Is Shakespeare Overrated?

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In episode 162: Can you save Love Island from the reality show graveyard? Why did a war criminal try to sue Black Ops? And is William Shakespeare actually any good? Richard Osman and Marina Hyde answer your questions on the world of TV, Film and much more…
Assistant Producer: Aaliyah Akude Video Editor: Kieron Leslie, Charlie Rodwell, Adam Thornton, Harry Swan Producer: Joey McCarthy Senior Producer: Neil Fearn Head of Content: Tom Whiter Exec Producers: Tony Pastor + Jack Davenport
Download ‘Is Shakespeare Overrated?’ as an MP3

Inside This Episode

Q: What’s the record for the longest gap between recording a TV show and it being broadcast? A: The record appears to be 18 months, held by an unnamed ITV show that recorded next year’s Christmas episode last week. Previously, the record had been assumed to The 1% Club‘s Christmas edition, which was aired 14 months after recording . This beats other notable delays like Deal or No Deal recording a year in advance.

Q: What would Marina do to save Love Island with an unlimited budget? A: Marina would make it “really high concept” by bringing in astrology, psychology, and friendship groups that viewers could join via WhatsApp. She’d create a “weird social experiment” across multiple platforms, adding “all the weird woo woo of the modern era” to compete with newer dating shows. The goal would be to make it more dramatic than just “watching people talking around in their bikinis.”

Q: What’s the longest-running entertainment show in history? A: The Shipping Forecast holds this record, running for 160 years since 1867. It first went out via telegraph and switched to radio in 1924, broadcasting a minimum of twice daily ever since. Only Hitler and someone forgetting to press a button have ever stopped it – it was switched off during WWII and failed to broadcast once in 2014 due to technical error.

Q: Do game companies need permission to use Hitler’s likeness? A: No payment is required as Hitler is out of copyright, being over 80 years old. However, there was a notable legal case where Panamanian dictator Manuel Noriega sued Activision for his depiction in Call of Duty: Black Ops 2. The case was thrown out of court on free speech grounds, with Rudy Giuliani arguing that significant historical figures “don’t own history.”

Q: Is Shakespeare overrated according to the hosts? A: The hosts have mixed views, with Richard expressing sympathy for Brett Goldstein‘s criticism whilst acknowledging Shakespeare as “a banger” and successful brand. Marina argues Shakespeare is genuinely brilliant and funny, comparing him to “the most successful entertainment format.” Both agree that poor teaching methods in schools can put children off Shakespeare permanently.

Q: Who owns the rights to defunct brands like Happy Eater? A: A Kuwaiti company called Kout Food Group owns both Happy Eater and Little Chef brands, continuing to update them with the UK’s Intellectual Property Office. Permission is still required to use these defunct brands, though some productions like Stranger Things have used period brands without asking, following a “better to beg for forgiveness than ask for permission” approach.

Media Mentions

Television Shows

• Love Island
• Catchphrase
• QI
• Deal or No Deal
• The 1% Club
• House of Games
• Perfect Match
• Love Is Blind
• Married at First Sight
• First Dates
• My Mum, Your Dad
• Big Brother
• Desert Island Discs
• Stranger Things
• Ted Lasso
• Doctor Who
• Blackadder
• Saturday Kitchen

Films

• See How They Run
• 28 Years Later

Theatre

• The Mousetrap
• Twelfth Night
• A Midsummer Night’s Dream

Games

• Call of Duty: Black Ops 2

Books

• Thursday Murder Club
• Jackie Collins

Radio

• The Shipping Forecast

Hot Takes

“Love Island is a bit of a bore now, isn’t it?”

“Watching people talking around in their bikinis is quite boring now”

“Shakespeare is terrible and the plots are ridiculous” [Brett Goldstein’s reported view]

“It’s no Ted Lasso, Brett”

“I don’t think there is one” [continuing influence of Shakespeare]

“Shakespeare is a banger, and people will go and see the plays, and they love them”

“I think funny’s a stretch” [about Shakespeare being funny]

“She was reading Jackie Collins. And Jackie Collins, now she’s talking teacher”

“You’re a happy eater. You’re not even around anything anymore”

“If music be the food of blood beyond, give me excess of it”

Who’s Who

• Lee Mack – Comedian and TV presenter
• Mel Giedroyc – TV presenter
• Chris Coelen – TV producer
• Agatha Christie – Author
• Adolf Hitler – Nazi leader
• Benito Mussolini – Italian dictator
• Emmeline Pankhurst – Suffragette leader
• Saddam Hussein – Iraqi dictator
• Manuel Noriega – Panamanian dictator
• Rudy Giuliani – Former New York mayor and lawyer
• George Bush – Former US President
• Barack Obama – Former US President
• Brett Goldstein – Actor and writer
• William Shakespeare – Playwright and poet
• Christopher Marlowe – Playwright
• Jackie Collins – Novelist
• Danny Boyle – Film director
• Vincent van Gogh – Artist

Notable Numbers

• 18 months – Record gap between recording and broadcasting a TV show
• 14 months – Previous record held by The One Percent Club contestant
• 160 years – Length of time The Shipping Forecast has been running
• 1867 – Year The Shipping Forecast first went out via telegraph
• 1924 – Year The Shipping Forecast switched to radio
• 1942 – Year Desert Island Discs started
• 1952 – Year The Mousetrap opened
• 73 years – How long The Mousetrap has been running
• 30,000 – Number of performances of The Mousetrap
• 80 years – Copyright threshold for historical figures
• 1993 – Year Happy Eater closed
• 2014 – Year The Shipping Forecast failed to broadcast
• £20,000 – Amount Richard would pay Marina if Mel Giedroyc gets cancelled by Christmas