The BBC Television Shakespeare (1978)

Name: The BBC Television Shakespeare
Genre: Drama
Rating: 7.9

Drama

The BBC Television Shakespeare is a series of British television adaptations of the plays of William Shakespeare, created by Cedric Messina and produced by BBC Television. It was transmitted in the UK from 3 December 1978 to 27 April 1985 and spanned seven series. Development of the series began in 1975 when Messina saw that Glamis Castle would make a perfect location for an adaptation of Shakespeare's play As You Like It. On returning to London, he envisioned an entire series devoted exclusively to the dramatic works of Shakespeare. After encountering numerous problems trying to produce the series, Messina eventually pitched the idea to the BBC’s departmental heads and the series was greenlighted. The series as a whole received generally negative reviews from critics.

IMDb rating: 7.9 (90 votes)
Seasons: 2
Language: EN
Type: TV series

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Ratings refreshed Jul 3, 2026 · 2 seasons indexed

Seasons

Season 1 (1978)

7.30 avg 6 episodes 6.6 → 7.1 158 min avg

Season 1 episodes — IMDb ratings
#	Title	Rating	Votes
1	Romeo & Juliet	6.6	481
2	Richard II	8.0	346
3	As You Like It	7.1	381
4	Julius Caesar	7.4	275
5	Measure for Measure	7.6	248
6	Henry VIII	7.1	151

Season 2 (1979)

8.18 avg 4 episodes 8.3 → 8.0 159 min avg

Consistent

Season 2 episodes — IMDb ratings
#	Title	Rating	Votes
1	The First Part of King Henry the Fourth, with the life and death of Henry surnamed Hotspur	8.3	7
2	The Second Part of King Henry the Fourth containing his Death: and the Coronation of King Henry the Fift	8.4	6
4	Twelfth Night	8.0	7
6	Hamlet, Prince of Denmark	8.0	683

The BBC Television Shakespeare (1978)

Seasons

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