I’d never seen Shakespeare’s Henry the Sixth plays until I watched the first of a two-part (condensed) adaptation of them in the BBC’s ‘Hollow Crown’ series. Although I’ve never been a great fan of film or TV versions of Shakespeare’s work, I was riveted by Hugh Bonneville’s performance as the king’s Lord Protector. For me, Bonneville was terrific in the BBC’s comedy series ‘2012’ about ‘planning’ for the London Olympics, but even so, this was a revelation. Simply magnificent.
“Good on you” to the BBC for creating such an accessible production and “Boo” to those Shakespeare traditionalists that criticised the adaptations necessary to make it work on TV for a modern audience. Bonneville’s character could have been speaking directly to such critics when he proclaimed: ’tis but a base ignoble mind that mounts no higher than a bird can soar.
Good stuff all round!