Professor Smith is a Fellow of Hertford College, University of Oxford and a Governor of The Royal Shakespeare Company. She says: ‘We’ve always found the Shakespeare we need at particular moments: the national hero, the political machiavel, the poet of love. This talk discusses Shakespeare’s adaptability to different times and suggests that the plays we need now are comedies, drawing especially on Twelfth Night. I don’t suggest comedies are light and frivolous – far from it – but I do contend that they have practical comforts in an age of anxiety.’

The Friends of Shakespeare’s Church are delighted that she accepted an invitation to give this year’s lecture, following in the footsteps of Michael Wood, Martin Bell, Douglas Hurd, Rowan Williams and other distinguished speakers.