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Published by Koel Chatterjee
This is a podcast about Shakespeare and popular culture where I delve into some serious topics such as identity and postcolonialism, as well as talk about Shakespereana and more 'frivolous' aspects of my life as a Shakespeare Geek. If you're looking for a community of like-minded Shakespeare Geeks join us at shakespop.co.uk on Insta and FB, on @UKShakespop on X, or on @drkoelchatterjee on Tiktok.
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Juliet never existed. And yet, in Verona, she has a house, a balcony, a tomb, a statue — and even a postal address. In this month’s first episode, I go to Verona to explore the extraordinary afterlife of Shakespeare’s most famous heroine, and to ask how a fictional character became so firmly embedded in the physical fabric of a real city. We follow Juliet’s journey from the Italian stories that preceded Shakespeare through centuries of literary tourism, theatrical performance, art, cinema and heritage-making. Along the way, we visit Juliet’s supposed tomb, encounter nineteenth-century travellers searching for traces of Shakespeare’s lovers, and discover how the balcony we now think of as inseparable from Romeo and Juliet became part of the story. We also meet Antonio Avena, whose twentieth-century transformation of Casa di Giulietta helped turn Shakespeare’s imagined Verona into architecture visitors could actually enter. But Juliet’s afterlife doesn’t stop with houses, tombs and balconies. Every year, people from around the world write letters to Juliet about love, heartbreak, loneliness and hope — and in Verona, the Secretaries of Juliet write back. So when does a fictional character begin to feel real? And what happens when readers love a story so much that the real world starts reshaping itself around it? In this episode: • The stories of Romeo and Juliet before Shakespeare • Dante, the Montecchi and Cappelletti, and Verona’s medieval past • The curious history of Juliet’s tomb and literary pilgrimage • Why Shakespeare’s famous “balcony scene” didn’t originally require a balcony • Antonio Avena and the reinvention of Casa di Giulietta • Verona’s wells, legends and other stories of tragic lovers • The Juliet Club and the Secretaries who answer letters addressed to Juliet • Why Juliet — rather than Romeo — became the emotional centre of Verona’s Shakespearean identity • Tourism, souvenirs, pilgrimage and our desire to make fictional worlds tangible Because perhaps Verona didn’t simply turn Juliet into a tourist attraction. Perhaps generations of readers, travellers, artists, actors, filmmakers and visitors collectively helped to bring her into being. Readers asked for Juliet. Verona answered.
What do Taylor Swift and William Shakespeare have in common? In this interview episode of The Shakespop Podcast , I sit down with Shakespeare scholar and author Dr Elly McCausland to explore the surprising connections between one of the world's most influential playwrights and one of today's most discussed songwriters. Together we discuss adaptation, close reading, literary fandom, and the enduring afterlives of characters like Juliet , Ophelia and Lady Macbeth . Rather than asking whether Taylor Swift simply "references" Shakespeare, we explore how both artists continue to shape the way we tell stories, create meaning and build communities around literature. Whether you're a Shakespeare enthusiast, a Swiftie , or simply curious about why these cultural worlds keep colliding, this conversation offers fresh perspectives on literature, popular culture and the power of interpretation. Guest Dr Elly McCausland is a scholar of Shakespeare, adaptation and popular culture, and the author of Swifterature: A Love Story: English Literature and Taylor Swift , Meet Me in the Afterglow , Stars Around My Scars , and Bake It Off . She is also the creator of Literature (Taylor's Version) , which explores the rich conversations between literature and Taylor Swift's songwriting. If you enjoyed this episode, please follow The Shakespop Podcast , leave a rating, and share it with a fellow Shakespeare lover—or a Swiftie.
What do Swifties and Shakespeare audiences have in common? In this month's anchor episode, I explore how Taylor Swift fans decode lyrics, Easter eggs, and hidden meanings, and what that can teach us about the ways audiences have engaged with Shakespeare for over four centuries. From Samuel Pepys' theatre diaries to TikTok theories, this episode examines fandom, interpretation, and the pleasure of searching for clues. Featuring discussion of Taylor Swift, Romeo and Juliet , Shakespeare's Sonnets, fan culture, and the Shakespeare multiverse. 🎧 Bonus content: Members of the Secret Shakespeare Society can unlock The Shakespeare Society Soundtrack , a curated Spotify playlist exploring Shakespeare's afterlives across popular music. I'd love to hear from you: What Taylor Swift lyric feels most Shakespearean—and why?
