BBC closes the book on Ben Elton’s latest bit of greatness as ‘Upstart Crow’ cancelled after S3!

In a move that traditionally tends to defy any conceivable valid explanation, the BBC has cancelled the Ben Elton comedy Upstart Crow after three critically acclaimed and highly successful series. David Mitchell was brilliant as a young William Shakespeare which spanned three series, several specials and an incredible limited run at both the Gielgud and Apollo Theatres in […]

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‘Upstart Crow’ returns for Christmas lockdown special — 17th Century style

Upstart Crow — “Tomorrow And Tomorrow And Tomorrow: A Lockdown Christmas 1603”, will echo real events of the 17th Century, when the plague – or black death – hit Europe in a series of waves spanning hundreds of years. Although the nature of the disease and its transmission were not known and misunderstood, isolation and social distancing were employed to combat the outbreaks. Sound a little bit familiar?

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At 37 years of age, ‘Blackadder’ has still got it!

With a huge tip of the hat to The Telegraph for getting the conversation going several years ago, we celebrate the brilliance that started out almost four decades ago as simply…The Black Adder. Premiering on 15 June 1983 on BBC1, the Richard Curtis/Rowan Atkinson creation turned 37 earlier this week on Monday at 9:25pm GMT. […]

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‘The Upstart Crow’ conquers London’s West End

400+ years after his death, Will Shakespeare has, once again, taken London’s West End by storm. This time around, however, it’s the brilliant duo of Ben Elton and David Mitchell that have brought the bard’s struggles to the stage. Mitchell reprised his role from the brilliant sitcom as William Shakespeare in The Upstart Crow last night with a live version in London’s West End. 

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‘Upstart Crow’ returns for second series

Upstart Crow, the BBC2 comedy starring David Mitchell as William Shakespeare, will return later this year for a second series with several new cast members in tow. Emma Thompson (Brideshead Revisited, Love Actually, Harry Potter, Howards End, Fortunes of War) and Noel Fielding (The Mighty Boosh) are joining the cast of Upstart Crow. Thompson will […]

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‘Upstart Crow’ with David Mitchell continues #Shakespeare400 celebration

Peep Show star and one-half of the comedy duo of Mitchell and Webb, David Mitchell, stars as William Shakespeare in a new 6-part BBC2 sitcom written and produced by Ben Elton (The Young Ones, Blackadder, The Thin Blue Line). Focusing on the playwright’s life before he became famous, the storyline for Upstart Crow, revolves around Shakespeare’s personal and professional life and the rather […]

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Bernard and the Genie – a holiday classic

It’s A Wonderful Life (1946)…Miracle on 34th Street (1947)…How the Grinch Stole Christmas (1966) and A Charlie Brown Christmas (1965). All holiday classics. For my money, another holiday must see was born just over 20 years ago when the BBC broadcast, Bernard and the Genie. The relative new kid on the block of holiday classics was written […]

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