Prince Charles joins Benedict Cumberbatch and David Tennant for "superb" Hamlet sketch at Shakespeare Live!

"To be or not to be" was the question of the evening, which saw countless famous faces honour the 400th anniversary of William Shakespeare's death

Published: Sunday, 24 April 2016 at 7:14 am

All the world's a stage. And last night that stage was "superbly" star-studded.

Ad

An impressive line-up of British greats performed at the Royal Shakespeare Company in Stratford-Upon-Avon to celebrate the Bard's legacy 400 years to the day after his death.

Benedict Cumberbatch and David Tennant took to the stage, as did Ian McKellen, Judi Dench... and Prince Charles.

The 67-year-old, who is next in line to the throne, made a surprise appearance, masquerading as the Prince of Denmark during the sketch, which saw Cumberbatch, Tennant, McKellen, Dench, Tim Minchin, Harriet Walter, Rory Kinnear, and the RSC’s current Hamlet, Paapa Essiedu disagree over how to perform the iconic To Be or Not To Be soliloquy.

Want to see this content?

This page contains content provided by YouTube. We ask for your permission before anything is loaded, as YouTube may use cookies and other technologies. To view this content, choose 'Accept and continue' to allow YouTube and its required purposes.

Accept and continue

Prince Charles got the last word in the skit, which clearly impressed those who tuned into the BBC's Shakespeare celebrations...

Want to see this content?

This page contains content provided by Twitter. We ask for your permission before anything is loaded, as Twitter may use cookies and other technologies. To view this content, choose 'Accept and continue' to allow Twitter and its required purposes.

Accept and continue

Want to see this content?

This page contains content provided by Twitter. We ask for your permission before anything is loaded, as Twitter may use cookies and other technologies. To view this content, choose 'Accept and continue' to allow Twitter and its required purposes.

Accept and continue

Want to see this content?

This page contains content provided by Twitter. We ask for your permission before anything is loaded, as Twitter may use cookies and other technologies. To view this content, choose 'Accept and continue' to allow Twitter and its required purposes.

Accept and continue

Want to see this content?

This page contains content provided by Twitter. We ask for your permission before anything is loaded, as Twitter may use cookies and other technologies. To view this content, choose 'Accept and continue' to allow Twitter and its required purposes.

Accept and continue

The night, which fans dubbed "an absolute treat", also featured performances from the likes of Catherine Tate, Rufus Wainwright, Roger Allam, Anne-Marie Duff, Meera Syal, Henry Goodman, Simon Russell Beale, David Suchet, Al Murray, John Lithgow, Helen Mirren and Rufus Hound.

Want to see this content?

This page contains content provided by Twitter. We ask for your permission before anything is loaded, as Twitter may use cookies and other technologies. To view this content, choose 'Accept and continue' to allow Twitter and its required purposes.

Accept and continue

Want to see this content?

This page contains content provided by Twitter. We ask for your permission before anything is loaded, as Twitter may use cookies and other technologies. To view this content, choose 'Accept and continue' to allow Twitter and its required purposes.

Accept and continue

Want to see this content?

This page contains content provided by Twitter. We ask for your permission before anything is loaded, as Twitter may use cookies and other technologies. To view this content, choose 'Accept and continue' to allow Twitter and its required purposes.

Accept and continue

Want to see this content?

This page contains content provided by Twitter. We ask for your permission before anything is loaded, as Twitter may use cookies and other technologies. To view this content, choose 'Accept and continue' to allow Twitter and its required purposes.

Accept and continue

Ad

Shakespeare Live! is now available on BBC iPlayer

Authors

Ellie Walker-Arnott

Ad

Ad

Get the Christmas double issue

Too much to watch at Christmas? Let Radio Times do the choosing to find something the whole family will enjoy.

Subscribe by 3 Dec

Loading...

Ad

Loading...