Richard III
Screen adaptations of Shakespeare plays. In his quest for the crown, Richard plans the murder of his brother George.
At Westminster, Richard speaks about his deformity, the evil plots he has laid, and the decadence at court.
George, brother to Richard and the king, is arrested during a birthday feast for Prince Edward and led away to the tower. King Edward takes ill and collapses at the end of the feast. Richard arranges for George's murder in the Tower of London.
King Edward makes one last effort to end family disputes, but Richard interrupts with the news of George's death. After Edward also dies, Richard starts to take control.
Rivers and Grey are executed for treason and Prince Edward and Prince Richard are sent to the Tower for safe keeping. After a council meeting, Hastings is also executed. Buckingham persuades the citizens of London to plead with Richard to take up the throne. Richard is crowned at Westminster Abbey with Anne as his queen. Unrewarded for his efforts, Buckingham distances himself from Richard and his regime. Now, without the support of his main henchman, Richard III hires Tyrell to murder the princes in the tower.
The Duke of Richmond and his supporters join forces to seize the crown and overthrow Richard. In his underground quarters at Westminster, Richard becomes isolated and paranoid. He takes Stanley's son hostage and arranges for the murder of Anne.
Richard is forced to lead his army to confront Richmond at Bosworth Field. Buckingham is executed for desertion.
Stanley joins forces with Richmond and Richard's army is outnumbered. Richmond delivers the fatal blow to Richard in single combat and Richmond is crowned Henry VII.
The Houses of York and Lancaster are united, the white rose with the red.
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Richard prepares his troops for battle
Duration: 01:28
Credits
Role | Contributor |
---|---|
Producer | Rupert Ryle-Hodges |
Author | William Shakespeare |
Director | Dominic Cooke |
Adaptor | Ben Power |
Richard III | Benedict Cumberbatch |
Buckingham | Ben Daniels |
Cecily | Judi Dench |
Hastings | James Fleet |
Anne | Phoebe Fox |
Queen Elizabeth | Keeley Hawes |
Exeter | Anton Lesser |
Margaret | Sophie Okonedo |
Edward IV | Geoffrey Streatfield |
Henry VI | Tom Sturridge |
Richmond | Luke Treadaway |
George | Sam Troughton |
Murderer II | Josef Altin |
Prince Richard | Isaac Andrews |
Catesby | Paul Bazely |
Murderer I | Geoff Bell |
Mayor of London | Robert Bowman |
Bishop of Ely | Alan David |
Ratcliffe | Keith Dunphy |
George Stanley | Simon Ginty |
Ned | Barney Harris |
Blunt | Ivanno Jeremiah |
Princess Elizabeth | Madison Lygo |
Brackenbury | John MacKay |
Prince Edward | Caspar Morley |
Basset | Matthew Needham |
Messenger | Jude Owusu |
Tyrell | Gary Powell |
Lady-in-Waiting | Penny Ryder |
Torch Bearer | Sid Sagar |
Stanley | Jo Stone-Fewings |
Grey | Samuel Valentine |
Rivers | Al Weaver |
Production Company | Neal Street Productions |
Broadcasts
- Sat 21 May 2016 21:00
- Sat 18 Nov 2023 22:40
Cast interviews
How did the actors tackle Shakespeare's fictional versions of real historical figures?
Shakespeare's relevance 400 years on
The Hollow Crown's Benedict Cumberbatch and Sam Mendes discuss Shakespeare's legacy.