"The Hollow Crown" is a lavish new series of filmed adaptations of four of Shakespeare's most gripping history plays; RICHARD II, HENRY IV, PARTS I and II and HENRY V on THIRTEEN's
GREAT PERFORMANCES beginning Friday, September 20 at 9 p.m. (Check local listings.)
The films - chronicling a bloody tale of family, politics and power -- tell the rise and fall of three Kings and how their destiny shaped English history. Richard II (Ben Whishaw) is a vain, self-indulgent man who rules with little regard for his people's welfare. He is ultimately overthrown by his cousin Bolingbroke (Rory Kinnear), who ascends the throne as Henry IV (Jeremy Irons). Henry IV's
Reign is marred by his own guilt over Richard's death, civil war, and the gnawing fear that his son Hal (Tom Hiddleston) is a total wastrel unworthy of the throne. When Hal comes to the throne as Henry V he is left to bury the ghosts of his father's past while fighting both the French forces as well as his own inner demons.
Neal Street Productions, NBCUniversal Internatinonal, and THIRTEEN have brought new life to William Shakespeare's history plays in these
Epic adaptations. And this marks the first time these four plays have been seen on
PBS since the
Epic BBC Shakespeare Plays series presented domestically by THIRTEEN in the early 1980s.
Directed by Rupert Goold (Richard II), Richard Eyre (Henry IV, Parts I and II) and Thea Sharrock (Henry V), The Hollow Crown features some of the most pre-eminent Shakespearean actors of our time. The Kings are played by Ben Whishaw, Jeremy Irons and Tom Hiddleston respectively, supported by a phenomenal cast including Rory Kinnear, Patrick Stewart, David Suchet, David Morrissey in Richard II, Simon Russell Beale, Michelle Dockery, Julie Walters and Maxine Peake in Henry IV and John Hurt, Anton Lesser and Paterson Joseph in Henry V. The plays were filmed on location in England between Summer 2011 and Spring 2012 and are all set in their authentic medieval period. The series premiered to rapturous reviews in the U.K., and was honored with BAFTA Television Awards for Whishaw (Leading Actor) and Simon Russell Beale (Supporting Actor), BAFTA Craft Awards for Original Television Music (Stephen Warbeck) and Sound (Fiction) (Richard II), and an RTS Programme Award for Single Drama (Richard II).
Pippa Harris, who serves as Executive Producer with Co-executive Producer Sam Mendes at Neal Street Productions (makers of Call the Midwife), explains, "The Hollow Crown shows the trials and tribulations and the murderous backdrop behind our own history. Whilst these four plays collectively say so much about Britain, the global appeal of Shakespeare is never-ending. Our phenomenal cast and crew have brought a vivid and inspirational edge to Shakespeare for a worldwide audience."
Downton Abbey Producer Gareth Neame, Executive Producer for NBCUniversal International and Managing Director of Carnival Films (a division of NBCU International) says, "This is an exciting new cycle of Shakespeare history plays, with stunning performances by a range of wonderful actors. NBCUniversal International is delighted to have been a part of bringing these ambitious productions to the screen."
David Horn, executive producer of Great Performances, affirms, "The Hollow Crown continues our series' commitment to bringing exceptional Shakespeare performances to the series, following, as it does, our recent productions of King Lear, Hamlet, and Macbeth, and of course, THIRTEEN's
Shakespeare Uncovered series earlier this year which featured tantalizing clips from these very productions which we're now so pleased to be showing in full."
