Secret History: Shakespeare's Tomb

BY ARROW PICTURES
RELEASED: 2017
RUNTIME: 60 min
EPISODES: 1
BROADCASTER: Channel 4, PBS
CATEGORY: Feature Doc, History, Science, Series

To coincide with the 400th anniversary of William Shakespeare’s death, Cambridge historian Helen Castor and a team of archaeologists embark on the first ever investigation of Shakespeare’s grave. They want to discover if there’s any truth to the rumours that his grave, which carries a curse against any man who ‘moves his bones’, has been tampered with.

The investigation also explores a Victorian story that Shakespeare’s skull was stolen by trophy hunters. It’s a trail that leads to a mystery skull stashed in a crypt beneath a country church. Removing the church step and taking a 3D scan of the skull is the only way to discover if it's a possible match for Shakespeare. Four hundred years after Shakespeare’s death, this programme aims to separate the fact from the folklore.