The BBC Television Shakespeare — Season 1, Episode 24: The First Part of Henry the Sixth

Episode synopsis

Following the death of his father, Henry V, the young Henry VI is proclaimed king under the protectorship of his uncles, the Dukes of Gloucester and Exeter. There is conflict between Gloucester and his long-term rival, the Bishop of Winchester. Richard Plantagenet, having established a claim to the throne through the Mortimer line of his family, declares his animosity towards the Duke of Somerset. Charles the Dauphin, fortified by his alliance with Joan la Pucelle (Joan of Arc), dominates the battles in France. An uneasy peace is concluded between England and France, and Gloucester engineers a politically astute marriage between Henry and the Earl of Armagnac's daughter. Meanwhile, in France, Suffolk woos Margaret, daughter of the Duke of Anjou, to be Henry's queen and in order to gain her father's consent cedes the newly conquered French territories of Anjou and Maine. Suffolk persuades Henry, against opposition from the court, to marry Margaret and make her Queen of England.

About The BBC Television Shakespeare

The BBC Television Shakespeare is a series of British television adaptations of the plays of William Shakespeare, created by Cedric Messina and produced by BBC Television. It was transmitted in the UK from 3 December 1978 to 27 April 1985 and spanned seven series. Development of the series began in 1975 when Messina saw that Glamis Castle would make a perfect location for an adaptation of Shakespeare's play As You Like It. On returning to London, he envisioned an entire series devoted exclusively to the dramatic works of Shakespeare. After encountering numerous problems trying to produce the series, Messina eventually pitched the idea to the BBC’s departmental heads and the series was greenlighted. The series as a whole received generally negative reviews from critics.

More episodes from Season 1

• E1Romeo & Juliet
• E2King Richard the Second
• E3As You Like It
• E4Julius Caesar
• E5Measure for Measure
• E6The Famous History of the Life of King Henry the Eight
• E7The First Part of King Henry the Fourth with the Life and Death of Henry Surnamed Hotspur
• E8The Second Part of King Henry the Fourth containing his Death: and the Coronation of King Henry the Fift
• E9The Life of Henry the Fifth
• E10Twelfth Night
• E11The Tempest
• E12Hamlet, Prince of Denmark