BBC Arts at the Globe

From the Globe theatre in London, Andrew Marr presents a unique television premiere - a new production of John Webster's bloody revenge tragedy The Duchess of Malfi (1614) performed in a perfect recreation of an early Jacobean theatre. Lit entirely by candlelight, the production evokes a murky world of plotting and intrigue, where even the most pure in heart are caught in a web of murder and revenge.

The story of the son of a coach-maker with a highly developed sense of the macabre, who ended up rivalling Shakespeare. John Webster's life was shadowy and his plays darkly imagined - it was once said that he 'saw the skull beneath the skin'. But his masterpiece The Duchess Of Malfi is one of the jewels of the English Renaissance. This gothic tale of forbidden love, intrigue, betrayal and murder is the most frequently performed play of the period not written by Shakespeare. In this documentary, Professor James Shapiro goes in search of the mysterious man behind the play. Piecing together the fragments of Webster's life, he explores how he came to write it just at the moment when the Jacobeans were inventing modern indoor theatre. On hand to help is Gemma Arterton, who plays the Duchess in The Globe candlelit production which can be seen on BBC Four.

Shakespeare’s comedy of mistaken identity and the madness of love finds new life in this production from London’s Globe Theatre. Illyria is a society in limbo, held captive by loss until a sea-drenched stranger arrives and unexpectedly unleashes the chaotic and transformative power of love. Wild, surprising, fierce and funny, this 2021 production of Shakespeare’s comedy is directed by Globe associate artistic director Sean Holmes and is infused with mesmeric nostalgia and soulful music from the world of Americana.