A century of Juliets

Actor Samuel West, who has played many Shakespearian roles - some of them on the radio - is joined by Dr Andrea Smith as they take a trip through 100 years (nearly) of Shakespeare on the 'wireless'. Today they focus on one returning character - Juliet from Romeo and Juliet. This is without doubt the most popular play and there are wonderful very early clips of actors such as Fay Compton taking the role in 1944. We hear how sometimes the part of 14-year-old Juliet was taken by an actor old enough to be her grandmother and about the snobbery attached to the idea of how exactly Shakespeare should be spoken.Presented by Samuel West and Dr Andrea Smith Produced by Susan Marling A Just Radio Production