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Secrets of the Dead

Picturing Shakespeare

Season 23 Episode 2

There are only two accepted representations of William Shakespeare that are considered “official” – but could a portrait that has been hanging over a family’s mantelpiece for the last 50 years be the third? British window washer Steven Wadlow, whose father bought the portrait in the 1960s, is on the hunt to prove the painting is indeed genuine. If so, it could be worth as much as $200 million.

Aired: 09/29/25
SECRETS OF THE DEAD is made possible, in part, by public television viewers.
Extras
Watch • 0:20
The American Revolution
'We Would Not Have Had a Country Without Him'
Historian Annette Gordon-Reed. The American Revolution premieres November 16.
Preview: 0:20
Watch • 3:37
The American Revolution
Inside Look | People Just Like Us
The filmmakers on how understanding the people of the Revolution can help us understand who we are.
Clip: 3:37
Watch • 10:33
The American Revolution
Inside Look | Voices of the Revolution
Filmmakers discuss how they used stories of both well-known and lesser known figures.
Clip: 10:33
Watch • 3:57
The American Revolution
Inside Look | Finding Facts
The filmmakers discuss how the story of The American Revolution came together.
Clip: 3:57
Watch • 6:29
The American Revolution
Inside Look | Making the Revolution
The filmmakers discuss how they crafted imagery to help tell the story of the American Revolution.
Clip: 6:29
Watch • 6:18
The American Revolution
Inside Look | Our Origin Story
Ken Burns, Sarah Botstein, and David Schmidt on the challenges of telling America's origin story.
Clip: 6:18
The American Revolution
Inside Look: Making The American Revolution
Step behind the scenes of Ken Burns’s new film to see how The American Revolution came to life.
Special:
Watch • 5:13
The American Revolution
Inside Look | Sounds of the Revolution
The filmmakers on how they tapped a broad range of influences to recreate the music of the era.
Clip: 5:13
Watch • 2:20
The American Revolution
Official Trailer | The Revolution that Changed the World
THE AMERICAN REVOLUTION, a new six-part, 12-hour documentary from Ken Burns.
Preview: 2:20
Watch • 0:43
The American Revolution
The First Shot
A single shot echoes on Lexington Green, and the American Revolution begins.
Clip: 0:43
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