For the tenth and final episode of this series of Let’s Talk Shakespeare, I asked “How did Shakespeare get so popular?”. This is a good question, and a lot of people wonder why it is Shakespeare that is so well celebrated over his fellow playwrights. In this episode we looks at lots of reasons why this is the case, through key events and opportunities over the last 400 years that have led to his popularity today. This is such a big topic that this episode really acts and an introduction to further areas you might want to look up. Our experts also express beautifully how and why they enjoy seeing Shakespeare’s plays over and over again.

This weeks guests are:

• Professor Michael Dobson, Director of the Shakespeare Institute 
• Dr Elizabeth Dollimore, Outreach and Primary Learning Manager a the SBT 
• Professor Stanley Wells, Honorary President of the SBT 
• Dr Paul Edmondson, Head of Research and Knowledge at the SBT 
• Ben Crystal, Actor, director and producer

You can find the show notes for this episode on our blog: https://www.shakespeare.org.uk/explore-shakespeare/podcast/how-did-shakespeare-get-so-popular/

For the ninth episode of Let’s Talk Shakespeare, I asked “How Did Shakespeare Die?”. We have found ourselves at the end of Shakespeare's life, and with most questions we asked, we don't know the answer to this one for sure. What we do know is when he died and where he is buried, but there is no recorded evidence of what killed him. There are however rumours and stories surrounding his death and in this episode we look at these and other evidence about what his death would have been like.

This weeks guests are:

• Professor Michael Dobson, Director of the Shakespeare Institute
• Dr Elizabeth Dollimore, Outreach and Primary Learning Manager a the SBT
• Professor Stanley Wells, Honorary President of the SBT
• Dr Robert Bearman, Retired Head of Archives and Local Studies, Shakespeare Birthplace Trust
• Dr Tara Hamling, University of Birmingham

Show notes for this episode can be found over on our blog: https://www.shakespeare.org.uk/explore-shakespeare/podcast/how-did-shakespeare-die/

For the eighth episode of Let’s Talk Shakespeare, I asked “How much was Shakespeare Worth?”. Most of the documents the survive about Shakespeare life detail his business and financial dealings. In this episode we looks at what these documents can tell us about Shakespeare worth at different points in his life, as well as where he got this money and what happened to it.

Exemplification of a fine showing Shakespeare's purchase of New Place Exemplification of a fine showing Shakespeare’s purchase of New Place

This weeks guests are:

• Professor Michael Dobson, Director of the Shakespeare Institute 
• Dr Elizabeth Dollimore, Outreach and Primary Learning Manager a the SBT 
• Professor Stanley Wells, Honorary President of the SBT 
• Dr Robert Bearman, Retired Head of Archives and Local Studies, Shakespeare Birthplace Trust 
• Dr Tara Hamling, University of Birmingham

Find the show notes for this episode at: https://www.shakespeare.org.uk/explore-shakespeare/podcast/how-much-was-shakespeare-worth/

For the seventh episode of Let’s Talk Shakespeare, I asked “Was Shakespeare Gay?”. This is a really big question that people have written a great deal about, so this episode acts as a sort of summary of some of the arguments for and against Shakespeare being gay. To answer this question we have to think about the nature of friendships and sexuality and self identification of those thing in Shakespeare time, as well as looking at evidence from this text, in particular the sonnets.

This weeks guests are:

• Professor Michael Dobson, Director of the Shakespeare Institute
• Dr Elizabeth Dollimore, Outreach and Primary Learning Manager a the SBT
• Professor Stanley Wells, Honorary President of the SBT
• Greg Doran, Artistic Director of the Royal Shakespeare Theatre

You can find the show notes for this episode over on our blog: https://www.shakespeare.org.uk/explore-shakespeare/podcast/was-shakespeare-gay/

For the sixth episode of Let’s Talk Shakespeare, I asked “Did Shakespeare know Queen Elizabeth 1?”. This is something that people love to imagine, that these two icons of British culture could have had a relationship, and in this episode we look at Shakespeare's royal patronage, performance's at court and whether or not anyone could really have had a relationship with a monarch at all.

Ye Bard - hys Birth… ye immortal bard cometh to town - ergo, he is Born in ye merrie town of Stratford, A. D. 1564, c1850, by unknown author Ye Bard - hys Birth… ye immortal bard cometh to town - ergo, he is Born in ye merrie town of Stratford, A. D. 1564, c1850, by unknown author This weeks guests are:

• Professor Michael Dobson, Director of the Shakespeare Institute
• Dr Elizabeth Dollimore, Outreach and Primary Learning Manager a the SBT
• Professor Stanley Wells, Honorary President of the SBT
• Dr Anjna Chouhan, Lecturer in Shakespeare Studies at the SBT -
• Ben Crystal, Actor Director and producer

You can find the shownotes for this episode over on our blog: https://www.shakespeare.org.uk/explore-shakespeare/podcast/did-shakespeare-know-queen-elizabeth-i/

For the fifth episode of Let’s Talk Shakespeare, I asked “Where did Shakespeare Live?”. To answer this question we must look at three differnt periods in his life: his youth, his life in London and his married and family life. In this episode I talk to our guests about the different properties we know Shakespeare lived in, which ones he owned and when he bought them, and we also look at what life would have been like living in these very different properties, both for Shakespeare and his housemates.

