WILLIAM Shakespeare, the world's most famous playwright, has been branded a fake and a fraud.

A North-East author, who has dedicated half a century to researching the life and times of the Elizabethan dramatist, has presented his convictions in a book.

Edward Holmes, 77, a retired teacher from County Durham, began his research into theatre history more than 50 years ago.

Dismissed by established academics as little more than a heretic, he has stood by his convictions.

He said: "It is the saddest joke of all time. It is a myth which has grown into the accepted way of thinking, but Shakespeare did not write the plays which have appeared under his name.

"He was the public front for an aristocrat, the Earl of Oxford, who could not, in public at least, accept critical acclaim for the work.

"I'm one of a minority of people who question the Shakespeare version and I have always done so.

"I think I have written a book which looks at all the material and I think I have put forward a strong argument."

Dr Mike Pinkham of Newcastle University's English Literature Department said that although Mr Holmes's thesis has little credence, there might be some information within it that could be used by academics.

"We think it is likely that Shakespeare did collaborate with other writers, particularly at the start and end of his career, but it is ridiculous to say he was simply a front for another author."

* Discovering Shakespeare is published by Mycroft Books.