So, you’re on the hunt for podcasts about Shakespeare!
Here’s a list of the top five best Shakespeare podcasts out there.
Sure, there are tons of podcasts about Shakespeare available, but not all of them are as informative or entertaining as the ones listed below.
Regardless of whether you want something funny, insightful, or academic, this list has you covered.
This isn’t just some random list of podcasts, by the way. These are the shows I’ve found most enjoyable and am currently subscribed to.
There are of course many other podcasts about Shakespeare out there, but these are my favorite. They prove the Bard's relevance, and do so in an entertaining fashion.
Now without any further ado, here's a list of the top five best Shakespeare podcasts on the web!
No Holds Bard
Kevin Codardo and Dan Beaulieu host what is arguably the most rambunctious, fun-filled and entertaining of all the Shakespeare podcasts out there!
The hosts are bold enough to claim that No Holds Bard is “the Shakespeare podcast Shakespeare would have listened to.” Honestly, I believe them!
From answering Redditors’ Shakespeare-related homework questions to drafting Shakespeare characters into fantasy sports teams, this show has it all.
While certainly not the most academic of the Shakespeare podcasts out there, the hosts are far from uninformed. Both Kevin and Dan have acted in and/or directed several productions of Shakespeare, so they certainly know what they’re talking about.
If you’re looking for fun ways to incorporate Shakespearean phrases into everyday life, you’ll love their “everyday Shakes” segment. At the end of each episode, Kevin and Dan select a quote from a play, read it in context, and devise clever ways you can use it in conversation.
The best No Holds Bards episodes are definitely the ones in the “So You’re Going to See Shakespeare” category. In these episodes, Dan and Kevin give a rapid-fire plot summary, discuss a prominent theme in the play, analyze a quote, and more.
Not only do you get a great overview of the play in question, but you also have a ton of fun along the way!
If you’re looking for a more serious or academic Shakespeare podcast, go ahead and skip over this one.
However, if you want to be entertained and learn things like which Shakespeare characters make the best hockey players, this is the podcast for you.
The only bad thing that can be said about No Holds Bard is that the last episode released was in July of 2019. Despite this, the back catalog of episodes is still worth diving into.
Dan and Kevin might no longer be on the air, but they’re forever in our hearts.
Chop Bard
Chop Bard labels itself “the cure for boring Shakespeare.” Honestly, nothing could be more accurate!
In my personal opinion, this is the most well-rounded Shakespeare podcast out there.
Experienced actor and former student of the National Shakespeare Conservatory in New York, host Ehren Ziegler takes listeners on a journey as he dissects each play nearly line-by-line.
More impressive, however, is that he always does so in an informative, but never overly-academic, way.
Chop Bard truly shines out as one of the best Shakespeare podcasts. It cuts through the “pretentious highbrow perception, and elitist crap” (Ehren’s words) and reveals how the Bard's work speaks to our common experiences of love, loss, hatred, joy, envy, passion, and more.
Ehren makes the characters come to life in relatable ways, and shows just how relevant Shakespeare’s work is to today’s audience.
When first getting into Chop Bard, the biggest barrier to entry might be the length. For example, there are 16 episodes that cover Romeo and Juliet, and they each range from 20 to 50 minutes long.
I personally was quite intimated by this at first, but I decided to bite the bullet and dive headfirst into the series on Hamlet. In the end, however, there wasn’t actually any bullet to bite - the episodes were so entertaining, they practically listened to themselves!
If you’re looking for an informative, in-depth, and entertaining Shakespeare podcast, I can’t recommend Chop Bard enough. It truly is the cure for boring Shakespeare, and it’s one of the best shows out there.
Shakespeare Unlimited
Produced by the Folger Shakespeare Library, Shakespeare Unlimited is a podcast about uncovering all the areas in which Shakespeare’s influence permeates our culture.
It’s the most academic of the shows on this list, but that doesn’t mean it’s boring. In fact, it never fails to provide entertaining insights!
With episodes like “Shakespeare in a Divided America,” “African Americans and Shakespeare,” and “If Shakespeare Wrote Mean Girls,” Shakespeare Unlimited promises to both entertain and inform.
