Much Ado About Nothing
BBC 1, Mon, 8:30 pm

Your TV, November 2005

Shakespeare may never have written the line: "You really do put the "w" into anchorman," for his heroine Beatrice to snarl at Benedick, and Much Ado was certainly not conceived about a local newsroom -- but this high-class drama tells the Bard's classic tale of love with humour and style.

In a thoroughly modern rewrite, which launches the BBC's bumper Shakespeare Retold season, Beatrice (Cutting It's Sarah Parish) is a newsreader on Wessex Tonight who is shocked to find her ex-lover Benedick (The Forsyte Saga's Damian Lewis) is her new presenting partner. Richard and Judy this ain't.

As soon as they are off air, the false smiles disappear and out come the quickfire insults -- but are they hiding their true feelings?

Though love is in the newsroom air between weather girl Hero (Doctor Who's Billie Piper) and naive sportscaster Claude (Tom Ellis), who plan to wed.

"Their love story is very innocent, while with Beatrice and Benedick it's bitter and older and wiser," explains Sarah Parish, adding: "The play's not in the original verse, which is a great thing to do. When I was younger I was intimidated by Shakespeare. It struck me as a bunch of people in tights booming out all this nonsense that I couldn't relate to!"

Tragedy, comedy and some great one-liners -- a first-rate start to the Shakespeare season. Enjoy!