Historian Helen Castor, (author of ‘She-Wolves: The Women Who Ruled England Before Elizabeth’, ‘Blood and Roses,’ and ‘Joan of Arc: A History’), will present a new TV programme about ‘Shakespeare’s Tomb.’ The Channel 4 documentary will be shown at 8pm on Saturday 26 March.
(c) Channel 4
‘Documentary charting a two-year-long archeological investigation of William Shakespeare’s grave at Holy Trinity Church in Stratford-upon-Avon. The grave itself bears a curse condemning anyone who disturbs the Bard’s final resting place, reading `Good friend, for Jesus’ sake forbear/To dig the dust enclosed here/Blessed be the man that spares the stones/And cursed be he that moves my bones’. For the first time since Shakespeare’s death 400 years ago, the church has authorised archaeologists to conduct a study on the site, giving Kevin Colls of Staffordshire University, leading geophysicist Erica Utsi, and Cambridge historian Dr Helen Castor a chance to utilise state-of-the-art radar technology to build up a picture of what lies beneath the surface without disturbing the hallowed site. As the team reveals, the results of their examination contained a few unexpected surprises.’
