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The Best Episodes of Shakespeare Uncovered

Every episode of Shakespeare Uncovered ranked from best to worst. Let's dive into the Best Episodes of Shakespeare Uncovered!

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Celebrity hosts guide viewers through William Shakespeare's plays in performance. Each episode serves as a primer for newcomers to Shakespeare while serving up enough historical and theatrical insights to enchant lifelong fans.

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Episode Rankings

  1. #1 Fan Favorite
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    Shakespeare Uncovered Season 3 Episode 1 - Much Ado About Nothing with Helen Hunt
    8.0/10(1 votes)

    #1 - Much Ado About Nothing with Helen Hunt

    S3:E1

    Helen Hunt explores how “Much Ado About Nothing” became one of Shakespeare’s most beloved romantic comedies.

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown

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  2. Shakespeare Uncovered Season 3 Episode 2 - The Merchant of Venice with F. Murray Abraham
    8.0/10(1 votes)

    #2 - The Merchant of Venice with F. Murray Abraham

    S3:E2

    F. Murray Abraham untangles the controversies surrounding “The Merchant of Venice,” addressing the ubiquitous anti-Semitism that characterized Europe in Shakespeare’s time.

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown

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  3. Shakespeare Uncovered Season 3 Episode 3 - Measure for Measure With Romola Garai
    8.0/10(1 votes)

    #3 - Measure for Measure With Romola Garai

    S3:E3

    Romola Garai explores “Measure for Measure,” one of Shakespeare's most provocative plays. It presents a surprisingly timely drama of sexual morality, hypocrisy and harassment.

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown

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  4. Shakespeare Uncovered Season 3 Episode 4 - Julius Caesar with Brian Cox
    8.0/10(1 votes)

    #4 - Julius Caesar with Brian Cox

    S3:E4

    Brian Cox looks at Shakespeare's most revered political play, “Julius Caesar,” to analyze what can be learned about freedom and tyranny today.

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown

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  5. Shakespeare Uncovered Season 3 Episode 5 - The Winter's Tale with Simon Russell Beale
    8.0/10(1 votes)

    #5 - The Winter's Tale with Simon Russell Beale

    S3:E5

    Simon Russell Beale uncovers the romance and betrayals of "The Winter's Tale" and shows that in this play Shakespeare offers something for which everyone longs: the ability to make amends for an irreversible mistake.

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown

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  6. Shakespeare Uncovered Season 3 Episode 6 - Richard III with Antony Sher
    8.0/10(1 votes)

    #6 - Richard III with Antony Sher

    S3:E6

    Antony Sher unveils the life of Shakespeare's "Richard III," comparing the historical king's reputation with the play's enduring portrait of ruthless ambition and vengeance.

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown

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    The 20 WORST Episodes of Shakespeare Uncovered

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  7. Shakespeare Uncovered Season 1 Episode 1 - Joely Richardson on Shakespeare's Women
    0.0/10(0 votes)

    #7 - Joely Richardson on Shakespeare's Women

    S1:E1

    Shakespeare Uncovered: In Twelfth Night and As You Like It, Joely Richardson investigates (with a contribution from her mother Vanessa Redgrave) the great comic heroines created by Shakespeare in those hugely popular plays.

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown

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  8. Shakespeare Uncovered Season 1 Episode 2 - Ethan Hawke on Macbeth
    0.0/10(0 votes)

    #8 - Ethan Hawke on Macbeth

    S1:E2

    Ethan Hawke sets out to prepare himself for the possibility of playing the role of Macbeth by uncovering the true story behind the play, seeing some of the greatest productions and discovering the extraordinary insights into the criminal mind that Shakespeare reveals.

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown

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  9. Shakespeare Uncovered Season 1 Episode 3 - Derek Jacobi on Richard II
    0.0/10(0 votes)

    #9 - Derek Jacobi on Richard II

    S1:E3

    Derek Jacobi looks at Richard II, a role he played 30 years ago. He reveals why the might have cost Shakespeare his life, and shares some of the extraordinary political parallels within the play that still resonate today.

