The Hollow Crown Comes To DVD

BBC Two's Henriad tetralogy is set for release on October 1st with special features announced.

Posted 31st August 2012, 3:35pm in TV

Ah Shakespeare. He was a bit good wasn’t he? This summer BBC Two aired four of his historical plays known as the Henriad tetralogy and named this series The Hollow Crown. Universal are now releasing all four glorious plays on DVD for you to own from October 1st.

The Hollow Crown follows Shakespeare’s Richard II, Henry IV parts 1 & 2 and Henry V and stars Ben Whishaw (Skyfall), Jeremy Irons (The Borgias) and Tom Hiddleston (The Avengers Assembled) as the three Kings with support from such luminaries as Rory Kinnear, Patrick Stewart, David Suchet, David Morrissey, Iain Glen, Julie Walters, Michelle Dockery, Maxine Peake, John Hurt, Anton Lesser, Paterson Joseph and Simon Russell Beale as a superlative Falstaff.

The films chart the rise and fall of three Kings of England. Richard II (Whishaw) is overthrown by his cousin Bolingbroke (Kinnear) who ascends the throne as Henry IV (Irons), his own reign marred by the guilt he feels over Richard’s death and his fear that his heir, Prince Hal (Hiddleston) is a wastrel. Hal eventually comes to the throne as Henry V and is left to bury the ghosts of his father’s past whilst fighting his own demons.

The ambitious project is stunningly brought to life by directors Rupert Goold, Richard Eyre and Thea Sharrock and is produced by Academy Award winning director Sam Mendes with Pippa Harris, Gareth Neame and David Horne.

Special Features:

The Making of Richard II, Henry IV parts 1 & 2. Henry V – featuring exclusive interviews with cast and crew.
The Making of a King – an exclusive featurette looking at this landmark Shakespearean series.

The Hollow Crown is available on DVD from October 1st.