William Shakespeare

Available for over a year

The writers and cast behind Horrible Histories wonder what it might be like if William Shakespeare had his own podcast. It is set around the time of a plague in London. Shakespeare’s co-host is his wife, Anne Hathaway. They bicker about Jacobean life, Shakespeare’s theatrical life and their house. To Anne’s chagrin, Shakespeare has invited his sponsor, King James I to join them as a special guest. It turns out the King is quite suspicious of women and obsessed with witches (which was true). We learn a little about the King’s suspicions of witches. There are two mock adverts; the first is for a cordial created by Sir Walter Raleigh while in prison, the second an ad to encourage people to settle in the New World colony of Jamestown, where the inhabitants are clearly starving. There is also a quiz question about how the Globe theatre came to be built To Shakespeare’s horror, Anne has invited the playwright Ben Johnson on as their final guest. Johnson is boisterous and critical of Shakespeare. They discuss publishing, fighting and tattoos. Johnson and Anne seem a little flirty, so Shakespeare quickly wraps up the pod. Rattus offers some context at the top and tail of the episode, which also features two songs from the TV series – Plays I Have Written and Writers in the House. The minipod that goes with this episode features a deleted scene in which Johnson and Hathaway do not think Shakespeare is as “edgy” as he thinks, when compared with some other playwrights.