Updated February 24, 2026

More Shakespeare Histories streaming on YouTube here

The Henriad (Richard II ; Henry IV, parts 1 and 2 ; and Henry V):

Michael Hayes’s 1960 An Age of Kings (BBC) with Sean Connery (Hotspur) and Judi Dench (Katherine) is on YouTube. Orson Welles’s 1967 Chimes at Midnight, with Welles (Falstaff), Keith Baxter (Prince Hal) and John Gielgud (Henry IV) is on Amazon ($) etc. David Giles’s BBC version is no longer on Britbox (Richard II (1978) with Derek Jacobi (Richard II) and John Gielgud (John of Gaunt); Henry IV, part 1 (1979) with David Gwillim (Prince Hal); Henry IV, part 2 (1979); Henry V (1979)). The Hollow Crown, season 1 (BBC, 2013) with Jeremy Irons (Henry IV), Patrick Stewart (John of Gaunt) and David Suchet (Duke of York) is on Amazon ($). Gregory Doran’s 2013-2014 RSC version is on Marquee ($): Richard II ; Henry IV, part 1 ; Henry IV, part 2 ;  Henry V.

Deborah Warner’s 1997 National Theatre Richard II with Fiona Shaw is on Amazon ($). Simon Godwin’s 2015 Richard II with Charles Edwards is on GlobePlayer ($).

John Caird’s 1991 BBC Henry IV is on Amazon ($). Phyllida Lloyd’s 2014 Donmar Henry IV with Harriet Walter is on Digital Theatre ($). Dominic Dromgoole’s 2010 Henry IV with Roger Allam is on Globe Player (Part 1 and Part II, $).

Laurence Olivier’s 1944 version of Henry V is on YouTube. Kenneth Branagh’s 1989 Henry V is on YouTube and Pluto etc. Peter Babakitis’s 2010 Henry V is on Tubi.

The second historical tetralogy (Henry VI parts 1,2,3, and Richard III):

Michael Hayes’s 1960 An Age of Kings (BBC) with Paul Daneman is on YouTube. John Barton and Peter Hall’s 1965 BBC/RSC The Wars of the Roses is on YouTube. Jane Howell’s 1983 BBC version is no longer on Britbox  (Henry VI Part 1 ; Henry VI Part 2 ; Henry VI Part 3; Richard III). The Hollow Crown, season 2: The Wars of the Roses (2016), with Anton Lesser (Exeter) and Benedict Cumberbatch (Richard III) is on Amazon ($).

Laurence Olivier’s 1956 Richard III with Olivier is on Amazon ($) etc. Richard Loncraine’s 1995 Richard III with Ian McKellen and Annette Bening (Elizabeth) is on Fandango ($) etc. Gregory Doran’s 2022 Richard III is on Digital Theatre ($).

Others:

King John: David Giles’s 1984 BBC version with Leonard Rossiter (King John) is no longer on Britbox. Barry Avrich’s 2015 Stratford/CBC version with Tom McCamus (King John) is on Amazon ($). Eleanor Rhode’s 2020 RSC version with Rosie Sheehy (King John) is on Marquee and Digital Theatre ($).

Henry VIII: Kevin Billington’s 1979 BBC version with John Stride (Henry VIII) is no longer on Britbox ($). Barry Avrich’s 2022 Stratford production is on Amazon ($).