BBC - BBC Four Storyville - Much Ado About Something



	MUCH ADO ABOUT SOMETHING Mike Rubbo, Australia, 2001 Tuesday 22 November 2005 11.30pm-12.40am Australian director Mike Rubbo offers a compelling examination of the authenticity of Shakespeare's work.


	DIRECTOR'S NOTES Mike Rubbo explains what drove him to explore the Marlowe conspiracy

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	Further Links Much Ado About Something Great site with loads on the various people interviewed in the film Mike Rubbo, Village Artist He doesn't just make films. Very intriguing The Marlowe Society Stacks on Marlowe, some of it conspiratorial Peter Farey's Marlowe Page Marlowe's complete works from one of the film's interviewees Shakespeare's Unorthodox Biography Various theories on the authorship debate Shakespeare Authorship Roundtable Backgound and links exploring all sides of the controversy The BBC is not responsible for the content of external websites


			Commissioner's Comment Nick Fraser Storyville Series Editor

	I like Much Ado About Something because Mike Rubbo has the brass to take on the most cherished English myth - that of our genius bard of Stratford, William Shakespeare. Rubbo is convinced that the smalltown voice of Stratford didn't write the greatest masterpieces of literature. His film is devoted to undermining the claim of the so-called Stratfordians, but he also feels that Shakespeare's work was written by Christopher Marlowe, an intellectual, a homosexual, a spy. The only problem with Rubbo's argument is that Marlowe apparently died in a pub brawl in Deptford in 1593. However, in this extremely entertaining film, Rubbo all but convinces you that Marlowe didn't die, and that he wrote the plays from exile in Italy, shipping them back by boat. You may not be convinced by all this film, but you will certainly find it extremely provocative and entertaining. A plus for the film is Rubbo's distinct resemblance to the Bard himself. Storyville Homepage