In Search of Shakespeare | A Time of Revolution

Historian Michael Wood embarks on the first of a four-part investigation into the turbulent and dangerous world of Elizabethan England to chart the extraordinary life of arguably the world's greatest writer - William Shakespeare. Archival evidence, from spies' reports to a coded prison diary, reveals the fascinating dark side of Shakespeare's world. Wood traces William's early days, exploring his schooling, his father's shady business deals and the dark secret that ruined the family. Finally, in Worcester Cathedral, the riddle of Shakespeare's shotgun wedding is untangled, an event that left him a teenage father with decidedly slim career prospects.