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The BBC adaptation of Shakespeare has been highly praised(Image: BBC)

A BBC costume drama boasting an impressive A-list ensemble is currently streaming on Prime Video and makes for the ideal binge-watch this weekend. The Hollow Crown first graced television screens in 2012 and ran for two series. The period drama served as an adaptation of William Shakespeare’s historical plays Richard II; Henry IV, Part 1; Henry IV, Part 2; Henry V, Henry VI, Part 1; Henry VI, Part 2; and Richard III.

The Hollow Crown charted the lives and turbulent reigns of various monarchs amidst power struggles and political scheming on par with an episode of Game of Thrones. Unsurprisingly, Game of Thrones’ American author George R.R. Martin drew inspiration from turbulent English history while writing his epic A Song of Ice and Fire novels, which are set in a medieval, feudal society.

The second series was titled The Hollow Crown: The Wars of the Roses and centred on the English civil wars, which took place between 1455 and 1487. Known as the War of the Roses, the series of conflicts saw the House of York and the House of Lancaster battle for the English throne, reports the Express.

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The Hollow Crown has been praised for making Shakespeare accessible(Image: BBC)

Each episode featured the very finest of British acting talent, including Ben Whishaw, Patrick Stewart, Jeremy Irons, Tom Hiddleston, Michelle Dockery, Julie Walters, Sophie Okonedo, and Judi Dench. Further casting includes Keeley Hawes, Anton Lesser, Tom Sturridge, Benedict Cumberbatch, James Fleet, Hugh Bonneville, Lindsay Duncan, and Rory Kinnear, among many others.

The Hollow Crown currently holds a 98 percent fresh rating, while fellow period drama favourite Downton Abbey has a 92 percent rating, with the Shakespeare adaptation trumping the Julian Fellowes ITV juggernaut. Many viewers have heaped praise on the show online, with one person posting on Amazon in their five-star review: “Shakespeare for the 21st Century: a triumph and a masterpiece.”

Concluding: “Overall: fabulous, brilliant, a feast for the eye, the ear and the mind.” A second person wrote in their top-rated review: “Highly Recommended Shakespearean Set – Essential viewing!” A third audience member said: “Watching this series was my first experience of Shakespere [sic]. I had to concentrate at the beginning because of the old English but soon got used to it & then found it riveting.”

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The Hollow Crown features Britain’s top acting talent(Image: BBC)

Elsewhere, on IMDb, further viewers praised The Hollow Crown for making the Bard’s work more accessible to audiences.

One enthusiastic viewer wrote in their 10/10 review: “To watch it, performed by actors who really know and understand Shakespeare, and can convey that in their work, is to enter a world of majesty, of subtle innuendo, of humour and of total understanding of the work of the Shakespeare who used his gift to allow ‘the common man’ to discuss and understand the goings-on and political machinations of his age.”

Yet another fan of The Hollow Crown waxed lyrical: “They have pulled off what many have tried and failed to do: make good cinema out of the plays.

“The necessary realism is there, without detracting in any way from the source material.”