News: From Bard to Horrible

The Horrible Histories book and TV series tell the story of British history with laughs. William Shakespeare is about to get the ‘horrible’ treatment in a feature film opening in UK cinemas on March 27.

Bill is set during the Bard’s ‘lost years’, when the playwright rose from obscurity in Stratford-upon-Avon, to fame as a writer in London. In the story, ‘Bill’ Shakespeare is a hopeless lute player who leaves his family and home behind in an attempt to discover his true calling. He is embroiled in a plot involving a murderous Spanish king, scheming spies and a plan to blow up Queen Elizabeth I.

Expect proper and improper jokes, great comedy performances and silly wigs. Homeland star, Damian Lewis, appears in the film in an as yet undisclosed cameo role. Lewis’s wife, actress Helen McCrory, plays Queen Elizabeth.

Check out our Blue Badge guided tour of Shakespeare’s Stratford.