Britain's Greatest National Treasure

Now, I know this isn't exactly news, but Shakespeare is officially Britain's Greatest National Treasure! The Bard beat Buckingham Palace, Big Ben and Fish and Chips to first place in a poll of 1000 adults.

I often forget how proud the British public are of Shakespeare. We have a strange relationship with the Bard: one moment we're mocking him in school and the next we're voting him to the top of polls and quoting him on the London Underground.

Perhaps we actually fear Shakespeare as a nation ... just a little bit! To the uninitiated, the academia that has built up around his writing can seem impenetrable creating a sense of reverence and fear.

But deep down, we all know he's a particularly British creation and we should be proud of "Our Will!"

Photo © Phillip Dvorak / Getty Images