In this episode of The Shakespop Podcast , I’m joined by theatre maker, writer, and director Samir Bhamra to discuss adapting Shakespeare through the lens of British Asian identity, language, music, and performance. We explore the creative and political possibilities of reimagining Shakespeare for contemporary multicultural Britain, from questions of audience and belonging to the legacy of British Asian theatre and the pressures of representation. Samir reflects on his career adapting Shakespeare across stage and musical forms, the role of humour and hybridity in his work, and what it means to inherit — and transform — Shakespeare today. The conversation also marks ten years since Indian Shakespeare Cinemas on Screen at the BFI Southbank, the landmark event co-created with Varsha Panjwani, Preti Taneja, and Thea Buckley — a reminder of how conversations around global and British Asian Shakespeare continue to evolve across theatre, film, and popular culture. If you enjoyed this episode, please consider subscribing, leaving a rating or review, and sharing the podcast with fellow Shakespeare fans, theatre lovers, and adaptation enthusiasts. Follow the wider Shakespop project for essays, bonus content, and behind-the-scenes material via the Secret Shakespeare Society on Substack.
Short clip from Epsiode 18: Interview with British Asian Theatremaker Samir Bhamra
Who owns Shakespeare—and who gets to speak him without explanation? In this episode of The Shakespop Podcast , Dr Koel Chatterjee marks the 10-year anniversary of the 2016 “Indian Shakespeares on Screen” event at BFI Southbank and Asia House, co-organised with Varsha Panjwani, Thea Buckley, and Preti Taneja. Reflecting on that moment a decade later, this episode traces a major shift in Shakespeare studies—from introduction to authority , from translation to assertion . Moving beyond ideas of “adaptation” or “representation,” the episode explores British Asian Shakespeare as a site of cultural negotiation , where questions of legitimacy, performance, and ownership are actively contested. Follow & Connect Instagram | TikTok | Substack: @Shakespop ⭐ If you enjoyed this episode, follow, rate, and review—it helps others find the show Listen Next 🎭 Interview with Sameer Bhamra — British Asian theatre in practice📖 Shakesfic : Deep dive into We That Are Young
What happens when Shakespeare becomes the framework for telling a true crime story? In this episode of The Shakespop Podcast , I’m joined by journalist and podcaster Jennifer Miller to discuss her limited series Blood Will Tell — a case centred on identical twins, contested identity, and the unsettling question of who gets believed. From episode titles like “Fortune’s Fool” and “Readiness Is All,” Miller’s series doesn’t just reference Shakespeare — it uses him as a narrative blueprint. Together, we explore how Shakespearean tragedy continues to shape the way we understand crime, from ideas of fate and motive to performance, doubling, and moral ambiguity. Drawing on concepts from narrative criminology, this episode asks: Do we interpret crime through evidence — or through story?
What does Shakespeare have to do with true crime? In this episode, we explore how Romeo and Juliet , Othello , and Macbeth continue to shape the way we understand real-world violence — from “star-crossed lovers” to “crimes of passion” and the enduring myth of Lady Macbeth. Drawing on narrative criminology, this episode examines how Shakespeare provides a cultural script for jealousy, ambition, and murder — one that still appears in media headlines, courtrooms, and public imagination. Part of the Shakespeare & True Crime series this March on Shakespop .
Was Shakespeare an original genius—or an expert remixer? In this episode of The Shakespop Podcast, I’m joined by Darren Freebury-Jones to talk about his book Shakespeare’s Borrowed Feathers, which challenges the myth of Shakespeare as a solitary, self-generating author. Instead, we explore Shakespeare as a writer shaped by influence, imitation, and creative borrowing—working inside a competitive early modern literary marketplace. Drawing on attribution studies, close reading, and literary history, Darren shows how Shakespeare absorbed and transformed the language of his contemporaries, particularly Marlowe, in ways that feel strikingly modern. This conversation reframes Shakespeare not as an untouchable monument, but as part of a shared cultural ecosystem—closer to sampling, remix culture, and collaborative authorship than we might expect. We also talk about why the lone-genius myth persists, what we lose by clinging to it, and how letting it go opens up new, more inclusive ways of thinking about authorship, creativity, and popular culture—then and now.
Was Shakespeare the solitary genius he is frequently portrayed to be, or is he more of a showrunner working within a collaborative Early Modern theatre making space? Find out by listening to Episode 13: The Collaborative Bard: Stylometry, Scripts, and Shakespeare.
We love to imagine Shakespeare as a solitary genius: candlelit desk, quill in hand, inventing English literature by himself. The reality is far messier — and far more interesting. In this episode of Shakespop , I explore Shakespeare as a collaborative professional working inside a fast-moving, commercial theatre industry. From co-writing with Christopher Marlowe, to rescuing unfinished scripts, to handing over the reins to John Fletcher, Shakespeare’s plays were shaped by many hands — during his lifetime and long after his death. This episode looks at how early modern playwriting actually worked, why collaboration was the norm, and how modern tools like stylometry allow us to see Shakespeare’s writing partnerships more clearly than ever before. If you enjoyed this episode, please subscribe, rate, and share Shakespop . You can also follow along on Substack for essays, reading lists, and behind-the-scenes notes from each episode.
