On a hot summer afternoon, the King's Men in Southwark are performing William Shakespeare and John Fletcher's The Famous History Of The Life Of Henry VIII. On that scorching day in June, the jewel of London's playhouses, The Globe, burned down.

So much we know through eye witness accounts, but many questions still remain unanswered. Are the rumours of royal involvement to be credited? Did the Burbages really do well out of the fire? What is the connection between these events and the end of the career of England's most illustrious playwright? And where do a clown's trousers fit into all this?