Double Oscar winner Glenda Jackson remembers the role that brought her back to television after the huge success she had found on the big screen – Queen Elizabeth I in the BBC's acclaimed six-part 1971 series Elizabeth R.

Here Glenda recalls how she came to have huge admiration for the real-life Elizabeth, discovering so much more about her life and loves as she prepared to take on the role. She also describes the challenges faced when making an epic drama, and the struggles with costumes, make-up and wigs that eventually saw her having her own head shaved for the sake of ease and accuracy.