Richard III Play 'Most Realistic To Date'

A new production of Richard III at the Nottingham Playhouse could be the most realistic portrayal to date of the life and death of the 15th Century King.

The character's physical appearance has been based on information gleaned from Richard III's skeleton, which was found under a car park in Leicester earlier this year.

Actor Ian Bartholomew told Sky News: "The physical aspect of how we now know he looked - I'm probably much closer to that than other productions of it have been.

"What I wanted to do was make it as close as I could to what possibly could have been wrong with him or what his disability was."

The Machiavellian hunchback is still one of the most controversial monarchs in Britain's history and Richard's remains clearly show he suffered from scoliosis and would have had a curved spine.

But the withered hand and severe limp described by William Shakespeare seems to be fictitious - there is no evidence from the skeleton that one arm or leg was weaker than the other.

Professor Lin Foxhall is an archaeologist and historian from the University of Leicester who, for a while, had Richard III's skeleton lying in her office.

She said: "It's been really interesting to watch our work become an influence on a dramatic production of Richard III.

"Richard is now more of a real person than he ever was before and this is where the impact of our work is very great indeed."

Scientists have also learnt more about the King's death at the Battle of Bosworth Field in 1485, at the hands of Henry VII.

In what appears to be a shallow grave, the skeleton was found in a position to suggest the hands had been tied.

The bones had been damaged in such a way to suggest the King was inflicted with multiple 'humiliation wounds' at the time shortly before or after his death.

He received eight blows to the head, two of which left holes in the skull.

Loveday Ingram - who has directed the production at the Nottingham Playhouse - says that is different from Shakespeare's version of events: "The stage directions basically say that Richard and Richmond 'fight' and Richard is 'slain'.

"What I have tried to do is include real evidence.

"Undoubtedly it heightens the drama. It's quite shocking because what we're seeing is real. It's how he was killed."

The character has been played on stage by some of the most famous and accomplished actors in the world, including Kevin Spacey and Kenneth Branagh.