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Viewers were blown away by Andrew Scott's "captivating, truthful and heartbreaking" Hamlet performance

Viewers were blown away by Andrew Scott's "captivating, truthful and heartbreaking" Hamlet performance

Some have argued that he's a better Hamlet than his Sherlock co-star Benedict Cumberbatch

Programme Name: Performance Live - TX: 31/03/2018 - Episode: n/a (No. n/a) - Picture Shows: Andrew Scott as Hamlet, in the Almeida Theatre production directed by Robert Icke Andrew Scott - (C) Almeida Theatre - Photographer: Manuel Harlan

Ben Allen

Published: Sunday, 1 April 2018 at 12:44 pm

The BBC aired Robert Icke's theatre production of Hamlet on Saturday night, and viewers were blown away by the performance of lead man Andrew Scott.

First look at Anthony Hopkins as King Lear in new BBC adaptation
Meet the cast of Hamlet on BBC2

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The former Sherlock star plays the role of Hamlet, the titular, scheming prince who has designs upon the throne, which is occupied by his uncle-turned-stepfather Claudius. He had won plaudits throughout the production's West End run, and BBC2 viewers were equally impressed, taking to Twitter to share their awe at his performance.

"Andrew Scott has delivered the most captivating, truthful and heartbreaking performance as #Hamlet," user @bella-allchorne wrote, "It's so rare for an actor to be able to do a speech that they know inside out, but make the audience believe that they are thinking and saying the words for the first time."

Watch a clip of Scott performing the "to be or not to be" soliloquy below.

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And check out some of the praise for his performance:

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Many viewers also called upon the BBC to broadcast more theatre.

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They'll be happy to know that a feature film adaptation of Shakespeare's King Lear is coming to the Beeb later this year. Anthony Hopkins leads a star-studded cast which also features Emma Thompson, Florence Pugh, Jim Broadbent and Andrew Scott, who seems to be developing quite a taste for the legendary bard's work.

Authors

Ben AllenOn Demand Writer, RadioTimes.com

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