Michael Parkinson is joined by actor Simon Russell Beale, who reflects on his schooldays, recalls his first portrayal of Shakespeare's King Lear when he was 17, talks about his reaction to a Malvern journalist's unflattering review of his performance in Hamlet, and discusses his working relationship with Mendes. Following the interview, Beale gives a masterclass in acting as he directs four drama students through soliloquies from Hamlet and Othello and a scene from Chekhov's The Cherry Orchard.