Helen Castor on Richard II episode artwork

EPISODE · Sep 15, 2025 · 27 MIN

Helen Castor on Richard II

from Great Lives · host BBC Radio 4

Today's great life is possibly more famous as a Shakespearean character - King Richard II who was deposed by his cousin Henry Bolingbroke in 1399. He's been chosen by historian Helen Castor, author of The Eagle and the Hart, who shines a light on what really happened towards the end of his reign. Also helping is Professor Emma Smith who explains why the play was a hit two hundred years later under Elizabeth I. With archive of John Hurt as Richard and David Suchet as his cousin and usurper, Henry Bolingbroke.The producer for BBC Studios Audio in Bristol is Miles Warde

Episode metadata supplied by the publisher feed · Published Sep 15, 2025

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Helen Castor on Richard II

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