Radio Times: Review by:; Patrick Mulkern

The final, brilliant Shakespeare Uncovered sees knight of the theatre Trevor Nunn delving into the mysteries of The Tempest, Shakespeare’s last completed play and, Nunn assures us, his most autobiographical. Prospero and Will were both 50, both in their way magicians at the height of their powers, in control of their globe.

Rehearsals at London’s Globe and a theatre in Virginia, as well as clips from a comical 1911 silent and a rusty 1980 BBC version starring Michael Hordern, sharpen Nunn’s points. We hear from Helen Mirren, still aglow from playing a female Prospera in a 2010 film. And Nunn gets erudite with Mark Kermode about the Tempest-inspired sci-fi classic, Forbidden Planet.

About this programme

4/6. Former Royal Shakespeare Company and National Theatre artistic director Trevor Nunn explores Shakespeare's fantasy set on a mysterious island following a shipwreck. He explains why it is one of the playwright's most experimental works, revealing it was one of the few pieces Shakespeare wrote for an indoor theatre, and visits rehearsals for an American production that plans to use 17th-century staging techniques and special effects. Nunn also delves into the inspiration for the story, and examines how the development of its themes and characters was influenced by Shakespeare's knowledge that his life as a writer was coming to an end.