When the late Sam Wanamaker's dream of reconstructing the Elizabethan Globe theatre on the banks of the Thames was no more than a muddy building site, Dame Judi Dench manned a digger to launch the building work.

Now 12 years later with the theatre a huge success, the Oscar-winning Shakespeare In Love star was back to launch a £6.5 million exhibition dedicated to the man she and actor Michael Williams call "the man who pays the rent" - William Shakespeare.

As well as displays on past Globe productions, visitors can write their own Shakespearean verse and even take a role in a scene or two. There are also booths where you can hear speeches from great performances of the past - including Dame Judi's.