It was a fantastic notion, and the BBC was very likely the only broadcasting company in the world which would have even attempted it. To have every single one of Shakespeare's plays performed on TV in a single series was a wonderful, daunting idea, and it is sad to reflect that it could never happen nowadays. (Once upon a time, around half a century ago, the BBC would routinely give us at least a couple of Shakespeare plays every year. Now, we get reality shows where actors try to prove to schoolchildren that Shakespeare isn't dull, for pity's sake.) This series went through three producers and took seven years and it was rather variable in quality, but, at its (quite frequent) best, it was a marvellous thing.
