Introduction

Greg Jenner is the historian behind TV's Horrible Histories and BBC podcast You're Dead to Me. Today we are journeying back to 16th century England to explore the life of one of the greatest ever writers, William Shakespeare. Like you, William also lived through a pandemic, the plague in his case, which tragically killed his 11-year-old son Hamnet. But this extraordinary writer came from a surprisingly ordinary background. His family wasn't poor, but they certainly weren't rich either. Dad John worked a few different jobs as a glovemaker, a trader of leather and wool and even a beer taster.