King Lear

King Lear
(Image credit: BBC/Playground Entertainment/Ed)

Anthony Hopkins stuns as Shakespeare’s tragic monarch

Richard Eyre previously directed Anthony Hopkins in the BBC’s excellent 2015 adaptation of stage play The Dresser, about an ageing Shakespearean actor appearing in a production of King Lear.

Now the two have reunited for this compelling version of the Shakespeare tragedy with a modern setting, in which Hopkins gives a powerhouse performance in the title role.

Stellar support comes from the likes of Emma Thompson – who previously appeared with Hopkins in The Remains of the Day and Howards End – as Lear’s daughter Goneril, plus Tobias Menzies, Florence Pugh, Christopher Eccleston, Emily Watson, Andrew Scott and Jim Broadbent.