Synopsis
A full-length radio adaptation of the play Richard II, produced and directed by Richard Wortley.
Drama on 3 | Richard II
William Shakespeare's study of deluded autocracy: when Richard II banishes Bolingbroke and confiscates his property, he begins a chain of events that bring about his own downfall.
Richard II (2000)
Richard Eyre introduces a new production of Richard II starring Samuel West in the title role. The play raises the questions as to whether Richard is the "heinous" king, the spendthrift who surrounds himself with toadying cronies, or whether he is noble and misunderstood. It explores whether his deposition and murder is a tragedy which sparks off the bloody conflict of the Wars of the Roses, or whether it is a just punishment for his excesses. This production was broadcast as part of the BBC’s Shakespeare for the New Millennium season on Radio 3, in which the BBC mounted 17 new productions of Shakespeare in the space of four years.