John Oldcastle John Oldcastle Sir John Oldcastle (died 14 December 1417) was an English Lollard leader. Being a friend of Henry V, he long escaped prosecution for heresy. When convicted, he escaped from the Tower of London and then led a rebellion against the King. Eventually, he was captured and executed in London. He formed the basis for William Shakespeare's character John Falstaff, who was originally called John Oldcastle. Oldcastle's date of birth is unknown, although dubious and possibly apocryphal sources place it variously at 1360 or 1378. His father was Richard Oldcastle of Almeley in northwest Herefordshire. His grandfather, also called
BBC Television Shakespeare Aufidius in front of a large crowd who urge Aufidius to kill him. However, in shooting the scene, Moshinsky changed it so that it takes place in front of a few silent senators, and there is no real fight as such. The "Prefaces to Shakespeare" episode for "The Tragedy of Coriolanus" was presented by Ian Hogg who had played Coriolanus in a 1972 RSC production directed by Trevor Nunn. The "Shakespeare in Perspective" episode was presented by General Sir John Hackett. Cast For this production, director David Giles chose to go with a semi-stylised setting, which he referred to as