Actor Samuel West is joined by Dr Andrea Smith in a journey through 100 years (nearly) of Shakespeare on the radio. You might think that the years of the Second World War would have given listeners a thirst for history plays and great stirring speeches such as those in Henry V. But in fact it was pastoral comedy that was most popular - a reminder perhaps of the idealised, imagined Britain that people were fighting to protect. We hear too how production techniques gained sophistication and that theatricality slowly gave way to realism.

Presented by Samuel West and Dr Andrea Smith