Katherine Duncan-Jones questions William Boyd on the challenges of adapting great works of literature for TV.

What are the particular challenges involved in adapting great works of literature for television? William Boyd’s screenplay, ‘A Waste of Shame’, presents a wittily compelling analysis of the emotional and professional forces inspiring Shakespeare (played by Rupert Graves) to compose his Sonnets. How difficult was it to blend Shakespeare’s own words with newly-written dialogue? How close did he feel he got to the true Shakespeare in writing his script? And do the protagonists of Boyd’s acclaimed novels have anything in common with Shakespeare? These are among the questions that Katherine Duncan-Jones, Shakespearian scholar and academic adviser on ‘A Waste of Shame’, puts to Boyd.

Recorded on: November 28, 2011