Discover
An Age of Kings is a fifteen-part serial adaptation of the eight sequential history plays of William Shakespeare, produced and broadcast in Britain by the BBC in 1960. The United States broadcast of the series the following year was hosted by University of Southern California professor Frank Baxter, who provided an introduction for each episode specifically tailored for the American audience. At the time, the show was the most ambitious Shakespearean television adaptation ever made, and was a critical and commercial success in both the UK and the US.
Original Release
04/28/1960 on BBC
US Release
10/20/1961
Cast
| Name | Character |
|---|
| John Murray Scott | Messenger / Vaux / Brother to Stafford / Messenger to King Henry / A Spirit / 2nd Messenger |
| Frank Windsor | Earl of Warwick / Bishop of Carlisle / Sir Walter Blunt / Williams / Sir Robert Brackenbury / Earl of Cambridge / Bullcalf / Brackenbury |
| David Andrews | Lord Hastings / Sir John Bushy / Petitioner / Nym / Lord Bardolph / Edmund Mortimer / Earl of Salisbury / Bastard of Orleans / A Son / A Sea-Captain |
| John Ringham | Duke of Gloucester / A Father / Catesby / Master / Humphrey of Gloucester / Lord Berkeley / Porter / Fang / Sir William Catesby / Vintner / Watchman |
| Patrick Garland | George, Duke of Clarence / Duke of Bedford / John of Lancaster / Sir Stephen Scroop / Prince John of Lancaster / Murderer / George / John Hume / Ghost of Clarence |
| John Greenwood | Duke of Aumerle / Thomas of Clarence / Servant / Prince of Wales / Messenger / Prentice / Lawyer / Gentleman / Edward, Prince of Wales / Duke of York / A Messenger / Ghost of Prince Edward / A Gentleman |
| Julian Glover | Earl of Westmoreland / An Armourer / Earl of Oxford / Edward IV / Edward / Groom / King Edward IV / King Edward the Fourth / Lord Marshal / Warder |
| Terence Lodge | Duke of Exeter / Messenger / Travers / Peto / Sir William Bagot / Sir James Tyrell / Murderer / Smith the Weaver / Mouldy / Le Fer / Bolingbroke / A Servant |
| Kenneth Farrington | Duke of Buckingham / Earl Rivers / Fluellen / Sir Michael / Serving-Man / Lord Rivers / Gadshill / Earl of Warwick / Earl of Northumberland |
| Alan Rowe | Duke of Somerset / King of France / Snare / Sir Richard Vernon / Sir Richard Ratcliff / Ratcliff / Lord Ross / Harcourt |
| # | Title | Air Date |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Part One: The Hollow Crown | Thursday, 28 April 1960 |
| 2 | Part Two: The Deposing of a King | Thursday, 12 May 1960 |
| 3 | Part Three: Rebellion from the North | Thursday, 26 May 1960 |
| 4 | Part Four: The Road to Shrewsbury | Thursday, 09 June 1960 |
| 5 | Part Five: The New Conspiracy | Thursday, 23 June 1960 |
| 6 | Part Six: Uneasy Lies the Head | Thursday, 07 July 1960 |
| 7 | Part Seven: Signs of War | Thursday, 21 July 1960 |
| 8 | Part Eight: The Band of Brothers | Thursday, 04 August 1960 |
| 9 | Part Nine: The Red Rose and the White | Thursday, 25 August 1960 |
| 10 | Part Ten: The Fall of a Protector | Thursday, 08 September 1960 |
| 11 | Part Eleven: The Rabble from Kent | Thursday, 22 September 1960 |
| 12 | Part Twelve: The Morning's War | Thursday, 06 October 1960 |
| 13 | Part Thirteen: The Sun in Splendour | Thursday, 20 October 1960 |
| 14 | Part Fourteen: The Dangerous Brother | Thursday, 03 November 1960 |
