Anthony Hopkins, Emma Thompson, Emily Watson, Jim Broadbent, Tobias Menzies, Christopher Eccleston and Andrew Scott: the BBC’s adaptation of King Lear certainly wasn’t short of A-list stars. Yet could this collection of performers do justice to the Shakespeare classic?

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In a word: absolutely. Viewers were quick to praise the magnificent cast as they told the story of 80-year-old Lear, a ruler of Britain who sought to divide up his kingdom between his daughters – a division that led to a collapse into chaos, madness and warfare.

In particular, Hopkins, who played the titular troubled ruler, was singled out as a “master artist” and “mesmerising”.

Plus, Thompson, who starred as the power-hungry Goneril, gave an “unforgettable” performance, according to viewers.

Director Richard Eyre was also praised for delivering a spectacularly cinematic version of the play to screen.

And even though some struggled with the Shakespearean language...

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...Most declared the show one of the best Shakespeare adaptations they've seen.

Authors

Thomas LingDigital editor, BBC Science Focus

Thomas is Digital editor at BBC Science Focus. Writing about everything from cosmology to anthropology, he specialises in the latest psychology, health and neuroscience discoveries. Thomas has a Masters degree (distinction) in Magazine Journalism from the University of Sheffield and has written for Men’s Health, Vice and Radio Times. He has been shortlisted as the New Digital Talent of the Year at the national magazine Professional Publishers Association (PPA) awards. Also working in academia, Thomas has lectured on the topic of journalism to undergraduate and postgraduate students at The University of Sheffield.

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