After a carnival troupe saves his life, a man agrees to help its immortal leader collect five souls and win a bet with the devil.

Young William Shakespeare is forced to stage his latest comedy, 'Romeo and Ethel, the Pirate's Daughter', before it's even written. When lovely noblewoman Viola de Lesseps auditions for a role, they fall into forbidden love — and Shakespeare's play finds a new life (and title). As their relationship intensifies, the comedy soon transforms into tragedy.

Paul Whitehouse stars in Nurse, a poignant character comedy drama for BBC Two. Whitehouse plays eight different characters whose lives are connected by Liz, an overstretched Community Mental Health Nurse played by Esther Coles.