Upstart Crow
- TV sitcom
- BBC Two
- 2016 - 2020
- 21 episodes (3 series)
Sitcom about the life of jobbing playwright William Shakespeare, struggling to find inspiration in Tudor London. Also features David Mitchell, Rob Rouse, Gemma Whelan, Liza Tarbuck, Harry Enfield and more.
Streaming rank this week: 1,157
Press clippings Page 6
The return of Ben Elton's Blackadder-style take on the travails of William Shakespeare with David Mitchell as the man himself. Actually, Blackadder this ain't by a long stretch, but it's likable and often clever in its satire of the bard's times. The cast is also excellent, featuring Mark Heap, Harry Enfield and Liza Tarbuck. Tonight, William invites a Prince Othello to dinner hoping to boost his claim for a coat of arms. Unintended romance ensues.
David Stubbs, The Guardian, 11th September 2017Ben Elton: Shakespeare is ripe for the sitcom treatment
Ben Elton reveals why Shakespeare was the original sitcom writer.
Radio Times, 11th September 2017David Mitchell: Shakespeare, a classic sitcom character
David Mitchell strikes comedy gold as the put-upon Will Shakespeare in a new series of BBC comedy Upstart Crow.
James Rampton, The Daily Express, 9th September 2017TV: Upstart Crow, BBC2
Ben Elton's eloquent defence of the mainstream sitcom last month was illuminating, fascinating and persuasive. And in a way maybe it could be seen by some as an incidental pre-emptive strike against critics who might have their hatchets sharpened for the new series of Upstart Crow, Elton's popular sitcom about Shakespeare's early years starring David Mitchell. If that is the case though Elton needn't worry. The only thing he has to live with here is critics trotting out the "not-as-good-as-Blackadder" line.
Bruce Dessau, Beyond The Joke, 9th September 2017Interview: Upstart Crow's David Mitchell
Ben Elton's sitcom about Shakespeare, Upstart Crow, which stars Mitchell as The Bard and returns for a second series on BBC2, might be his best work since Blackadder.
James Rampton, The Independent, 6th September 2017Comedy nominees for BAFTA TV Awards 2017
Camping, Fleabag, Flowers, People Just Do Nothing, The Last Leg and Taskmaster are amongst the nominees for the 2017 BAFTA TV Awards.
British Comedy Guide, 11th April 2017Guest stars revealed as filming starts on Upstart Crow Series 2
Filming is under way on the second series of Upstart Crow, with Emma Thompson, Geoffrey Whitehead and Noel Fielding amongst the guest stars.
British Comedy Guide, 27th January 2017Comedy.co.uk Awards 2016 winners announced
The results of the Comedy.co.uk Awards 2016 have been announced. Red Dwarf, Upstart Crow, John Finnemore's Souvenir Programme and Taskmaster are amongst the winners.
British Comedy Guide, 23rd January 2017Comedy.co.uk Awards 2016 shortlists announced
The shortlists for the Comedy.co.uk Awards 2016 have been revealed. 60 shows are in the running for the Comedy Of The Year title. Voting is now open.
British Comedy Guide, 16th January 2017Bruce Dessau's top TV comedy for 2016
It's been a bad year in all sorts of ways, but not in terms of TV comedy. I sat down today to come up with a top ten of the year and had difficulty narrowing it down to ten. Of course there were disappointments and programmes that didn't quite live up to expectations, such as Sky's Andrew Lawrence documentary, but there was still plenty to laugh at here. And if you are quick some of them are still available on various catch-up services. And in case you are wondering, I decided not to include Black Mirror - it was brilliant but just too painfully real to be funny.
Bruce Dessau, Beyond The Joke, 20th December 2016