Richard III & Shakespeare Talk

Richard III has become Shakespeare’s ultimate villain. His audience is challenged to despise him even as we laugh along with his jokes. How did a medieval king become the accidental villain of the Bard’s masterpiece? Does the historical Richard bear any resemblance to Shakespeare’s monster? Or has he become the accidental villain in a very different story? Matt Lewis will endeavour to separate fact from fiction to offer a glimpse of the real King Richard III.

Matt Lewis is an author and historian. He has written several non-fiction biographies, including one about Richard III and another about his father, Richard, Duke of York. Matt works at History Hit, hosting the Echoes of History podcast, and co-hosting the Gone Medieval podcast, as well as presenting and contributing to documentaries.

This historical talk will be held on Saturday 9th May 2026 from 4.30pm to 5.30 pm with a Q&A session afterwards. Please arrive at 4pm. Visitors are more than welcome to stay after the talk and Q&A session to have a look around the Ancient High House whilst we are closed to the public and at a time the building is not normally open, until 6.30pm.

We will also have a small display of arms and armour replicas from the era to have a look at. Light refreshments are included in the booking price (tea and coffee). Books authored by Matt Lewis will be available to be purchased from the shop. Seats will not be allocated/numbered on time of booking.

Please be aware that this talk is held on the first floor of the Ancient High House in our ‘Civil War Room’. This is quite a tight space. There are steps to enter into the building and then 17 more wide steps with a handrail between each floor. For toilets, the womens is on the first floor and the mens is on the second. Historic Stafford staff are always present to assist you if required. Please contact us if you have accessibility questions.

If you enjoy the topic of this talk, why not book on to see Shakespeare’s portrayal of Richard III at this years Gatehouse production! Follow the link below for more information on this:

RICHARD III