News about Ronald Pickup

This year's literary quiz is just the challenge you're looking for with seven rounds testing your memoirs, anniversaries, books, and TV series. Good luck!

Those who flocked to Shakespeare left Shakespeare at school, claiming that the performances were outdated and unintelligible, will now have to think again. The Bard wasn't cerebral or academic, according to Dame Judi Dench in her latest book, which swirls and dances with humor and mischief - he was saucier than Confessions Of A Window Cleaner. Judi speaks of Falstaff and the History Plays. "All sorts of things were going on in the Boar's Head Tavern's dark corners.' In A Midsummer Night's Dream, Oberon and Titania are so randy. They're all at it for knives; all the fairies should be huming each other throughout.' Antony and Cleopatra 'just carouse and have sex and drink all night.' The sex will unquestionably be even better after a quabble,' according to the author.' Hamlet's mother, Gertrude, "wanted to get back to the bedroom." She's'very much' enjoying being carried along by this regal lady, who has a good deal of rumpy-pumpy' with Claudius, her brother-in-law, and the usurping new Danish king. 'Maybe there were issues with Hamlet's father,' Judi conjectures. 'Maybe he couldn't't, you know, get it up.'