Go Behind the Scenes of Shakespeare Series ‘The Hollow Crown’

Ben Whishaw as King Richard II (Photo: Nick Briggs)
Ben Whishaw as King Richard II (Photo: Nick Briggs)
Highly anticipated series The Hollow Crown is airing on PBS stations nationwide through October 11, so fans everywhere are getting the chance to see this award-winning Shakespeare production screen in the States at last.

The four plays that comprise The Hollow CrownRichard II; Henry IV, Part One; Henry IV, Part Two and Henry V – bring several of Shakespeare’s most acclaimed histories to life as a single chronological narrative, and explore the ideas behind kingship, including what it means to be a king, a subject, and a man. Starring a tremendously large group of epic British actors of all stripes, the entire thing is just a collection of really, fantastically well done Shakespeare, and absolutely worth your time for a few Fridays this Fall.

Luckily, Great Performances continues to feed our addiction to all things Hollow Crown-related by releasing a special behind-the-scenes mini-documentary about the production, entitled Shakespeare and the Divine Right of Kings.  This twenty minute feature boasts exclusive interviews with the directors behind the films, as well as many of the gifted actors involved, including Ben Whishaw, Jeremy Irons, Tom Hiddleston, Rory Kinnear, Julie Walters and more.

The clip gives you a lot of great insight into the history of the period in which the plays are set, the decisions the production team made in putting them together, and the choices many of the actors made in their roles. It’s fascinating! Watch for yourself below: 

The fact that the first scene Hiddleston filmed in the whole series was the St. Crispin’s Day speech in Henry V is just fascinating, right?

How are you enjoying The Hollow Crown?


Lacy Baugher

Lacy's love of British TV is embarrassingly extensive, but primarily centers around evangelizing all things Doctor Who, and watching as many period dramas as possible.

Digital media type by day, she also has a fairly useless degree in British medieval literature, and dearly loves to talk about dream poetry, liminality, and the medieval religious vision. (Sadly, that opportunity presents itself very infrequently.) York apologist, Ninth Doctor enthusiast, and unabashed Ravenclaw. Say hi on Threads or Blue Sky at @LacyMB. 

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