BBC plans 2012 Shakespeare season

David Tennant reprised his role as Hamlet for BBC Two

William Shakespeare's life and works will examined as part of a BBC season, scheduled to take place in 2012.

It will feature four interpretations of the writer's most acclaimed plays and documentaries about his life.

The commission follows the success of BBC Two's Hamlet adaptation, starring David Tennant.

Announcing the season at the BBC's Vision Forum, the BBC's Jana Bennett said she hoped the season would be "culturally important and rewarding".

"The BBC will be celebrating Shakespeare's work and living legacy as part of 2012, one of the biggest cultural festivals the UK has ever staged," she added.

The announcement was made at the BBC's Vision Forum, where all aspects of television and multiplatform programming are being debated as part of the two-day event.

Head of BBC knowledge commissioning, Emma Swain said: "In a season of films, both drama and factual, we will explore the politics of Shakespeare, the context in which he was writing and the pure pleasure to be had from really understanding his characters and his use of language.

"Our ambition is to make the season thought-provoking, stimulating and rewarding for a broad audience on channels and online."

During 2012, the year the Olympics take place in London, BBC One will also broadcast a landmark series about the city, described as "a people's history".