Hamlet at Elsinore

Michael Caine as Horatio and Christopher Plummer as Hamlet.

The BBC marked the four hundred year anniversary of Shakespeare’s birth with an ambitious production, Hamlet at Elsinore, shown on 19 April 1964. Hamlet was filmed the previous autumn in and around Kronborg castle in Elsinore, the setting for the play, becoming the first major drama for television filmed entirely on location. In a co-production with Danmarks Radio the production overcame technical issues associated with the site – notably stormy weather - to produce a memorable and atmospheric reading of the classic drama.

Producer Peter Luke decided not to cast big stars in order to make a better ensemble, but his talent spotting was impressive. Rising star Christopher Plummer was Hamlet, with Michael Caine as Horatio. Robert Shaw was Claudius and June Tobin played Gertrude. Alec Clunes was Polonius and Jo Maxwell Muller was Ophelia. Donald Sutherland, Steven Berkoff, Roy Kinnear and Lindsay Kemp appeared further down the cast list. Plummer was nominated for an Emmy for his performance.

There have been several televised performances of Hamlet over the years, with actors such as Ian McKellan, Derek Jacobi, David Tennant and - most recently - Andrew Scott taking the lead. In 2016 the BBC marked the four hundredth anniversary of Shakespeare’s death with a comprehensive Festival of programming celebrating his achievements.