Shakespeare’s Mother | The Secret Life of A Tudor Woman
Michael Wood tells the extraordinary story of an ordinary woman in a time of revolution. Born under Henry VIII, Mary Arden is the daughter of a Warwickshire farmer, but she marries into a new life in the rising Tudor middle class in Stratford upon Avon. There she has eight children, three of whom die young. Her husband becomes mayor but is bankrupted by his shady business dealings. Faced with financial ruin, religious persecution, and power politics, the family is the glue that keeps them together until they are rescued by Mary's successful eldest son - William Shakespeare!
TweetLicence: ERA Licence required
- Type: Factual
- Channel: BBC Four
- Duration: 1'00'26''
- Broadcast date: 2015
UK only
Staff and students of licensed education establishments only
Cannot be adapted
-
- Shakespeare Archive Resource
![](https://era.org.uk/app/uploads/2024/07/mirrenremembers-1-400x230.jpg)
Dame Helen Mirren Remembers... As You Like It
Dame Helen Mirren looks back on one of her earliest TV roles, playing Rosalind in the BBC's 1978 production of the Shakespeare comedy As You Like It.
![](https://era.org.uk/app/uploads/2024/03/mark-lawson-anthony-sher-400x230.jpg)
Mark Lawson Talks To... | Sir Anthony Sher
Antony Sher talks to Mark Lawson about growing up as a white South African, working with his partner Gregory Doran and bringing Shakespeare to life.