8. Stratford-upon-Avon: Shakespeare & Hathaway TV Sites Tour
Step into the world of Shakespeare and Hathaway on our 2 hour walking tour of Stratford-upon-Avon.
The hit BBC daytime crime drama Shakespeare and Hathaway: Private Investigators is set and filmed in Shakespeare’s home town and pays tribute to the great writer’s plays. The show includes quotes and character names from Shakespeare’s plays and some episodes are loosely inspired by Shakespearian plots from The Taming of the Shrew, Romeo and Juliet and Hamlet, among others. All the while interweaving a modern day mystery for Luella Shakespeare, Frank Hathaway and Sebastian to investigate.
During your walking tour, your local guide will entertain you with anecdotes from the show as you are guided through this beautiful market town. As you go along you’ll see visuals from the series, showing you were some of the funniest, most touching and memorable moments from all four series were filmed. These include the pedal boat chase scene; where Sebastian helps Gloria scatter her dog’s ashes and the tour group that discovers the severed hand.
The tour starts near to Shakespeare’s Birthplace, just a short walk from Stratford-upon-Avon railway station. You’ll jump straight into your first locations where Luella and Frank find a client with amnesia, Lu uses her charm to help solve a case and Sebastian bumps into the imposters who posed as Lu and Frank.
As you meander through Stratford-upon-Avon you’ll pass Tudor style houses, shops and cafes which form the backdrop to the show, including the cobbled street used as the exterior to Gloria’s costume shop and Sebastian’s flat.
Part of the tour also includes a short stroll along the River Avon where you’ll pass by the boat club as seen in the finale of series 1 and you’ll see the spot where Frank Hathaway was arrested on suspicion of murder!
The tour stops by several of Stratford-upon-Avon’s top attractions, including the UK’s largest Butterfly Farm, Tudor World, the Stratford Big Wheel, and, of course, the Royal Shakespeare Theatre, whose cast members often feature as guest stars in the TV series. In addition to seeing the Royal Shakespeare Theatre, you’ll also stop outside The Other Place, Stratford’s other theatre, where Sebastian got to play Hamlet and Lu and Frank had to save the star of Juliet and Romeo. During the tour there’ll be plenty of photo opportunities with historic buildings, by beautiful scenery and with famous statues including the Jester and of course William Shakespeare. Beware of gangsters for the final leg of the tour as you look for locations featured in the episode ‘The Cursed Hand.’ The tour finishes by Holy Trinity Church, where William Shakespeare was baptised, married and buried. You’ll be guided around the tranquil churchyard and see locations from several episodes, including when Frank’s paid £5K to go on a hike; Lu chases a pensioner in an electric wheelchair and Sebastian poses for selfies as William Shakespeare’s ghost.