Winning wide acclaim both for its performances and for being shot entirely at Helsingør (Elsinore in English), in the castle in which the play is set.
[2] The Canadian actor Christopher Plummer took the lead role as Hamlet and earned an Emmy Award nomination for his performance.
Also appearing were Robert Shaw as Claudius, Alec Clunes as Polonius, June Tobin as Gertrude, Jo Maxwell-Muller as Ophelia and Michael Caine, in his only Shakespearean performance, as Horatio.
The full play was shown in the UK on BBC Four on 5 November 2023 along with a 15 minute programme with Berkoff relating his experiences working on the production.
The producer, Peter Luke, deliberately cast lesser-known actors as it was felt using major stars would prove a distraction.