Sam Mendes adapts Shakespeare for BBC Two

BBC Two have announced new screen versions of four of the Shakespeare's history plays - Richard II, Henry IV Part I and Part II, and Henry V - with Sam Mendes (American Beauty) and Pippa Harris (Stuart: A Life Backwards) executive producing.

The directors include Sir Richard Eyre (Iris, Notes On A Scandal) and Rupert Goold (Enron, Macbeth).

What should we expect?

Executive producer Sam Mendes says: "I couldn't be more delighted to be making these Shakespeare films for the BBC. One of my earliest introductions to Shakespeare was watching the plays on TV, and it's terrific to have the opportunity to bring them to a new, wider audience.

"Richard's production of King Lear and Rupert's Macbeth were two of the best Shakespeare productions I've ever seen, and it's an honour to have them on board."