Shakespeare Down Your Way

Shakespeare On Tour - BBC English Regions

BBC English Regions will build a digital picture of the explosion in performances of Shakespeare’s plays, from the earliest to the present day. Shakespeare On Tour will bring together rich academic research (from Records Of Early English Drama And The Arts And Humanities, Research Council) about performances of Shakespeare's plays during his lifetime: from archived period manuscripts from across the country to stories of later provincial Shakespeare productions, told through original playbills from the late 18th century onwards which are held in the British Library’s collections.

These will be brought together with more recent, iconic performances from the BBC archives to map a rich journey through the locations where Shakespeare’s work has been performed. The best stories will also be broadcast across BBC Local Radio.

Best Bottoms In The Land - BBC One and BBC English Regions

A series of nine 30-minute programmes for BBC One, regionally titled The Best Bottoms In The Land, produced by the English Regions teams and overseen by BBC Birmingham. They will follow the Royal Shakespeare Company’s journey as they put on A Midsummer Night’s Dream: A Play For The Nation. The professional company will be joined by local amateur theatre companies who will play the Mechanicals, and local schoolchildren who will play Titania’s fairy train in each region in the UK. Part of the BBC’s season partnership with the Royal Shakespeare Company.