Created & Written by Hal Gray
LOGLINE: Season one
A young Wm. Shakespeare feels stifled in the backwater town where he’s grown up. Only 22 and already with three children, he longs for different pastures whether they are greener or not. At wit’s end, he guiltily packs and almost makes his escape. But fortune draws him back to Stratford into an adventure to save a friend from hanging and incredibly, his queen, Elizabeth I, from assassination.
THE STORY
Episode one – Trampled by Elephants (précis):
Constantly arguing with his wife Anne Hathaway (29), bored with child-minding and domestic life, William makes a break for it the day before Stratford’s annual Fair. In Sir John Lucy’s park he poaches some rabbits for his journey and gets caught. Sir John is delighted. He’s wanted to catch Shakespeare Jr. at this crime for some time. This means a severe whipping in front of the townspeople.
Hands bound, William is led past out-of-towners setting up booths for the Fair. They have hired townsmen to assist them. He sees Hamnet Sadler approaching at the head of a group of William’s friends. Hamnet gets up on a stump to convince the townsmen to down tools to get a fairer wage. This outrages Malcolm of Plymouth, a booth owner, who pulls Hamnet down and a melee ensues. Hamnet and crew run away when Constable Elbow and his men arrive on scene.
William is led on to the town centre where he receives a terrible whipping. Later, he is put into a wheelbarrow by the town drunk, Bottom, and trundled home. He manages to keep his aborted escape secret from Anne, but is more determined to leave than ever.
The next day the town council meets to discuss the past day’s events. Malcolm is invited. Sir John thinks Hamnet and friends’ behaviour is seditious. John Shakespeare (Wm.’s father) thinks that’s too severe. The Bailiff plays referee. Outside, a young lad, ear pressed to the wall listens; he is spied on by a long-capped man. It is decided that everyone involved needs to be questioned, but the Fair must go on. At the end of the meeting, the Bailiff takes Shakespeare Sr. aside and asks him to be in charge of security for an extraordinary, surprise visit by the Queen.
The next day, William is stopped by Elbow enquiring about the whereabouts of Hamnet for questioning about his role in the melee. William’s dog, Spot, discovers Malcolm’s body in an alley with a knife driven into his chest, a torn piece of bloody coat sleeve clutched in his cold hand. William recognises the knife. He gave it to Hamnet for his birthday last. Everyone else will know it, too, once they pull out the knife and see the inscription on the blade.
Episode two – Detector (précis):
William tracks down Hamnet. He can’t believe that Ham could do such a thing. He determines that Ham lost the knife during the melee and that Ham’s coat is untorn. He hurries Ham on to Holy Trinity church for sanctuary. William is summoned to the town hall.
Malcolm is laid out naked and stiff. The Bailiff, Sir John Lucy, John Shakespeare and Constable Elbow are all obviously convinced of Hamnet’s guilt. William explains what he saw at the crime scene: how the attack must have happened, the importance of which side each wound occurred, and despite Malcolm’s purse being taken, it was not a crime of robbery, but of treachery. The motive he did not know, but he would find out and prove Ham’s innocence.
As he always has, William helps his friends out in turn – the next being club-tongued Richard Tyler in an affaire of the heart.
In the night, Malcolm’s rooms have been discovered upturned as has his booth and his liege man murdered. Succinctly, William is able to show what happened. He points out that this is further proof someone is looking for something Malcolm had and is willing to kill for it. What seems clear to William is that this something has not yet been found.
Two conspirators – the long-capped man and another in the shadows – meet to discuss the failure of the former to retrieve what they want: a list of fellow papist conspirators set on overthrowing the Queen. The man in the shadows adds another task for the capped man: kill William before he gets any closer to the truth.
The Queen and her advisor Sir Cecil arrive in Stratford with an armed guard and her court acting troupe. She may be there to recruit cannon fodder against the Spanish Armada, but she really came for the list and is expecting Malcolm to hand it to her far from the prying eyes of her court.
The capped man dogs William’s steps waiting for his moment to strike.
Episode three – Modern Times (précis):
William to the rescue again: his friend Richard Field is chased whilst handing out pamphlets about unfair wages and lands at the feet of the Queen as she surveys her subjects. For touching the Queen he is to lose a hand, but William pleads eloquently saving Richard from the loss much to Sir John’s distain.
After an argument with Anne, William surmises that the cause of the murders must be something written, easy to hide. But where?
The shadowy conspirator – as it turns out, the Bailiff – wants to know why the capped man has yet to dispense with William. This leads to a fierce life and death struggle under the theatre seats as the crowd awaits a performance from the Queen’s players. William narrowly escapes the struggle.
There is a delay before the play begins and Bottom shouts out William’s name to come up and entertain the audience. After much encouragement he ascends the boards to perform “The Seven Ages of Man”, but with a difference. Not as a soliloquy, but by using audience members (mostly key players in this drama, e.g., the lover Richard Tyler, the dissipated Bottom, the proud Bailiff in his prime, an ancient mad woman who witnessed Malcolm’s murder) as representatives of each age. His consummate skill opens the eyes of an angry and dubious Anne.
