If the situation seems dire for the non-coupled in general festive films, it’s considerably worse when you get into the seasonal rom-coms.

A project is bringing together researchers from the humanities and the sciences to examine a potentially world-changing new area of study.

The World Shakespeare Festival took in 73 productions from around the globe in almost 40 different languages. Part of the London Olympics, this eight-month celebration of the Bard included a Lithuanian Hamlet, an Urdu Taming of the Shrew and a Swahili Merry Wives of Windsor.