| 15 | Part Fifteen: The Boar Hunt | Thursday, 17 November 1960 |
Directors
Writers
William Shakespeare, Christopher Marlowe, Thomas Nashe
Cast
| Name | Character |
|---|
| John Murray Scott | Messenger / Vaux / Brother to Stafford / Messenger to King Henry / A Spirit / 2nd Messenger |
| Frank Windsor | Earl of Warwick / Bishop of Carlisle / Sir Walter Blunt / Williams / Sir Robert Brackenbury / Earl of Cambridge / Bullcalf / Brackenbury |
| David Andrews | Lord Hastings / Sir John Bushy / Petitioner / Nym / Lord Bardolph / Edmund Mortimer / Earl of Salisbury / Bastard of Orleans / A Son / A Sea-Captain |
| John Ringham | Duke of Gloucester / A Father / Catesby / Master / Humphrey of Gloucester / Lord Berkeley / Porter / Fang / Sir William Catesby / Vintner / Watchman |
| Patrick Garland | George, Duke of Clarence / Duke of Bedford / John of Lancaster / Sir Stephen Scroop / Prince John of Lancaster / Murderer / George / John Hume / Ghost of Clarence |
| John Greenwood | Duke of Aumerle / Thomas of Clarence / Servant / Prince of Wales / Messenger / Prentice / Lawyer / Gentleman / Edward, Prince of Wales / Duke of York / A Messenger / Ghost of Prince Edward / A Gentleman |
| Julian Glover | Earl of Westmoreland / An Armourer / Earl of Oxford / Edward IV / Edward / Groom / King Edward IV / King Edward the Fourth / Lord Marshal / Warder |
| Terence Lodge | Duke of Exeter / Messenger / Travers / Peto / Sir William Bagot / Sir James Tyrell / Murderer / Smith the Weaver / Mouldy / Le Fer / Bolingbroke / A Servant |
| Kenneth Farrington | Duke of Buckingham / Earl Rivers / Fluellen / Sir Michael / Serving-Man / Lord Rivers / Gadshill / Earl of Warwick / Earl of Northumberland |
| Alan Rowe | Duke of Somerset / King of France / Snare / Sir Richard Vernon / Sir Richard Ratcliff / Ratcliff / Lord Ross / Harcourt |
| Edgar Wreford | Archbishop of York / Duke of Buckingham / Duke of Suffolk / Lord Stafford / John of Gaunt / Earl of Suffolk / Duke of Burgundy |
| Anthony Valentine | English Herald / Marquess of Dorset / Sir John Mortimer / Servant / Post / Petitioner / Neighbour / Messenger / Groom / Duke of Alanson / Dick the Butcher |
| Leon Shepperdson | Lord Grey / Rambures / Woodvile / Sir Humphrey Stafford / Shadow / Messenger to Queen Margaret / Earl of Westmoreland / Earl of Salisbury / Beadle |
| Jeremy Bisley | Gower / Warder / Southwell / Nobleman / Messenger to Warwick / Gentleman / Messenger / A Priest |
| Jerome Willis | Duke of Orleans / Young Clifford / The Dauphin / Sir John Montgomery / Sir Henry Green / Morton / Mayor / Sir John Stanley / Lord Clifford / Henry Tudor, Earl of Richmond / Carrier / Cardinal Bourchier |
| Timothy Harley | Boy / Watchman / Messenger to Warwick / Sinklo / Serving-Man / George Bevis / Francis / Drawer / A Page / Messenger / A Citizen / Prentice |
| Terry Wale | The Clerk / Edmund / Soldier / Scrivener / Sir Christopher Urswick / Rutland / Neighbour / Murderer / Messenger / Court / Wart |
| Derek Ware | Serving-Man / Servant / Peter / Messenger / Master's Mate / Soldier / Huntsman / Groom / Gabriel |
| Robert Lang | Cardinal Beaufort / Lord Hastings / Montjoy / Cardinal of Winchester / Earl of Oxford / Murderer / Sheriff / Sir Pierce of Exton / Sir Thomas Vaughan |
| Terry Scully | King Henry VI / King Henry the Sixth / Ghost of King Henry the Sixth |
Producers
| Name | Role |
|---|
| Peter Dews | Producer |
