Upstart Crow is a British sitcom which premiered on 9 May 2016 at 10pm on BBC Two as part of the commemorations 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.
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. All episodes are directed by Matt Lipsey.
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 several references to the television shows 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: this began broadcasting on 11 September 2017, followed by the Christmas special, on Christmas Day 2017.
In October 2017, after the second series had finished, the BBC commissioned a third series and a second Christmas special to air in 2018.
Video Upstart Crow
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. According to her mother, "a grumpy little bitchington."
- Harry Enfield - John Shakespeare, father of Will, formerly wealthy but less educated than his son. Will bases the Falstaff character on him.
- Gemma Whelan - Kate, daughter of Shakespeare's London landlord; she aims to become an actress.
- Tim Downie - Kit Marlowe, playwright and spy. The series makes a recurring joke on the Marlovian theory of Shakespeare authorship, making Shakespeare the actual author of some of Marlowe's plays. Downie's portrayal resembles Lord Flashheart from Blackadder.
- Rob Rouse - Bottom, household servant of Shakespeare.
- Mark Heap - Robert Greene, Master of the Revels and author of Greene's Groats-Worth of Wit. Shakespeare's nemesis. Heap's portrayal resembles Lord Melchett from Blackadder.
- Dominic Coleman - Henry Condell, actor, prominently of female roles.
- Steve Speirs - Richard Burbage, actor and leader of Will's acting company.
- Spencer Jones - William Kempe, comic actor; his portrayal is a parody of Ricky Gervais.
- Jocelyn Jee Esien - Lucy, pub landlady and former slave.
- Noel Fielding - Thomas Morley, composer.
- Adam Harley - Lord Southampton, Shakespeare's "Fair Youth".
Maps Upstart Crow
Episodes
All episodes of series 2 were made available through BBC iPlayer on 11 September 2017.
Series 1 (2016)
Series 2 (2017)
Music
The theme music is a 17th-century English country dance tune called "Jamaica". This was first published in the 1670 4th Edition of John Playford's The Dancing Master, after Shakespeare's death.
Ratings
Ratings sourced from BARB.
Series 1 (2016)
Series 2 (2017)
Reception
Upstart Crow has been positively received by critics, many of whom had been hostile to Ben Elton's work for years, given his record of creating shows such as Get a Grip and The Wright Way, which were pulled after one series due to low ratings and poor notices. By contrast, Crow has been described as a return to form for the writer, besides being a return to the historical sitcom genre that made Elton's name when he worked on Blackadder. The acting by David Mitchell and supporting cast including Harry Enfield, Liza Tarbuck, and Mark Heap has also received praise.
References
External links
- Upstart Crow at BBC Programmes
- Upstart Crow at British Comedy Guide
- Upstart Crow on IMDb
- Upstart Crow at TV.com
- Upstart Crow at epguides.com
- Only snobbish, elitist Britain could say that Shakespeare didn't write his own plays Ben Elton on the shows historical background. Radio Times
Source of the article : Wikipedia
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