When England's aging King Lear renounces his throne to divide his kingdom among his three daughters, treachery, madness and murder soon follow. After banishing Cordelia, his most loyal daughter, Lear is betrayed and cast out by her elder sisters Regan and Goneril. Meanwhile, evil brews at the Gloucester castle as Edgar falls victim to his brother's deception. As battle lines are drawn and backs are stabbed, Lear rages against a fearsome storm. Can...

Produced by Granada Television in their Manchester studios for transmission by the then fledgling Channel Four, this video production of King Lear is the timeless tale of avarice and lust for power in which a foolish king descends into madness after he divides his vast kingdom between two of his three daughters based on their flattery of him, unleashing a conspiracy of greed and cruelty and bringing tragic consequences for all.