"Henry IV, Part 1" of The Hollow Crown Tetralogy

The heir to the throne, Prince Hal (Tom Hiddleston), defies his father, King Henry (Jeremy Irons), by spending his time at Mistress Quickly’s (Julie Walters) tavern in the company of the dissolute Falstaff (Simon Russell Beale) and his companions. The king is threatened by a rebellion led by Hal’s rival, Hotspur (Joe Armstrong), Hotspur’s father Northumberland (Alun Armstrong) and his uncle.

I wrote in the Shakespeare community on Google+:

I am so enthralled with this series! Like Richard II, Henry IV Part 1 is very well-directed and -acted. For example, much of the exchange between Prince Hal and Falstaff is nonverbal - which we can sense from the text - and actors Tom Hiddleston and Simon Russell Beale pull it off brilliantly. There are so many moments when the line between bawdy and serious gets blurred, then crossed, and they act those moments with their faces. Plus, Jeremy Irons as Henry IV is a longtime favorite, so it was a pleasure to see him act.

PBS makes the entire Henry IV, Part 1 available (free) for eight more days.  So if you happen to read this article, watch it right away.  I did say it was a superb production, right.

Hiddleston previews The Hollow Crown, and persuades that this historical tetralogy does have all the drama in the world.  I did say that I was enthralled by it all, didn't I.