As I’ve said elsewhere, I have a soft spot for the BBC Shakespeare Collection.
They’re dated, and staid, and in some ways remind me of the original Star Trek series. And yet I enjoy them. I enjoy teaching them – not just the inevitable giggle-fest from classes at the weirdly androgynous and practically naked Ariel, but the careful fidelity to the source material and slow pace makes them more useful to teach with, when you want students to concentrate on the script and not the sodding tropical fish and hawaian shirts. To say nothing of the pistols. Bloody Baz Lurhman.
You do have to swallow the bonkers blacking-up of Anthony Hopkins as Othello, mind.
The entire set is on sale at the BBC at the moment. Under £55 for a full digital download, or many of the plays are available individually for £3.99. Find out more here.
The Boar's Head, Eastcheap 