William Shakespeare was not the real writer of his works - it was Elizabeth I.

This is the belief of political poet Trevor Leonard, who will be appearing at Speaker's Corner in London next Sunday, October 3 at 1pm.

Speaker's Corner is an area in Hyde Park where crowds gather to hear all sorts of people sound off about a variety of themes. Mr Leonard will use his poetry to argue that Elizabeth I was the real William Shakespeare. The 66-year-old tells People: "I believe Shakespeare existed but I believe his writing actually belonged to Elizabeth I. This is something I have been working on for many, many years. I am not the only person to make these claims."

The Newcastle-based poet, who describes himself as "a political poet with a friendly and encouraging attitude", will also be musing about Israel and the divisive nature of
universities.

Mr Leonard has been writing poetry since he was 22 after failing his law exams. "I wanted
to devote my life to writing."

He appeared at Speaker's Corner last year after a successful stint at the Edinburgh Festival. "It was hard-going but I really enjoyed the experience and this led me to Speaker's Corner."