The Royal Shakespeare Company has announced details of its Winter 2020 programme which includes a week of live streaming, because of the Covid crisis.

This will take place place between Saturday December 5 and Saturday December 12.

Highlights for the season include a newly commissioned series of Tales for Winter running from December 5 to December 23.

A spokesman said: "The full programme of events was due to be performed to a reduced-capacity, socially-distanced audience in the Royal Shakespeare Theatre with many performances being streamed to enable people further afield to take part.

"But following the latest Government announcement, the RSC will now offer live-stream only versions of all shows taking place between December 5 and December 12, which will be available for one week after broadcast, with a view to welcoming audiences back to the theatre from Saturday December 19.

"Full Covid-19 safety measures will be in place to make sure that up to 200 audience members can see events socially-distanced in a safe atmosphere, with the RSC welcome remaining as strong as ever."

The programme features contributions from David Walliams with live music by Guy Chambers and performances by the 2020 RSC Acting Company.

Tales for Winter is about storytelling, "the most essential act of theatre".

The spokesman added: "It is a reminder of where we were when we closed our doors back in March and an opportunity to look forward with hope and optimism to the future. It explores both the epic and the intimate; the majestic poetry of ancient Greece passed down through the generations, the festive fireside tunes and tales that sustain us through the long midwinter months, the timeless plots of William Shakespeare’s plays and the quick-witted, beautifully crafted storytelling of David Walliams."

Launching on Saturday 5 December, the opening weekend will look back on the most recent story to be brought to life on the stage, David Walliams’ The Boy in the Dress.

One year on from the opening of the RSC’s hit musical The Boy in the Dress in Stratford-upon-Avon, Walliams will visit the Royal Shakespeare Theatre on December 5 to read from his original book.