Synopsis
Lucy Worsley shows how Henry VII and his historians fabricated the scale of the Wars of the Roses conflict, forged Richard III's monstrous persona and even conjured up the image of competing roses. When William Shakespeare got in on the act and added his own spin, Tudor fiction was cemented as historical fact.
Shakespeare Uncovered | 3: Derek Jacobi on Richard II
Derek Jacobi looks at Richard II, a role he played 30 years ago. He helps actors at the Globe with aspects of the play and reveals why it might have cost Shakespeare his life.
A Timewatch Guide | S1E2: Cleopatra
Using the BBC film archives, historian Vanessa Collinridge explores how our view of Cleopatra has changed and evolved over the years - from Roman propaganda, through Shakespeare's role in casting her as a doomed romantic heroine, to her portrayal in the golden age of Hollywood.