The scripts for each episode were written by Leon Garfield, who produced heavily truncated versions of each play.

The second-season episode "The Winter's Tale" also won the "Outstanding Individual Achievement in Animation" at the 1996 Emmys.

[1] In the United States, the series aired on HBO and featured live-action introductions by Robin Williams.

"[3] Grace was also very keen to avoid creating anything Disney-esque; "Disney has conditioned a mass audience to expect sentimentality; big, gooey-eyed creatures with long lashes, and winsome, simpering female characters.

"[3] Garfield compared the task of trying to rewrite the plays as half-hour pieces akin to "painting the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel on a postage stamp.

This didn't make him especially popular with some of the directors, but his role was an essential one if the series was to be completed on time and under budget.

"[3] There was considerable media publicity prior to the initial broadcast of the first season, with the then Prince Charles commenting "I welcome this pioneering project which will bring Shakespeare's great wisdom, insight and all-encompassing view of mankind to many millions from all parts of the globe, who have never been in his company before.

[12] A major part of the project was the educational aspect of the series, especially the notion of introducing children to Shakespeare for the first time.

The printed scripts were slightly longer than Garfield's final filmed versions but remained heavily truncated.

[15] In 2000, Christopher Grace launched the Shakespeare Schools Festival (SSF) using Leon Garfield's twelve abridged scripts.

The festival takes place annually, with hundreds of school children performing half-hour shows in professional theatres across the UK.