Love's Labours Lost is often treated like a problem child in the Shakespeare canon. It's a comedy with no marriages, a romance that refuses to resolve, and a play so obsessed with language tha the words themselves often become the main event. This play is performed far less frequently than Shakespeare's more familiar comedies, and it's even rarer to see it adapted into other forms. This makes it a fascinating test case for Shakesfic. What does it mean to adapt a play that Shakespeare fandom itself seems hesitant to touch? In today's episode, I'm joined by Elizabeth Wright, whose PhD explores adapting Love's Labours Lost into a novel. We talk about why this play has such a reputation for being 'unadaptable', where adapters feel the strongest urge to intervene, and whether refusing to resolve the story might be the boldest - and most faithful - choice of all.
What happens when the emotional intensity of fandom meets the authority of academia? In this episode, I explore the often-unspoken tension - and surprising overlap - between Shakespeare fandom and Shakespeare Studies . From lecture theatres to A03, footnotes to fanfic, this episode asks: who is allowed to interpret Shakespeare, and on what terms? We unpack how fandom spaces and academic spaces don't just coexist - they respond to each other, borrowing language, practices, and power structures in ways that shape how Shakespeare is read, taught, and reimagined today.
This episode delves into the remarkable creative collision between William Shakespeare, the titan of Western literature, and Osamu Tezuka, the founding "god" of Japanese manga. We explore how Tezuka used the dynamic, accessible medium of manga to not only adapt the Bard's tragedies and comedies but also to critique the moral and political contradictions of post-war Japan.The Shakespeare Manga Theater anthology, spanning nearly 25 years (1959–1982) of Tezuka’s career, demonstrates a fascinating evolution in adaptation—moving from relatively faithful narrative transposition to radical thematic appropriation. CFP: Shakespeare: Remembered Futures, Imagined Pasts. Shakespeare in Comics and Manga The idea for the issue of Multicultural Shakespeare devoted to Shakespeare comics and manga originated during discussions which took place during European Shakespeare Research Association conference in Porto in July 2025. We are looking for articles that will focus on reclaiming the past of comics and manga adaptations, their beginnings and roots, to acknowledge their present existence but also predict their future. We are particularly looking for articles about comics and manga Shakespeare adaptations and comics creators which have hardly been discussed before.Prof. Ronan Paterson ronanpaterson@googlemail.comDr Anna Wołosz-Sosnowska, anna.wolosz.sosnowska@filologia.uni.lodz.pl
We all think we know William Shakespeare. He’s the foundation of the English-speaking canon, the genius whose words define tragedy, romance, and history. But what happens when you take the definitive highbrow text—the soliloquy, the iambic pentameter, the Elizabethan stage—and smash it headlong into a medium traditionally dismissed as juvenile: the comic book, or the graphic novel if you’re a grown up. In this episode, Koel will attempt to unpack this cultural collision by exploring three fundamental themes that define Shakespearean graphic narratives: First, Formal Translation, the challenge of turning language into pure visual rhetoric. Second, Cultural Interrogation, how comics force an ethical reckoning with historical prejudice. And third, Mythological Expansion, where Shakespeare’s characters literally escape their fate and turn the Bard himself into a character.
This 6 Minute Shakespeare Episode introduced by Koel Chatterjee discusses the main themes in Shakespeare Graphic Novels and the difficulty of translating Shakespeare's words into visuals using techniques unique to the art form.
Today we're discussing the Changeling in Medieval folklore and how Shakespeare uses and changes the 'fear of others' trope in Midsummer Night's Dream.Scripted by Koel Chatterjee
In this six minute (or less) episode we discuss why Shakespeare biofiction is quite a popular genre within the speculative fiction genre. Scripted by Koel Chatterjee
In this episode I speak to John Snodgrass and his work on Shakespeare's use of fairytales and the Fae people beloved to the English people in Shakespeare's time. John's work invites us to read Shakespeare not just as literature, but as living ritual—where fairies, witches, and queens aren’t just characters, but cultural echoes of something deeper and older. It’s a reminder that storytelling is never just entertainment; it’s how we make meaning, challenge power, and remember who we are. For more on John Snodgrass' work visit https://www.j-snodgrass.com/about. For more on my academic work visit https://anglistyka.academia.edu/KoelChatterjee and for my less academic work visit youtube.com/Shakespop and @shakespop.co.uk on Tiktok
This episode places Shakespeare biofiction in fantasy fiction and explores Shakespeare the protagonist in Neil Gaiman's Sandman comics and Sarah A. Hoyt's Ill Met by Moonlight through the lens Annalisa Castaldo’s argument in Fictional Shakespeares and Portraits of Genius where she invites us to think of genius not as intellect or eccentricity, but as a guiding spirit.
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Observed September 13, 2026. Cached outside the daily freshness window; the positions keep the date they were taken on.
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