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown

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  10. Shakespeare Uncovered Season 1 Episode 4 - Trevor Nunn on The Tempest
    0.0/10(0 votes)

    #10 - Trevor Nunn on The Tempest

    S1:E4

    Trevor Nunn looks at the magical and mysterious world created in Shakespeare's last complete play, The Tempest. Trevor finds out where Shakespeare got his material from and the strange personal insights hidden within it. It is a truly experimental work but sadly perhaps also Shakespeare's farewell to the theatre. The Tempest is peculiarly suitable to film - ambitious, experimental and full of magic. Not surprisingly, one of the very first silent film adaptations of a Shakespeare play was The Tempest in 1911.

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown

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  11. Shakespeare Uncovered Season 1 Episode 5 - Jeremy Irons on the Henrys
    0.0/10(0 votes)

    #11 - Jeremy Irons on the Henrys

    S1:E5

    Jeremy Irons uncovers the extraordinary appeal of Shakespeare's History Plays. He unravels the differences between the real history and the drama that Shakespeare creates.

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown

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  12. Shakespeare Uncovered Season 1 Episode 6 - David Tennant on Hamlet
    0.0/10(0 votes)

    #12 - David Tennant on Hamlet

    S1:E6

    David Tennant, whose own RSC performance as Hamlet was a huge hit, meets other actors who have played the role and tries to unravel the meaning of the play.

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown

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  13. Shakespeare Uncovered Season 2 Episode 1 - A Midsummer Night's Dream With Hugh Bonneville
    0.0/10(0 votes)

    #13 - A Midsummer Night's Dream With Hugh Bonneville

    S2:E1

    Actor Hugh Bonneville talks with Ralph Fiennes about the appeal of "A Midsummer Night's Dream."

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown

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  14. Shakespeare Uncovered Season 2 Episode 2 - King Lear With Christopher Plummer
    0.0/10(0 votes)

    #14 - King Lear With Christopher Plummer

    S2:E2

    Christopher Plummer explores how "King Lear" may have been staged during Shakespeare's time; actors Ian McKellen and Simon Russell Beale discuss playing the role of King Lear.

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown

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  15. Shakespeare Uncovered Season 2 Episode 3 - The Taming of the Shrew With Morgan Freeman
    0.0/10(0 votes)

    #15 - The Taming of the Shrew With Morgan Freeman

    S2:E3

    Morgan Freeman is determined to understand why Shakespeare wrote "The Taming of the Shrew"; interviews include Tracey Ullman, Sinead Cusack and Julia Stiles.

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown

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  16. Shakespeare Uncovered Season 2 Episode 4 - Othello With David Harewood
    0.0/10(0 votes)

    #16 - Othello With David Harewood

    S2:E4

    David Harewood unravels the issues of prejudice and jealousy embedded in "Othello"; Adrian Lester portrays Othello at the National Theatre in London; interviews include Simon Russell Beale, Ian McKellen, Julia Stiles and Patrick Stewart.

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown

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  17. Shakespeare Uncovered Season 2 Episode 5 - Antony & Cleopatra With Kim Cattrall
    0.0/10(0 votes)

    #17 - Antony & Cleopatra With Kim Cattrall

    S2:E5

    Kim Cattrall searches for the truth behind Shakespeare's middle-aged love story and examines inspirations for the play in Rome; with Janet Suzman, Harriet Walter and Vanessa Redgrave.

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown

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  18. Shakespeare Uncovered Season 2 Episode 6 - Romeo & Juliet With Joseph Fiennes
    0.0/10(0 votes)

    #18 - Romeo & Juliet With Joseph Fiennes

    S2:E6

    Joe Fiennes considers why "Romeo and Juliet" remains the most adapted and performed of all of Shakespeare's works; interviews include Orlando Bloom, Condola Rashad and Stephen Sondheim.

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown

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Best Episodes Summary

"Much Ado About Nothing with Helen Hunt" is the best rated episode of "Shakespeare Uncovered". It scored 8/10 based on 1 votes. Directed by Unknown and written by Unknown, it aired on 10/12/2018. This episode scored 0.0 points higher than the second highest rated, "The Merchant of Venice with F. Murray Abraham".