At the finish, William works his way to stage left and grabs the young lad with torn sleeve missing naming him as the murderer. The mad woman shrieks and points to the long-capped man naming him instead. The Queen allows the Bailiff and William to question the prisoners, but allows the old woman to be thrown in the weir pond to determine the truth of the matter. Her veracity proven, the long-capped man makes a break for it and is shot down by the Bailiff. Except for the Bailiff, the mystery of what the killings were about remains. And where is the list?
The Queen’s carriage is packed and ready to spirit her away as Malcolm’s casket is lowered into the ground. William scans the townsmen surrounding the coffin, all hats in hand. He curses himself and shouts for the coffin to be raised. The Queen assents.
In the town hall, Malcolm’s hat is ripped open to produce a parchment with a list of conspirators to overthrow the Queen. The Bailiff pulls a blade to kill the Queen, but is gutted by William who was ready for this occurrence. Later, William forgoes all treasures and land offered by Elizabeth for the truth of what has actually transpired. He also turns down employment in her service stating that Stratford is his home and he sees now he can never leave.
But Anne knows better. She sends him on his way with her graces. William and Spot are seen disappearing across the summer fields.
Season two: Scotland > Wm. S. solves a mystery for an old man beleaguered by three ancient sisters and his three difficult daughters.
Season three: Denmark > Wm. S. meets a young man at odds with his step-father and what is to become of the family fortune.
Season four: France > Wm. S. gets caught up in the life of a man who thinks he’s been cuckolded.
Season five: Italy > Wm. S. beds a headstrong young lady defended in a murder trial by a lady lawyer.
Season six: The Queen’s Court, London > A reunion with the Queen and her desire that he resolve some murders at court.
Players (historical): Season one
William Shakespeare: William, young, a touch arrogant and yearning to escape domestic life for untold adventures, unsuccessfully tries to escape his situation. He comes to realize that his dreams are less important than his wife, children and friends. In other words, he grows up. In the process, with the use of his wits and tongue, he saves one friend accused of murder, helps another in an affaire of the heart, and successfully pleads that another keep his hand for touching the Royal Person. Lastly, he uncovers a plot to assassinate the Queen and kills her attacker. (She’s appreciative.)
Anne Hathaway: Seven years older than her immature husband and fed up with his inability to take responsibility for her and their three young children, she cannot envision the genius that sleeps in his bones. But in the end she realises that his future lies elsewhere and finds the courage to let him go.
Elizabeth the First: Well into her tenure and showing the weight of her crown from her full-time occupation in keeping it. She has come to Stratford to ostensibly raise troops to fight the Spanish and its armada, but in reality seeks a conference with her spy, a merchant carrying a list of royal conspirators. She is truly sly or vicious when she has to be and appreciative of those who can think clear thoughts, but are wise enough not to express them publically. What is she to do then when she is asked to change her mind by an impertinent but loquacious young man in front of the citizens of Stratford? And what is she to do when this same young man is involved in looking for the murderer of her spy. By the time she leaves Stratford, he has saved her life, and a deep and respectful relationship is borne between the two that will take years to play out.
John Shakespeare: William’s father, a prominent townsman, but down on his luck through no fault of his own. He despairs of his irresponsible son. He is asked to form the security detail to guard the Queen during her visit. Of course, if he fails in any way, his life will be forfeit.
Hamnet Sadler: William’s bosom friend. Involved in a skirmish with a town visitor, and later accused of the visitor’s murder.
Richard Quiney: A glib and cheery friend of William’s. A bosom friend to Richard Tyler and coordinator of his love life.
Richard Tyler: A club-tongued young friend of William’s. But he needs the tongue for wooing Susannah Palfret.
Richard Field: William’s friend and novice printer. William saves Richard’s hand from being taken off when it affronts the Queen.
William Reynolds: The last of William’s ‘gang’. Not so much liked. Another suitor of Susannah Palfret.
Susannah Palfret: A friend of Anne and the love interest of Richard Tyler.
Players (fictional): Season one
Spot: William’s randy dog who loves his master and has the penchant for getting into as much trouble as his master. They are well-matched.
Bottom: Stratford’s town drunk and William’s éminence grise.
Sir John Lucy: A bellicose, rich land owner who has a long-term enmity with the Shakespeares’ who would like to see them ruined. Is he the chief conspirator?
Malcolm of Plymouth: A wine merchant selling his wares at the Stratford annual Fair, but more importantly he carries an important document for the Queen. He’s murdered before he can deliver it.
Bailiff: The kind, competent headman of Stratford who turns out to be something quite different.
Elbow: Stratford’s not too bright, but likeable Constable. He’s a transplant from Soho.
Dirty-faced Lad: Would love to see Malcolm dead, but for personal not political reasons.
Long-capped Man: A conspirator to assassinate the Queen.
Old Mad Woman: The sole witness to Malcolm’s murder.
Hal Gray 