This monumental BBC serial presents William Shakespeare’s history plays as a single, continuous epic of dynastic struggle.
The 15-part serial begins with the deposition of the volatile King Richard II (David William) by his cousin, Henry Bolingbroke (Tom Fleming), who is crowned King Henry IV. The new king’s reign is plagued by guilt and rebellion, most notably from the Percy family, including the fiery Hotspur (Sean Connery). Henry’s son, Prince Hal (Robert Hardy), spends his youth carousing with the corpulent knight Sir John Falstaff (Frank Pettingell) before reforming to become the heroic King Henry V.
After his celebrated victory at Agincourt and marriage to the French princess Katherine (Judi Dench), Henry’s early death leaves the throne to his infant son. The subsequent reign of the pious but ineffective King Henry VI (Terry Scully) sees England lose its French territories and descend into the brutal civil conflict of the Wars of the Roses.
The cycle concludes with the Machiavellian rise and bloody fall of Richard, Duke of Gloucester (Paul Daneman), who becomes the tyrannical King Richard III.
A landmark of British television drama, An Age of Kings was a monumental undertaking. The production presented Shakespeare’s cycle of eight history plays, from Richard II to Richard III, as a single, continuous 15-part serial broadcast live. This ambitious structure allowed the sprawling narrative of the Wars of the Roses to unfold as one cohesive national epic, tracing the fortunes of the Plantagenet dynasty across several generations.
Produced by Peter Dews, the serial stripped the plays of theatrical pageantry, opting instead for a direct, intimate style suited to the small screen. Its success proved the viability of large-scale classic drama on television and created a template for the BBC’s subsequent Shakespeare projects. The serial also featured a remarkable cast of future stars, including Robert Hardy, Judi Dench, and Sean Connery.
Broadcast: BBC, 15 Episodes, Thursdays, 28 April 1960 – 17 November 1960
Based on the plays of: William Shakespeare
Script Editor: Eric Crozier
Director: Michael Hayes
Producer: Peter Dews
Theme Music: Arthur Bliss
Main Cast: David William (King Richard II), Tom Fleming (King Henry IV), Robert Hardy (King Henry V), Frank Pettingell (Sir John Falstaff), Terry Scully (King Henry VI), Paul Daneman (King Richard III), Sean Connery (Hotspur), Judi Dench (Katherine), Julian Glover (Earl of Westmoreland / Earl of Oxford), Eileen Atkins (Joan La Pucelle), Angela Baddeley (Mistress Quickly), Frank Windsor (Bishop of Carlisle / Sir Walter Blunt)
