William Shakespeare (I)

You're bard! A history of censorship ... or why the jokes in Shakespeare are shit

Don't like cancel culture? Be grateful you didn't live in Britain in the 17th Century when the Puritan-led Parliament cancelled culture entirely.

Further details set for Much Ado About Nothing

The Jamie Lloyd Company has announced the on-sale dates for its production of Much Ado About Nothing.

The new revival of Shakespeare's much-loved comedy stars Tom Hiddleston (Loki, Betrayal, Avengers: Endgame) as Benedick and Hayley Atwell (Mission Impossible: Dead Reckoning, Rosmersholm, Captain America: The First Avenger) as Beatrice, directed by Jamie Lloyd.

Union criticises 'censorship' after play cancelled

Acting union Equity has criticised a "growing culture of censorship" after a production of Shakespeare's play A Midsummer Night's Dream was cancelled, reportedly in a dispute over references to the Israel-Gaza war and trans rights.

Shakespeare comedy has five-week run cancelled due to 'Gaza and trans rights references'

A production of A Midsummer Night's Dream in Manchester has been axed over references to Gaza and trans rights, reports have claimed.

Russell Brand's Shakespeare show to be streamed

On demand and PPV service, LIVENow, has announced that on 14 July audiences can watch exclusively on the platform a filmed version of Russell Brand's one man theatre show, Our Little Lives: Shakespeare & Me, in which he takes some life lessons from Shakespeare.

All the best comedy groans with puns

From Tim Vine to Shakespeare.

On the eve of its presentation to Queen Elizabeth I, William Shakespeare's controversial new play about the Mary Stuart - Mary The Frog-Jock - goes mysteriously missing. And Will's best friend Kit Marlowe (Tim Downie) is in the frame, in ye second parte of Ben Elton's Tudor comedy. Perhaps make that "tragi-comedy": this is no Blackadder II, and the usually assured David Mitchell as Shakespeare certainly seems a trifle uncomfortable barking out lines such as "I am not going bald, I have low eyebrows."

Upstart Crow: joke's already wearing thin in episode 2

Last week's episode of Upstart Crow (BBC Two), Ben Elton's new ye olde sitcom starring David Mitchell as William Shakespeare, would have worked as a one-off stand-alone special for Comic Relief or similar. The thought of a whole series of the thing is a bit tiring.

Loving Ben Elton's new Shakespeare sitcom

There's no way of saying this without shredding the last vestiges of my critical credibility, but this new Ben Elton comedy series, Upstart Crow (BBC2, Mondays), about William Shakespeare: I'm loving it and think it's really, really funny.