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Food of Love

Episode 4 of 6

Comedy. Will has invented a musical and needs help from the greatest songwriter of the age: Thomas Morley. However, success looks far from guaranteed.

Will Shakespeare takes it badly when everybody tells him his new play about two sets of identical twins separated at birth and given the same names is rather far-fetched, until he hits on a sure-fire way to stop any audience minding when the plot gets really ridiculous - make it a musical. In fact, he is going to make it the first ever musical! And to really guarantee a hit he wants to use the songs of Thomas Morley, a rocking, rolling, madrigal-composing, tax-avoiding Tudor music legend. But what with Morley's ego and the sabotaging efforts of Will's deadly rival Robert Greene, success looks far from guaranteed.

Meanwhile, back in Stratford, Will's dad John is determined to get Will to use his new-found writing fame to make the Shakespeare family properly posh, which is turning out to be rather a big ask.

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29 minutes

Audio described

Last on

Mon 30 Jun 202500:40

Clips

Credits

RoleContributor
Will ShakespeareDavid Mitchell
CondellDominic Coleman
Thomas MorleyNoel Fielding
Kit MarloweTim Downie
John ShakespeareHarry Enfield
LucyJocelyn Jee Esien
KyddMark Phoenix
Robert GreeneMark Heap
KempeSpencer Jones
Susanna ShakespeareHelen Monks
BottomRob Rouse
BurbageSteven Speirs
Anne ShakespeareLiza Tarbuck
KateGemma Whelan
Mary ShakespearePaula Wilcox
Judith ShakespeareRosanna Beacock
Hamnet ShakespeareJoe Willis
SpencerAndrew Bicknell
NasheSimon Coleman
WriterBen Elton
DirectorRichard Boden
ProducerGareth Edwards
Executive ProducerChris Sussman

Broadcasts

  • Mon 2 Oct 201720:30
  • Mon 20 Nov 202322:00
  • Thu 23 Nov 202321:55
  • Mon 2 Jun 202522:00
  • Mon 30 Jun 202500:40