When you think of shows like Blackadder, you can’t help but be blown away by the brilliant and clever wit and writing. They are ageless in their humour and I can watch Blackadder over and over again. Well, there was another fun little sitcom that started in 2016 from Ben Elton’s brain called Upstart Crow that you need to add to your collection.
Upstart Crow follows the life of a little-known writer, William Shakespeare. Well, not his life. He’s already a successful playwright, and he is still trying to become famous. It kicks off with Shakespeare’s daughter reading off lines from the in-progress Romeo and Juliet with all the flair of the old English language. This is followed by his family ragging on it with modern English accents questioning his language choices as any 14-year-old reading Shakespeare for the first time would.
This is the fantastic tone of the show, it’s Shakespeare living in his time and world, but with modern sensibilities. Throughout the show we have everything from jokes about the times, to jokes about modern-day issues like traffic. This layering of jokes is as silly as it is funny. David Mitchell is absolutely perfect in the role of Shakespeare as someone who isn’t as fancy as he wants to be, but puts in every effort to come off as super-posh.
Other characters include historical people like the person who called Shakespeare Upstart Crow, Robert Greene and Kit Marlowe, who was another playwright. Robert Greene is Shakespeare’s nemesis, always trying to undermine him in silly ways. Kit Marlowe, who wrote plenty of famous plays, is Shakespeare’s best friend. He is a spy and Shakespeare writes plays for him as a favour which is not remotely historically accurate, but is regularly hilarious.
If you are trying to get a feel for the vibe, it reminds me a lot of Blackadder’s third. The setting, the acting, and the humour feel like an extension of that series. Given that it was by far my favourite Blackadder series, that would explain why this show has instantly slid into my rewatch cycle.
The DVD package has all three seasons, but annoyingly doesn’t have one special. The special was set around a lockdown, and would have made this package perfection. Despite this, if you haven’t seen Upstart Crow and remotely enjoyed Blackadder, then this is a must-watch. It’s pure UK comedy brilliance.
The show itself is exceptional, but man I wish this package included the special.
