Upstart Crow - Series 2 [DVD]

Upstart Crow is not just for the traditional theatre luvvies. However if you have a working knowledge of the Bard then it will enhance your enjoyment of the show. David Mitchell does a wonderful job portraying Shakespeare as a jobbing playwright just trying to balance life between London theatre life and his family life at home in Stratford-Upon-Avon. A strong ensemble cast ensures that the humour is widely spread among the actors and each individual character has their own particular quirks that develop as the series progresses. Some of the laughs are somewhat convoluted but that isn’t a criticism. Writer Ben Elton has always used this form of writing and it works well in the right hands. Liza Tarbuck as Anne Hathaway plays the long-suffering wife well and with the recurring characters strongly featured in each episode it withstands repeated watching quite well.

I LOVE this series. So funny, so delightful, so original. Of course David Mitchell's Will owes more to David Mitchell and Ben Elton than to the real Will, but that is half the fun. His rants on the terrible journeys he has from London to Stratford are a joy, as are the frequent references to his future reputation. The show is full of wit and charm, and the rest of the cast are wonderful. You don't have to know Shakespeare to enjoy it, but the more you know of him and his work, the more you will laugh. One of the conceits that I particularly appreciate is the turning on its head of the nonsensical idea that Shakespeare didn't write the plays; here it is Kit Marlowe who doesn't write his, but gets Will to do it for him. Brilliant!

Both series are splendid. They're witty, haracterful, full of Shakespearean hints to recognise and modern references to such phenomena as transport predicaments and sundry family and social issues. The acting is also excellent and I await future series with great expectation, including seeing smoke coming from Will and Anne's pipes.

It's the funniest thing since General Horatio Funny, The Mayor of Funnytown, wore his funny clothes and did some very funny things. I laughed so much I was close to choking. I have series 1 and 2 - Can't wait for series 3.

Having written several study guides for the plays of "William Shakespeare", myself (like THAT was really his name)) I was thrilled by the absolute authenticity that Mr Elton brought to bear in this fine historical series of authentic thingsFurther, I thought the scenes in the operating theatre were of great... oh, wait, that's "Quacks" I...What was the question?

Missed the original series so thought we'd catch up. Just as good as series 2 we saw on TV.Very clever wit and totally entertaining. A knowledge of the Bard is useful to get the full picture in each episode.

Upstart Crow is and always will be BRILLIANT. The humour remains subtle and topical yet totally related to Shakespeare. If you have never seen this series, start with series 1 and go for it.

Funny, and well acted and directed, but the scripts lack the laugh-out-loud factor that abounded in the first series.