Each week, we will be taking an in depth look at some of the best sitcoms and comedy shows from both the UK and the USA.

Today we will be looking at a comedy that was created by Ben Elton and star David Mitchell – Upstart Crow

Opening Titles / Theme Tune

About the Show

Summary of Plot

Satirical Blackadderesque sitcom about how friends, family, historical circumstances, and his arch-rival Robert Greene, who first coined the derogatory term “upstart crow”, influenced William Shakespeare to write his famous plays. – IMDb

Number of Seasons / Episodes

3 seasons

Characters:
David Mitchell – Will Shakespeare
Gemma Whelan – Kate
Rob Rouse – Bottom
Liza Tarbuck – Anne Shakespeare
Mark Heap – Robert Greene

Trivia

• The title of the series refers to a pamphlet published in 1592 in which playwright and poet Robert Green refers to William Shakespeare as an “upstart crow.”
• The theme music is a dance tune titled “Jamaica” collected by John Playford and published in his fourth edition of ‘The English Dancing Master’ in 1670.
• The character Kempe, continuously bragging of his time in the Italian theatre (based upon the famous actor of the time) is clearly a parody of Ricky Gervais, a famously self-promoting actor and self-styled comedian.

Clips

Beware My Sting!

Working From Home

Shakespeare and Son