ShakespeaRe-Told is the umbrella title for a series of four television adaptations of
William Shakespeare's plays broadcast on
BBC One during November 2005. In a similar manner to the 2003 production of The Canterbury Tales, each play is adapted by a different writer, and relocated to the present day. The plays were produced in collaboration by
BBC Northern Ireland and the central
BBC drama department. In August 2006 the four films aired on BBC America.
Set in a local news studio, with
Beatrice (
Sarah Parish) and Benedick (
Damian Lewis) as feuding anchors.
Hero (
Billie Piper), the weathergirl and daughter of station manager Leonard (
Martin Jarvis), becomes engaged to Claude (
Tom Ellis), the sports presenter. Jealous visual effects manager Don[1] (
Derek Riddell), plots to break up Hero and Claude, whilst the others attempt to get Beatrice and Benedick together. Hero and Claude eventually repair their friendship, though Hero refuses to consider marriage again, the ending is left ambiguous about their future as they are the best man and
maid of honour (respectively) for the finale: the wedding of Beatrice and Benedick.[2]
Set in a
three Michelin star restaurant owned by celebrity chef
Duncan Docherty (
Vincent Regan), with Joe
Macbeth (
James McAvoy) as the
sous chef and
his wife Ella (
Keeley Hawes) as the Maître d'. Joe and his fellow chef Billy
Banquo (
Joseph Millson) are annoyed that Duncan takes the credit for Joe's work, and that Duncan's son
Malcolm (
Toby Kebbell) has, in their opinion, no real flair for the business. Then they encounter three supernatural
binmen who predict that Macbeth will get ownership of the restaurant, as will Billy's children. Joe and Ella are inspired to kill Duncan, but the binmen subsequently warn that Macbeth should be wary of Peter
Macduff (
Richard Armitage), the head waiter.
Katherine Minola (
Shirley Henderson) is a politician who hopes to become the
Leader of the Opposition. She is told that her abrasive personality is bad
PR and that it might be good for her image to get married. When penniless nobleman
Petruchio (
Rufus Sewell) shows up, interested at first in Katherine's money, sparks fly as Katherine seems to have met her match. The relationship and battle of wills bring big surprises for both parties. Katherine's sister Bianca (
Jaime Murray) is a supermodel whose manager is Petruchio's friend, Harry (
Stephen Tompkinson).
Twiggy has the role of Katherine and Bianca's mother.
David Mitchell played Kate's hapless secretary Tim.
Theo (
Bill Paterson) and
Polly (
Imelda Staunton) visit Dream Park inclusive leisure facility to celebrate the engagement of their daughter[3]Hermia (
Zoe Tapper) to
James (
William Ash). The engagement party is, much to the irritable Theo's horror, disrupted by Hermia's true love
Xander (
Rupert Evans). Despite their own disagreements, the
fairy rulers of the woods around Dream Park,
Titania (
Sharon Small) and
Oberon (
Lennie James), have a duty to ensure a happy ending, so Oberon gets
Puck (
Dean Lennox Kelly) — portrayed as a sort of magical
wide boy — to try to sort things out with "love juice" eyedrops, while Oberon and Theo discuss their marriages. Puck's efforts inevitably lead to more confusion. Comedian
Johnny Vegas appears as
Nick Bottom who, like the other
Mechanicals, is a Dream Park security guard who hopes to make it onto the entertainment staff.
DVD
On 26 December 2005, a Region 2 DVD of the episodes was released by
Acorn Media UK. A Region 1 release followed on 24 July 2007 from BBC Warner.
Notes
^The roles of Don John and Borachio are combined into the character of Don.
^The ending is highly modified from the original text
^Theseus and Hippolyta are not Hermia's parents in the original.