If you want to discover interesting ways in which Shakespeare’s legacy is still with us, and has shaped our culture more than you might realize, then Shakespeare Unlimited is the podcast for you.
Shakespeare Unlimited is produced by the Folger Shakespeare Library, which proudly holds the title of being the world’s largest Shakespeare collection.
As such, you don’t just listen to one host each episode. Instead, you hear from the best scholars, authors, directors, and actors in the Shakespearean world.
If you want to explore Shakespeare on a deeper academic level, the insight you’ll gain by listening to the Shakespeare Unlimited podcast is priceless.
While Shakespeare Unlimited is certainly one of the most informative Shakespeare podcasts out there, your opinion of it largely depends on what you’re looking for.
Personally, I prefer a show that focuses more on Shakespeare’s plays themselves. That’s why I really can’t get enough of Chop Bard.
However, if you prefer a more academic, zoomed-out take on Shakespeare and his cultural impact, then Shakespeare Unlimited is definitely the podcast for you.
That Shakespeare Life
That Shakespeare Life is hosted by Cassidy Cash, who believes that if you want to understand Shakespeare’s plays, you first need to understand the life of Shakespeare himself.
This podcast focuses entirely on the world of Shakespeare, and gives you a great understanding of modern England as the Bard himself experienced it.
With topics ranging from 16th century marriage customs to rapiers as the Elizabethan equivalent of an everyday carry, this Shakespeare podcast really brings the Bard’s world to life.
One of the best episodes is the one with David Crystal on the original pronunciation of Shakespeare. As a linguist myself, I found this one particularly intriguing, but you don’t have to be a language nerd to appreciate David’s insight.
For an example of OP (original pronunciation) check out the below video of David’s son Ben reciting the “To be or not to be” speech from Hamlet:
One of the best aspects of That Shakespeare Life is that its host is super consistent about publishing content. New episodes come out every Monday, so you'll never run out of things to learn.
Additionally, Cassidy does a great job preparing interesting topics and interviewing experts. She’s a great interviewer and knows which questions are worth asking, which is an often overlooked skill.
If you want to better understand the world in which Shakespeare lived, then this is the Shakespeare podcast for you!
Shakespeare Sundays with Chop Bard
The title says it all. This is Ehren Ziegler’s other podcast, and it’s released each Sunday.
While it originally began as a way to discuss Shakespearean side-notes or topics overlooked in the original episodes, it has since developed and is currently aimed at analyzing one Shakespeare sonnet per week.
Episodes of the earlier variety cover great topics like controversy and the Astor Place riots.
For those who don't know, the Astor Place riots were when people rioted over Shakespeare in Manhattan, injured upwards of 120 people, and killed about 30 others. The riots resulted in the highest amount of civilian casualties due to military action in the US since the Revolutionary War.
Now that's all good and fun, but the reason this podcast makes the list is because it’s currently the best podcast out there for exploring Shakespeare’s sonnets.
Ehren has covered approximately two thirds of the 154 sonnets so far, and he crosses a new one off the list each week!
Given the focus on all his incredible plays, Shakespeare’s sonnets often get overlooked. I’ve learned a lot by listening to this podcast, and definitely recommend it to you if you’re looking to develop a deeper understanding of the sonnets.
Long story short: If you want to explore the sonnets, this is the best Shakespeare podcast about them!
Conclusion:
Here’s a quick breakdown of which podcast is the best for you, depending on what you’re looking for.
- Want fun-filled entertainment? Listen to No Holds Bard
- Want to explore the plays line-by line? Listen to Chop Bard
- Want an academic overview on how Shakespeare permeates our culture? Listen to Shakespeare Unlimited
- Want an in-depth exploration of the world in which Shakespeare lived? Listen to This Shakespeare Life
- Want to explore the Shakespeare's sonnets? Listen to Shakespeare Sundays with Chop Bard
Still can’t choose and need me to pick for you?
Start with Chop Bard. Click here and then glance at the side-bar on the right to choose which play you want to start with.
If you want to dive even deeper into Shakespeare, I wrote a book called The Bard and the Bees: What Shakespeare taught me about sex, evil, and life in our modern world.
You can download it for free right now, just click here to do so!
In the meantime, I hope you find this top five list helpful. Happy listening, and may the Bard be with you.
-Evan