Henry V: Signs of War

Summary

1960 BBC production of Henry V: Signs of War by Shakespeare, the seventh in the fifteen-part series An Age of Kings which was the BBC’s great national pageant of eight history plays.

Theatre play

King Henry V by William Shakespeare [more information]

Play synopsis

'Soon after his accession to the throne King Henry V is considering asserting his right to rule France as well as England. Consulting the Archbishop of Canterbury as to the justness of his claim, he receives a gift of tennis balls sent by the dauphin - a scornful jibe at his youth, which spurs him on to the invasion of France. The king’s former companions from his days in the Eastcheap tavern hear of the death of Sir John Falstaff from Hostess Quickly. They take their leave of her and set out to join Henry’s army. Despite the dauphin’s insistence that Henry is an unworthy opponent, the French king receives the English ambassadors but finally rejects Henry’s claim to the crown. Henry’s forces besiege and then take the town of Harfleur. While her father rouses his nobles to retaliation, Princess Katherine begins to learn English with the help of her companion Alice. Following the victory at Harfleur, the English forces begin a retreat through Normandy on account of the poor condition of the men, who are disheartened by sickness and foul weather. Even so, Henry rejects the French Herald’s offer of ransom and the two armies prepare to fight. On the eve of the battle of Agincourt, Henry tours the camp in disguise and, sounding out the opinions of his men, is led to consider the heavy responsibilities of kingship. In the French camp, by contrast, confidence is high. As battle is joined, Henry rallies his troops and places them all in God’s hands. An English victory is confirmed, with miraculously small losses. As part of the subsequent treaty, Henry woos and wins Katherine to ensure the linking of the two countries through marriage’ (source: http://www.rscshakespeare.co.uk/henryV.html, accessed 13 November 2012).

Production history

First performed c. 1599.

Date of transmission

Thursday 21 July 1960

Time

9.00-10.00pm

Series

Age of Kings

Channel

BBC Television

Production company

BBC

Credits

Director

Michael Hayes

Producer

Peter Dews

Playwright

William Shakespeare

Composer

Arthur Bliss (title music)

Composer

Christopher Whelen

Designer

Stanley Morris

Cast

David Andrews	Nym
Angela Baddeley	Mistress Quickly
Stephanie Bidmead
Jeremy Bisley
Joby Blanshard
Adrian Brine
George A. Cooper	Pistol
Yvonne Coulette
Michael Graham Cox
Judi Dench
Kenneth Farrington
Patrick Garland
Tony Garnett	Sir Thomas Grey
Julian Glover	Earl of Westmorland
Gordon Gostelow	Bardolph
Robert Hardy	King Henry the Fifth
Timothy Harley	Boy
Dane Howell
Noel Johnson	Duke of Exeter
Robert Lang
Terence Lodge
Cyril Luckham	Archbishop of Canterbury
John Ringham
Alan Rowe
John Murray Scott
George Selway
Leon Shepperdson	Rambures
Brian Smith	Lord Scroop
William Squire	Chorus
Anthony Valentine	English Herald
Terry Wale
Derek Ware
John Warner
Jerome Willis
Frank Windsor	Earl of Cambridge

Additional details

Play tags

15th-century setting; France, as theme or setting; historical drama; royalty

Audiovisual sources

Title

Signs of War: Henry V (BBC, 1960)

Archive

BBC Information and Archives [more information]

Address

White City
London
UK

Telephone

+44 (0)20 8008 2288

Website

http://www.bbc.co.uk/informationandarchives/

Access

BBC Information and Archives is not open to the public.

Title

An Age of Kings: Eight History Plays by William Shakespeare

Commercial availability

Released in 2013 by Illuminations in the Screen Plays series

Print sources

Title

Adapting the Histories: An Age of Kings on Screen (Essay)

Author/creator

John Wyver (Author)

Reference

Published as the booklet essay accompanying the commercially available DVD set An Age of Kings: Eight History Plays by William Shakespeare, released by Illuminations in the Screen Plays series.

Title

An Age of Kings: ‘we happy few’ (Blog article)

Author/creator

John Wyver (Author)

Reference

http://screenplaystv.wordpress.com/2011/07/02/an-age-of-kings-we-happy-few, published 2 July 2011

Title

Radio Times, 15 July 1960 (Magazine)

Linking notes

listing, p. 16

Title

Radio Times, 22 April 1960 (Magazine)

Linking notes

cover image; article, p. 3

Associated programmes

Richard II: The Hollow Crown (BBC, 1960)
Richard II by William Shakespeare
BBC Television (Age of Kings)

Richard II: The Deposing of a King (BBC, 1960)
Richard II by William Shakespeare
BBC Television (Age of Kings)

Henry IV, Part 1: Rebellion from the North (BBC, 1960)
Henry IV, Part 1 by William Shakespeare
BBC Television (Age of Kings)

Henry IV, Part 1: The Road to Shrewsbury (BBC, 1960)
Henry IV, Part 1 by William Shakespeare
BBC Television (Age of Kings)

Henry IV, Part 2: The New Conspiracy (BBC, 1960)
Henry IV, Part 2 by William Shakespeare
BBC Television (Age of Kings)

Henry IV, Part 2: Uneasy Lies the Head (BBC, 1960)
Henry IV, Part 2 by William Shakespeare
BBC Television (Age of Kings)

Henry V: The Band of Brothers (BBC, 1960)
King Henry V by William Shakespeare
BBC Television (Age of Kings)

Henry VI, Part 1: The Red Rose and the White (BBC, 1960)
Henry VI, Part 1 by William Shakespeare
BBC Television (Age of Kings)

Henry VI, Part 2: The Fall of a Protector (BBC, 1960)
Henry VI, Part 2 by William Shakespeare
BBC Television (Age of Kings)

Henry VI, Part 2: The Rabble from Kent (BBC, 1960)
Henry VI, Part 2 by William Shakespeare
BBC Television (Age of Kings)

Henry VI, Part 3: The Morning’s War (BBC, 1960)
Henry VI, Part 3 by William Shakespeare
BBC Television (Age of Kings)

Henry VI, Part 3: The Sun in Splendour (BBC, 1960)
Henry VI, Part 3 by William Shakespeare
BBC Television (Age of Kings)

Richard III: The Dangerous Brother (BBC, 1960)
Richard III by William Shakespeare
BBC Television (Age of Kings)

Richard III: The Boar Hunt (BBC, 1960)
Richard III by William Shakespeare
BBC Television (Age of Kings)