9 May 2016 (2016-05-09) – 21 December 2020 (2020-12-21)
Upstart Crow is a British sitcom based on the life of William Shakespeare written by Ben Elton. The show premiered on 9 May 2016 on BBC Two[1] as part of the commemorations of the 400th anniversary of Shakespeare's death. 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]
The first series follows the writing and preparation to stage Romeo and Juliet after William has gained some early career recognition for his poetry, as well as his plays 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 to use, or dissuaded from using, them in a future work. Along with the many Shakespearean references (including the use of asides and soliloquies) there are also several ‘nods’ to the television shows Blackadder and The Office. There are running gags in many episodes: the casual sexism towards attempts by Kate, his landlady's daughter, to become an actress; Shakespeare's coach journeys between London and Stratford which refer to modern motorway and railway journey frustrations, and are delivered in a style that reflects the 1970s sitcom The Fall and Rise of Reginald Perrin; Shakespeare (and in one episode Marlowe) demanding ale and pie from his servants or family; and Shakespeare frequently claiming credit for common turns-of-phrase that predate Elizabethan times (many of them now commonly misattributed to Shakespeare).
The second and third six-episode series were broadcast in 2017 and 2018, as well as two Christmas Day specials.[4][5][6][7]
In September 2019, a stage play adaptation was announced for the Gielgud Theatre, City of Westminster, also written by Elton and with Mitchell and several others reprising their roles. The play opened on 7 February 2020 under the title The Upstart Crow: Elton commented that it was "an entirely original excursion, not a 'TV adaptation' ".[9][10] The play reopened in the West End at the Apollo Theatre for a ten-week season from 23 September until 3 December 2022, with Mitchell and Whelan reprising the roles of William Shakespeare and Kate.
David Mitchell, who plays Shakespeare in both the TV sitcom and the first and second run of the stage play
David Mitchell as William Shakespeare, aspiring playwright who wishes to overcome his humble origins. He commutes between his family's home in Stratford-upon-Avon and Central London, where he does most of his work. Recurring humour is drawn from parallels between Will's travels and frustration with modern day transportation.[11]
Gemma Whelan as Kate, daughter of Shakespeare's London landlady; she yearns to become an actress.
Tim Downie as 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.[12] In the second episode of Series 3, "Wild Laughter in the Throat of Death", he fakes his own death, one of the conjectured fates of the real-life Marlowe. Downie's portrayal resembles Lord Flashheart from Blackadder.[13][14]
Ben Elton has written a new sitcom and it’s funny.
Upstart Crow ... is a knockabout, well-researched take on the working and domestic life of Shakespeare
The script is full of ... historical detail, taken from what is known about Shakespeare’s family life and the lives of ordinary folk back in 16th-century England. Elton really wants to show us that not only has he bothered to cram his script with jokes – imagine, actual jokes in a sitcom! – he has also based them on truth, historical or just plain human. Sometimes he trumpets this a bit too loudly, but it is episode one and he’s making his point.[22]
In the Independent, James Rampton writes: "Upstart Crow, ... may well be [Ben] Elton’s finest work since his other celebrated historical sitcom, Blackadder."
Rampton quotes Paula Wilcox, who plays Shakespeare’s mother, as saying:
This show is very clever, and it makes you think more about Shakespeare. Something that I also hadn’t expected is that it helps young people come to Shakespeare. If you start laughing about something, you’re halfway towards accepting it.
[23]
Rotten Tomatoes gave Season 1 69% on the Tomatometer. The Critics Consensus was that "Upstart Crow does not clear the high bar of the Bard's written work - and the series' sitcom stylings may prove drearily retro for some viewers -- but the series is stimulatingly literate and boasts a terrifically put-upon David Mitchell as history's most famous writer."[24]
