BBC TWO CHART THE LIFE AND CAREER OF WILLIAM SHAKESPEARE

The BBC is marking the 400-year anniversary of the publication of William Shakespeare's First Folio with a gripping new three-part boxset for BBC Two and iPlayer.

The new series shines fresh light on the incredible life story of our greatest writer - the place and time he inhabited, and the work he produced. Told like a thriller, it will reveal how a young boy, born into a sleepy English town in the iron grip of an epidemic, finds his way to London and the midst of a cultural revolution, to become the world’s most famous and enduring playwright.

From 72 Films, the makers of acclaimed series including Rise of the Nazis and Elizabeth’s Secret Agents, Shakespeare takes us on a vivid journey into Tudor England, bringing to life a dangerous and exciting world filled with murder, treason, political and religious intrigue, fraud, theft and beheadings, that sparked Shakespeare’s creative genius.

Portraying Shakespeare, his friends and associates, we will meet some of Britain's finest actors alongside experts and historians who will illuminate the real-life dramas, events and upheavals that inspired Shakespeare and defined the Elizabethan period.

Shakespeare (3x60) was commissioned by Suzy Klein, Head of Arts & Classical Music.