William Shakespeare

Punk spirit underpinned by darkness and horror: Richard III at the Sam Wanamaker Theatre reviewed

7 December 2019 9:00 am

The history plays are different. In dramas like Othello, Hamlet and Much Ado, Shakespeare laid out the plot with great…

My fans say I could have won the Nobel – if it wasn’t for the bizarre sex

19 May 2018 9:00 am

The family ranch, which my father acquired when I was about six years of age, lay along the banks of…

Simon Callow’s notebook: What it’s like to lose at an awards ceremony

8 March 2014 9:00 am

It was one of those weeks. On Monday, I was in four countries: I woke up at crack of dawn…

Melvyn Bragg's notebook: I found hell on Regent Street

14 December 2013 9:00 am

John Lloyd, producer of Blackadder, Spitting Image, QI etc, has boldly picked up where he left off at Cambridge more…

Dot Wordsworth's week in words: Did William Empson have the first clue what 'bare ruined choirs' meant?

5 October 2013 9:00 am

I am shocked to find that William Empson, famous for his technique of close reading, was no good at reading…