There was quite a lot of "maybe" and "perhaps" in this episode but even so, the coincidence between Dame Judi having a family connection with the model for Elsinore and Ophelia being her first big Shakespearean role as a young actress was remarkable. As was said about Josh Widdicombe last week, the subject must be instructed to feign ignorance to give the experts an opening to explain facts to the viewer. Surely it could be done in a better way than making the celebrity look very silly? I can't believe that Dame Judi Dench didn't know that Shakespeare based Elsinore on Kronborg Castle. I did and I'm no expert on Hamlet!
I rather enjoyed the interior shots of the National Library of Ireland and their beautiful green shaded reading lamps. I have a photo of my daughter working at one of those desks under one of those lamps taken in summer 2020. It was the first day of their release from lockdown and she was so delighted to be able to go back to get on with her research that she sent me a photo. I would love one of those lamps because of the colour as I told her at the time!
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