Shakespeare’s Island

Synopsis: Documentary. The programme goes behind the scenes of the Royal Shakespeare Company in Stratford to watch the various stages of John Barton’s production of The Tempest. It also explores Shakespeare’s life and work against the setting of Stratford-upon-Avon and the Warwickshire countryside. Narrated by Tony Church with readings by Ian Holm.
Language: English
Country: Great Britain
Medium: Television
Technical information: Colour / Sound
Transmission details: 23 Apr 1971 at 20:00 (Channel: BBC2)
Duration: 60 mins

Director: Lorna Pegram
Producer: Lorna Pegram
Writer: Lorna Pegram
Contributor: Barry Stanton; Ben Kingsley; Christopher Gable; Christopher Morley; Estelle Kohler; Ian Holm; Ian Richardson; Jack Good; John Barton; Roger Howells; Tony Church; Trevor Nunn

General: In a short feature article entitled ‘Nunn Sense’ in Radio Times (23 April 1971) Trevor Nunn comments on the play. ‘The convenient notion about The Tempest is that Shakespeare wrote it at the end of his career as his final testament. This is plainly nonsense’.

SHAKESPEARE