Thirty years ago a promising young actor published his account of preparing for and playing the role of Richard III. Antony Sher's Year of the King has since become a classic of theatre literature. In 2014, Sher, now in his sixties, was cast as Falstaff in Gregory Doran's Royal Shakespeare Company production of the two parts of Henry IV. Both the production and Sher's Falstaff were acclaimed by critics and audiences alike, with Sher winning the Critics' Circle Award for Best Shakespearean Performance. Year of the Fat Knight is Antony Sher's account - splendidly supplemented by his own paintings and sketches - of researching, rehearsing and performing one of Shakespeare's best-known and most popular characters. He tells us how he had doubts about playing the part at all, how he sought to reconcile Falstaff's obesity, drunkenness, cowardice and charm, how he wrestled with the fat suit needed to bulk him up, and how he explored the complexities and contradictions of this comic yet often dangerous personality. On the way, Sher paints a uniquely close-up portrait of the RSC at work.Year of the Fat Knight is a terrific read, rich in humour and with a built-in tension as opening night draws relentlessly nearer. It also stands as a celebration of the craft of character acting. All in all, it is destined to rank with Year of the King as one of the most enduring accounts of the creation of a giant Shakespearean role. Praise for Year of the King: 'This is a most wonderfully authentic account of the experience of creating a performance' Sunday Times 'The most exciting actor of his generation and an eloquent writer on the side' Observer Praise for Sher's Falstaff: 'A magnificent, magnetic performance - Sher plays down the fatness to emphasise the knight's upper-class origins. But, just as you start to warm to this Falstaff, you are reminded of his rapacity' Guardian 'It is Sher's irrepressible Falstaff that will linger in the memory - a lord of misrule who's absurd, delightful and in the end deeply sad' Evening Standard

In 1984 Antony Sher, hailed as "the most exciting actor of his generation" by the Observer, made his debut - on homemade crutches - as the infamous Richard III in the Royal Shakespeare Company production of the play. He would go on to win the Laurence Olivier and Evening Standard Awards for best actor. In his own words and sketches, he chronicles his personal and professional journey to this award-winning performance, from the moment he was offered the role to opening night, in the critically acclaimed book Year of the King, now available in this special 20th anniversary edition. From his brainstorm to use crutches to bring the king's deformity to life, to his research for the role, which included watching interviews with psychopaths, reading about mass murderers, and speaking with doctors and physically challenged individuals, to his visit to his homeland of South Africa, to his experiences in working with the Royal Shakespeare Company, the reader is given a front-row seat to Sher's physical and mental preparation - or rather transformation - for his landmark performance as "the bottled spider."

All eight episodes of the maritime adventure series based on the novels by C.S. Forester. Full of action, intrigue and romance, Horatio Hornblower (Ioan Gruffudd) battles against the sins of the sea and discovers the true relationship between the French, the English and the Irish. Episodes comprise: 'The Even Chance', 'The Examination for Lieutenant', 'The Duchess and the Devil', 'The Frogs and the Lobsters', 'Mutiny', 'Retribution', 'Loyalty' and 'Duty'.

William Shakespeare's historical plays performed at the Royal Shakespeare Theatre in Stratford-upon-Avon in 2014. In 'Henry IV - Part I', King Henry IV (Jasper Britton) is troubled by the behaviour of his son and heir, Prince Hal (Alex Hassell), who has forsaken the Royal Court to waste his time in taverns with the likes of Sir John Falstaff (Antony Sher), an old, fat, jovial drunkard who captivates the young prince with his zest for life. In 'Henry IV - Part II', when Henry is confined to his bed with a serious illness it seems likely that Hal will shortly be appointed king. Hal's suitability for the role, however, concerns the present king even as his death approaches and Hal takes the decision to spend less time with his friends in preparation for the responsibilities of leadership. Falstaff, meanwhile, comes out of semi-retirement to raise a small militia. Now getting on in years, the rascal hopes his friendship with Hal will land him the comfortable retirement he seeks, but will Hal be true to his old allies when he finally puts on the crown?

This is the autobiography of actor, author and artist Anthony Sher. It offers an insight into his first 50 years. Starting with his time in the sinister paradise of white South Africa, we follow Sher through his time as a rifleman during conscription in Namibia, his feelings of being an outsider and his escape to London. Small, weedy, Jewish and conscious of his homosexuality Anthony found a refuge in art and later theatre. Sher was turned down by RADA and Central but still went on to create a series of triumphs on stage, including "Richard III" and "Macbeth", as well as write novels and a theatre-journal full of his own illustrations. Sher reveals his personal experiences of theatre figures, such as Olivier, Stoppard and Mike Leigh, and the time when his cocaine habit threatened his survival. This is a personal odyssey through the approvals and dismissals, awards and addictions, doubts and dreams which go to make up Anthony Sher's life so far.

Felix runs a large, run-down theatre in the heart of Africa. Returning home after a drying-out cure, he finds he is sober, but the world seems drunk. The dictator, Duma, has been deposed, and people are indulging their newfound freedom in every possible way. Master of ceremonies of the tiny expat community is Charlie, a handsome and wealthy doctor whose famous parties are modelled on ritual. As Felix sets out to help the actress-singer Kaz track down the killer of her son - a victim of Duma’s regime - he travels through a feverish and mutable society where beauty and terror live side by side, where both man and beast are embarked on feeding frenzies of gratification, where the barriers between past and present keep shifting, and where, at any moment, the Great Dictator himself threatens to reappear.

THE FEAST explores the conflict between appetite and imagination in the human spirit, viewed against an epic, surreal portrait of Africa, and of Theatre. Graphic, violent and funny it is a quite brilliant study of purity versus decadence.
 

Christian Slater and Neve Campbell star alongside British comedians Harry Enfield, Rik Mayall, Bob Mortimer, Vic Reeves, Mackenzie Crook, Ronni Ancona and Sally Phillips in this comedy spoof about Winston Churchill. American movie moguls are producing a movie about World War II. Following the first day of shooting, an ambitious executive discovers that their 'lead' is an old guy with a cigar, so they decide to replace him with a far more sellable leading man: the star of their most recent film - the tactfully entitled 'PUMP!' Anthony Sher and Miranda Richardson make an appearance as Adolf Hitler and his fated lover, Eva Braun.