'Self-satisfied pork butcher': Shakespeare grave effigy believed to be definitive likeness

Exclusive: Bust in Holy Trinity church was modelled by tomb-maker Nicholas Johnson, research finds

They say you should never meet your heroes, which has been just as well for literature fans who for centuries have been told they would never even see an accurate likeness of William Shakespeare. Until recently, there were only two definitive portraits of the playwright widely regarded to be the greatest writer in the English language and both were thought to have been painted posthumously. Art critics have even argued that the most famous - the Cobbe portrait - was more likely to have been a painting of courtier Sir Thomas Overbury, not the bard at all.

But now, it seems the mystery has finally been solved. A groundbreaking new discovery means we finally know at least how Shakespeare wanted to be seen.