"My friend Sally McLean came to me with an idea called Shakespeare Republic - where an ensemble of actors would re-do Shakespeare’s monologues in a modern context. This is for a young audience to look at the monologues and go ‘I get that, I see how that’s relevant’. We’ve been working on the project for some time and it’s just launched. The first video is my version of a speech from Macbeth, which I’ve placed in the context of modern day politics."

"Shakespeare is one writer who, in almost every single one of his plays, has universal themes that all apply today. You’ve just got to help people with the language and there you have it - you’ve got a modern play."

To check out more Shakespeare Republic head to http://shakespearerepublic.com/.