This weeks guests are:

• Professor Stanley Wells, Honorary President of the SBT 
• Professor Michael Dobson, Director of the Shakespeare Institute 
• Ben Crystal, Actor and Producer 
• Dr Tara Hamling, Senior Lecturer in Early Modern history at Birmingham University 
• Dr Paul Edmonson, Head of Research and Knowledge at the Shakespeare Birthplace Trust

You can find the accompanying show notes for this podcast over on our blog: https://www.shakespeare.org.uk/explore-shakespeare/podcast/where-did-shakespeare-live/

For the fourth episode of Let’s Talk Shakespeare, I asked “How did actors learn their lines?”. If you were an actor in the Kings Men, your rehearsal process would have been very different from todays! In this episode I talk to my guests about cure scripts, rehearsal time, where acting companies got their costumes and sets, and who exactly would have done to the theatre.

This weeks guests include:

• Professor Stanley Wells, Honorary President of the SBT 
• Professor Michael Dobson, Director of the Shakespeare Institute 
• Dr Elizabeth Dollimore, Outreach and Primary Learning Manager a the SBT 
• Dr Anjna Chouhan, Lecturer in Shakespeare Studies at the SBT 
• Ben Crystal, Actor Director and producer 

You can find show notes for today's episode over on our blog: https://www.shakespeare.org.uk/explore-shakespeare/podcast/how-did-actors-learn-their-lines/

For the third episode of Let’s Talk Shakespeare, I asked “When Did Shakespeare Go to London?”. There are some lost years in Shakespeare's life, one of which is the period from around 1585 until 1592 when the first reference to him as a playwright appears in print. In this episode I talk to our guests about all the myths and stories that are told around why Shakespeare set out for London, we talk about how he would have travelled and where he would have stayed, but the idea of him as a "literary commuter", travelling between London and Stratford for most of his life.

This 1697 map of London Bridge by John Norden shows how London Bridge would have looked when Shakespeare made his way across the river from his lodgings on silver street to the playhouses This weeks guests are:

• Professor Stanley Wells, Honorary President of the SBT 
• Professor Michael Dobson, Director of the Shakespeare Institute 
• Dr Elizabeth Dollimore, Outreach and Primary Learning Manager a the SBT 
• Dr Anjna Chouhan, Lecturer in Shakespeare Studies at the SBT 
• Dr Tara Hamling, Senior Lecturer in Early Modern history at Birmingham University 
• Madeleine Cox, Reading Room and Public Services Coordinator at the SBT

You can find the show notes for this episode on our blog: https://www.shakespeare.org.uk/explore-shakespeare/podcast/when-did-shakespeare-go-london/

Episode two of Let's Talk Shakespeare from the Shakespeare Birthplace Trust.

In the second episode of Let’s Talk Shakespeare, I asked “Did Shakespeare love his wife?”. This question has tantalised for years, we have so frustrating little evidence of their relationship, in truth all we know for certain is that they married, had three children, and stayed married until William's death in 1616. In this weeks podcast we discuss how they may have met, the unusual circumstances in which they married, what Williams prolonged absence from his family while he was in London may have meant for his wife and children, and of course the frustratingly vague reference to his wife in his will.

This weeks guests on the podcast are:

• Professor Stanley Wells, Honorary President of the SBT 
• Professor Michael Dobson, Director of the Shakespeare Institute 
• Dr Elizabeth Dollimore, Outreach and Primary Learning Manager a the SBT 
• Dr Tara Hamling, Senior Lecturer in Early Modern history at Birmingham University 
• Ben Crystal, actor, writer and producer

You can find the show notes for this episode on our blog: https://www.shakespeare.org.uk/explore-shakespeare/podcast/did-shakespeare-love-his-wife/

For the first episode of Let’s Talk Shakespeare, I asked “Was Shakespeare Educated?”. This is a really interesting question that we are asked regularly and one that have to pull on lots of different sources of information to get an answer. In this episode we discuss how we know that Shakespeare went to school, where he went, what his school day would have been like and what he learned. We also think about Shakespeare and continued learner and the evidence of this in his work. Keep you ears open for a reference to Terry Pratchett!

This weeks guests are:

• Professor Stanley Wells, Honorary President of the SBT 
• Professor Michael Dobson, Director of the Shakespeare Institute 
• Dr Elizabeth Dollimore, Outreach and Primary Learning Manager a the SBT 
• Dr Anjna Chouhan, Lecturer in Shakespeare Studies at the SBT 
• Dr Tara Hamling, Senior Lecturer in Early Modern history at Birmingham University 
• Madeleine Cox, Reading Room and Public Services Coordinator at the SBT

You can find show notes for this episode over on our blog: https://www.shakespeare.org.uk/explore-shakespeare/podcast/was-shakespeare-educated/

SBT Chairman, Peter Kyle explains Trustees' decision to sell land at Shottery

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