Upstart Crow

Upstart Crow is a six-part British sitcom which premiered on 9 May 2016 at 10pm on BBC Two^[1] as part of the celebrations of the 400th anniversary of the death of William Shakespeare. Its title quotes "an upstart Crow, beautified with our feathers", a critique of Shakespeare by his rival Robert Greene in the latter's Groats-Worth of Wit.^[2]

It is scripted by Ben Elton and is set from 1592 (the year of Greene's quotation) onwards. Shakespeare is played by David Mitchell; his wife, Anne Hathaway, is played by Liza Tarbuck; and Greene himself by Mark Heap.^[3] All episodes are directed by Matt Lipsey.^[4]

The first series follows the writing and preparation to stage Romeo and Juliet after William has gained some early career notoriety for his poetry, Henry VI and Richard III. Events in each episode allude to one or more Shakespeare plays and usually end with Will discussing the events with Anne and either being inspired or dissuaded from using them in a future work. Along with the many Shakespearean references there are also multiple references to Blackadder and The Office. There are two running gags in every episode; the casual sexism towards Kate's attempts to become an actress and Shakespeare's coach journeys between London and Stratford which refer to modern motorway and railway journey frustrations.

In June 2016 the BBC announced that a Christmas Special would be produced, and that a second series had been commissioned, to air in 2017.^[5]

Cast

• David Mitchell – Will Shakespeare, aspiring playwright who wishes to overcome his humble origins.
• Liza Tarbuck – Anne Hathaway, wife of Will, an older and commoner woman.
• Paula Wilcox – Mary Arden, Shakespeare's mother, who looks down on Anne.
• Helen Monks – Susanna, daughter of Shakespeare and Anne.
• Harry Enfield – John Shakespeare, father of Will, wealthy but less educated than Will.
• Gemma Whelan – Kate, daughter of Shakespeare's London landlord; she aims to become an actress.
• Rob Rouse – Bottom, household servant of Shakespeare.
• Mark Heap – Robert Greene, Master of the Revels and author of Greene's Groats-Worth of Wit.
• Dominic Coleman – Henry Condell, actor.
• Steve Speirs – Richard Burbage, actor.
• Spencer Jones – William Kempe, comic actor; his portrayal is a parody of Ricky Gervais
• Tim Downie – Kit Marlowe, playwright and spy. In a parody of the Shakespeare authorship question, Upstart Crow claims that all of Marlowe's plays were actually written by Shakespeare. Although the series portrays Marlowe as actively working for Sir Francis Walsingham, Queen Elizabeth's spymaster, the latter had in fact been dead for two years by the time the action is set.

Episode list

See also

• Blackadder II

References

External links

• Upstart Crow at the Internet Movie Database