In celebration of Shakespeare’s birthday weekend and marking the RSC’s first ever televised world premiere, The Winter’s Tale will be showing on BBC4 at 7pm next Sunday 25 April.

It forms part of BBC Lights Up, which is a season of plays across BBC television and radio, produced in partnership with UK theatres and BBC Arts’ Culture in Quarantine initiative. 

The Winter’s Tale was set to form part of the RSC’s 2020 season and has been re-rehearsed with the entire original cast and adapted for television broadcast. Directed by the RSC’s Deputy Artistic Director Erica Whyman, it features a creative team comprising set designer Tom Piper, costume designer Madeleine Girling, lighting by Prema Mehta, and music by Isobel Waller-Bridge, with screen direction by Bridget Caldwell.

The original cast, set to perform in Stratford-on-Avon and at London’s Barbican last year, returns and comprises Ben Caplan as Camillo, Andrew French as Polixenes, Amanda Hadingue as Paulina, Kemi-Bo Jacobs as Hermione and Joseph Kloska as Leontes.

The Winter’s Tale will also be available on BBC iPlayer, and available to stream for Subscribers, Members, and Patrons based outside the UK. Unfortunately, this will be the only opportunity to watch the production as there are no current plans for a live run.