Ian McKellen's King Lear to Be Shown on TV, DVD

[Yero my Hero]

Posted: 1/29/08 at 2:02pm

Just found this article: http://www.theatermania.com/content/news.cfm/story/12573

The RSC's recent production of William Shakespeare's King Lear, directed by Trevor Nunn and with Ian McKellen in the title role, is being filmed for HD TV. It will be broadcast on England's BBC Channel 4 in December, as well as being broadcast on PBS in the autumn and a number of other TV stations internationally, including NHK Japan. Plans are also in the works to make the tape available on worldwide DVD.

I suppose we can expect an official date later in the year. If you didn't get a chance to see this at BAM last fall, don't miss it on PBS! It was a truly great performance.

[nmartin]

Posted: 1/29/08 at 2:06pm

Yero, thanks for posting this. I am so glad to hear that it will be broadcast!

[Yero my Hero]

Posted: 1/29/08 at 2:13pm

Welcome! I found the article by accident and immediately thought of BWW.

Hmm, Ian McKellen nude in High Definition...

[Ed_Mottershead]

Posted: 1/29/08 at 2:19pm

This is great news for all of us who couldn't get a ticket last fall at BAM. Lear may be the greatest play in the English language and McKellan perhaps the greatest Shakespearean actor in the world today.

[nmartin]

Posted: 1/29/08 at 2:26pm

The only other Lear I've ever seen was the Olivier verison on PBS. I am anxious to see how the McKellen version compares.
Ed, I think you are right about it being the greatest play in the English language.

[sanda]

Posted: 1/29/08 at 4:03pm

Awsome news! I still kick myself for missing the BAM production. I prayed for this to be available in video.
Updated On: 1/29/08 at 04:03 PM

[*brina-doll*]

Posted: 1/29/08 at 4:16pm

I'm so excited! Tickets sold out ASAP when he came for the Gutherie production. I'm still mad that I missed it

[luceecool]

Posted: 1/29/08 at 4:41pm

I'm confused, do they mean channel 4 or BBC4, cos they're different things (ie, channel 4 will mean lots of Ad breaks and BBC4 will mean I can't record it onto video)

[nobodyhome]

Posted: 1/29/08 at 5:05pm

Unfortunately, it's not widely available in the U.S., but I think the production that was in the BBC Shakespeare series — directed by Jonathan Miller, with Michael Hordern as Lear — was superior to the nearly contemporaneous, starry Olivier version. I think it's available as a Region 2 and it can be found as a Region 1 in some libaries.

[nmartin]

Posted: 1/29/08 at 5:13pm

I would love to see the one with Hordern. He was a marvelous actor.

[Tkt2Ride]

Posted: 1/29/08 at 6:13pm

Excellent news! Thanks for the article. I will definitely be buying the DVD. Maybe bribed my friends to tape the show for me. It should be great. We need more good shows on DVD. I love my Stratford Shakesphere Collection. Happy to add more Shakesphere to my collection, especially with Ian as Lear. Bravo!

[fabala4077]

Posted: 1/29/08 at 8:29pm

Cannot wait; I love Ian McKellen and he does Shakespeare so well. We watched his Macbeth in my English class, and it gave me shivers.

[kec]

Posted: 1/29/08 at 8:58pm

luceecool, I read that as being the BBC Channel 4. If it was just "Channel 4" "BBC" wouldn't have preceeded it.

Lovely news. I'd love to see this.

Reminds me that I have a dvd of Macbeth starring Sir Ian and Dame Judi -- got in one of the British papers when I was there on a visit a year or so ago.