cambridgeshire (with the exception of the Soke of Peterborough), together with a section of nor ...
*
Adrian Brine
Adrian is a form of the Latin given name Adrianus or Hadrianus. Its ultimate origin is most likely via the former river Adria from the Venetic and Illyrian word ''adur'', meaning "sea" or "water".
The Adria was until the 8th century BC the main ...
as
Lord Lovell
*
Paul Daneman as
King Richard the Third
*
John Sharp as
Lord Mayor
*
Terry Wale as Scrivener
*
Violet Carson as
Duchess of York
Duchess of York is the principal courtesy title held by the wife of the duke of York. Three of the eleven dukes of York either did not marry or had already assumed the throne prior to marriage, whilst two of the dukes married twice, therefore t ...
*
Jill Dixon
Jill Dixon (born 1935) is an English actress.
Personal life and career
Jill Dixon was born in England in 1935. She made her debut as an actress at the age of three, appearing as a water nymph at the London Hippodrome. Although she appeared in se ...
as
Queen Anne
*
Jane Wenham as
Queen Elizabeth
Queen Elizabeth, Queen Elisabeth or Elizabeth the Queen may refer to:
Queens regnant
* Elizabeth I (1533–1603; ), Queen of England and Ireland
* Elizabeth II (1926–2022; ), Queen of the United Kingdom and other Commonwealth realms
* Queen ...
*
Anthony Valentine
Anthony Valentine (17 August 1939 – 2 December 2015) was an English actor best known for his television roles: the ruthless Toby Meres in '' Callan'' (1967–72), the sadistic Major Horst Mohn in ''Colditz'' (1972–74), Bob in Tales of the U ...
as
Marquess of Dorset
The title Marquess of Dorset has been created three times in the Peerage of England. It was first created in 1397 for John Beaufort, 1st Earl of Somerset, but he lost the title two years later. It was then created in 1442 for Edmund Beaufort, 1st ...
*
Frank Windsor
Frank Windsor Higgins (12 July 1928 – 30 September 2020), known professionally as Frank Windsor, was an English actor, primarily known for his roles on television, especially policeman John Watt in ''Z-Cars'' and its spin-offs.
Biography
Win ...
as
Sir Robert Brackenbury
*
Timothy Harley as A Page
*
Terence Lodge as
Sir James Tyrell
*
Timothy Harley as Messenger
*
Derek Ware
Derek Gene Ware (born September 17, 1967) is a former American football tight end in the National Football League (NFL) for the Arizona Cardinals, Cincinnati Bengals, and Dallas Cowboys. He played college football at the University of Central ...
as Messenger
*
John Murray-Scott as Messenger
*
Terry Wale as
Sir Christopher Urswick
*
Jerome Willis
Jerome Barry Willis (23 October 1928 – 11 January 2014) was a prominent British stage and screen actor with more than 100 screen credits to his name.
Willis had a leading role in the ITV drama series ''The Sandbaggers'' as Matthew Peele. He ...
as
Henry Tudor, Earl of Richmond
*
Julian Glover
Julian Wyatt Glover (born 27 March 1935) is an English classical actor with many stage, television, and film roles since commencing his career in the 1950s. He is a recipient of the Laurence Olivier Award and has performed many times for the ...
as
Earl of Oxford
Earl of Oxford is a dormant title in the Peerage of England, first created for Aubrey de Vere by the Empress Matilda in 1141. His family was to hold the title for more than five and a half centuries, until the death of the 20th Earl in 1703 ...
*
Michael Wells as Sir Walter Herbert
*
Jeffry Wickham
Jeffry Wickham (5 August 1933 – 17 June 2014) was an English stage, film and television actor. He served as President of the actors' trade union Equity from 1992 to 1994 and was the father of the actress Saskia Wickham and Rupert Wickham. ...
as
Sir James Blount
*
Noel Johnson as
Duke of Norfolk
Duke of Norfolk is a title in the peerage of England. The seat of the Duke of Norfolk is Arundel Castle in Sussex, although the title refers to the county of Norfolk. The current duke is Edward Fitzalan-Howard, 18th Duke of Norfolk. The dukes ...
*
Barry Jackson as
Earl of Surrey
*
John Greenwood as Ghost of
Prince Edward
*
Terry Scully
Terry Scully (13 May 1932 – 17 April 2001) was a British theatre and television actor.
After making his name in the theatre, from the 1960s onwards he became more known for TV work. In 1960 he starred in the BBC's production of ''An Age o ...
as Ghost of
King Henry the Sixth
*
Patrick Garland
Patrick Ewart Garland (10 April 1935 – 19 April 2013) was a British director, writer and actor.
Career
Garland was educated at St Mary's College, Southampton, and St Edmund Hall, Oxford where he studied English and was Literary Editor of Isi ...
as Ghost of
Clarence Clarence may refer to:
Places
Australia
* Clarence County, New South Wales, a Cadastral division
* Clarence, New South Wales, a place near Lithgow
* Clarence River (New South Wales)
* Clarence Strait (Northern Territory)
* City of Clarence, a l ...
*
Hugh Janes as
Ghost of King Edward the Fifth
*
Michael Lewis
Michael Monroe Lewis (born October 15, 1960) Gale Biography In Context. is an American author and financial journalist. He has also been a contributing editor to ''Vanity Fair'' since 2009, writing mostly on business, finance, and economics. He ...
as Ghost of
Richard of York
Richard of York, 3rd Duke of York (21 September 1411 – 30 December 1460), also named Richard Plantagenet, was a leading English magnate and claimant to the throne during the Wars of the Roses. He was a member of the ruling House of Plantage ...
See also
* ''
The Spread of the Eagle'' (1963)
* ''
The Wars of the Roses'' (1963; 1965)
* ''
BBC Television Shakespeare
The ''BBC Television Shakespeare'' is a series of British television adaptations of the plays of William Shakespeare, created by Cedric Messina and broadcast by BBC Television. Transmitted in the UK from 3 December 1978 to 27 April 1985, it ...
'' (1978-1985)
* ''
Shakespeare: The Animated Tales'' (1992-1994)
* ''
ShakespeaRe-Told
''ShakespeaRe-Told'' is the umbrella title for a series of four television adaptations of William Shakespeare's plays broadcast on BBC One during November 2005. In a similar manner to the 2003 production of '' The Canterbury Tales'', each play ...
'' (2005)
* ''
The Hollow Crown ''The Hollow Crown'' may refer to:
* a passage in Shakespeare's play ''Richard II''
* ''The Hollow Crown'' (anthology), a 1961 work by John Barton
* ''The Hollow Crown'' (TV series), a BBC adaptation of Shakespeare plays
* ''Hollow Crown
'' ...
'' (2012; 2016)
References
External links
An Age Of Kings - Series introduction and episode overviewsArchive Television Musings
British Universities Film and Video Council*
at
Screenonline
Screenonline is a website about the history of British film, television and social history as documented by film and television. The project has been developed by the British Film Institute and funded by a £1.2 million grant from the National Lo ...
()
"The Television Revolution"()
{{DEFAULTSORT:Age of Kings, An
1960 British television series debuts
1960 British television series endings
1960s British drama television series
BBC television dramas
Black-and-white British television shows
English-language television shows
Films based on Henry IV (play)
Films based on Henry V (play)
Films based on Henry VI (play)
Films based on Richard II (play)
Films based on Richard III (play)
Television shows based on plays
Television series set in the 14th century
Television series set in the 15th century