“Upstart Crow” is a sitcom based on the life of William Shakespeare. Written by Ben Elton, it premiered in May 2016 on BBC 2 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 Groat’s Worth of Wit. The show 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. The first series was directed by Matt Lipsey, with subsequent series being directed by Richard Boden.
The first series follows the writing and preparation to stage Romeo and Juliet after William has gained some early career recognition 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 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 references to the television shows Blackadder and The Office.
There are running gags in many episodes: the casual sexism towards Kate’s attempts 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 references 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. A 2020 Christmas special, “Lockdown Christmas 1603”, depicted William and Kate during the plague of 1603, making references to the COVID-19 pandemic lockdowns during the year of broadcast.
In September 2019, a stage play adaptation was announced for the Gielgud Theatre in London, also written by Elton and with Mitchell and several others reprising their roles. The play opened in February 2020 under the title The Upstart Crow: Elton commented that it was “an entirely original excursion, not a ‘TV adaptation’ “.
