
Upstart Crow
Ben Elton(Author)
Bantam Press
Published on 18. October 2018
Book
Paperback/Softback
368 pages
978-1-78763-009-3 (ISBN)
Description
"This does indeed deserve comparisons with Blackadder" Radio Times
"A knockabout, well-researched take on the working and domestic life of Shakespeare." The Guardian
It's the 1590s. William Shakespeare - brought to life on screen by the inimitable David Mitchell - is at the start of his career. But no one is taking him seriously. In London, he is mercilessly mocked by his rivals and at home in Stratford he is belittled by his sullen teenage daughter.
Yet he is determined to find an ending for his newest creation Romeo and Juliet. Luckily, inspiration is forthcoming. The trials and tribulations of his closest friends and family reveal the plot twists he'd been missing. And not only for this famous tragedy but for many of his finest plays.
With sparkling wordplay, hilarious gags and his trademark wit, Ben Elton celebrates the great William Shakespeare and reveals the startling stories behind the playwright's best-known plays.
"A knockabout, well-researched take on the working and domestic life of Shakespeare." The Guardian
It's the 1590s. William Shakespeare - brought to life on screen by the inimitable David Mitchell - is at the start of his career. But no one is taking him seriously. In London, he is mercilessly mocked by his rivals and at home in Stratford he is belittled by his sullen teenage daughter.
Yet he is determined to find an ending for his newest creation Romeo and Juliet. Luckily, inspiration is forthcoming. The trials and tribulations of his closest friends and family reveal the plot twists he'd been missing. And not only for this famous tragedy but for many of his finest plays.
With sparkling wordplay, hilarious gags and his trademark wit, Ben Elton celebrates the great William Shakespeare and reveals the startling stories behind the playwright's best-known plays.
Reviews / Votes
A gag-packed riot * The Times * A knockabout, well-researched take on the working and domestic life of Shakespeare * The Guardian * Gloriously restores Elton's credentials as a reliable provider of quality sitcom * The Telegraph * It's really, really funny * Spectator * The guffaws come thick and fast * Independent * Packed with gags * Mirror * This does indeed deserve comparisons with Blackadder * Radio Times * A rollicking good comedy * Express *More details
Language
English
Place of publication
London
United Kingdom
Publishing group
Transworld Publishers Ltd
Product notice
Paperback (UK-trade)
Dimensions
Height: 234 mm
Width: 154 mm
Thickness: 40 mm
Weight
456 gr
ISBN-13
978-1-78763-009-3 (9781787630093)
Copyright in bibliographic data and cover images is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or by the publishers or by their respective licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Classification
Other editions
Additional editions

Person
Ben Elton's multi-award winning career as both performer and writer encompasses some of the most memorable and incisive comedy of the past thirty-five years. In addition to his hugely influential work as a stand-up comic, he was co-writer of TV hits The Young Ones and Blackadder and sole creator of The Thin Blue Line and Upstart Crow. He has written fifteen major bestsellers, including Stark, Popcorn, Inconceivable, Dead Famous, High Society, Two Brothers and Time and Time Again, three West End plays and three musicals, including global phenomenon We Will Rock You. He has written and directed two feature films, Maybe Baby and Three Summers.
He is married and has three children.
He is married and has three children.