Helen Monks

TV Review: Upstart Crow, Series 1

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Written by Ben Elton (of The Young Ones and Blackadder fame), Upstart Crow is a BBC Two sitcom about the life and works of William Shakespeare, as part of the channel’s commemoration of the Bard’s 400th birthday. The cast is diverse and exciting, ranging from television-screen veterans David Mitchell, Liza Tarbuck and Harry Enfield, to stand up comedians Rob Rouse, Gemma Whelan and Spencer Jones, topped off with Helen Monks (Raised By Wolves), Mark Heap (Friday Night Dinner, Green Wing) and Dominic Coleman (Miranda). From the outset, viewers feel as though they can trust this cast.

David Mitchell’s portrayal of Shakespeare is a refreshing role change for the comedian. He plays a disrespected and under-appreciated playwright, whose work is openly criticised as being confusing, superfluous and grandiose (the bard himself having being famously labelled by the dramatist Robert Greene as an “upstart crow”, in effect, a boastful scavenger).

BBC

© BBC

Many of the moments of laughter in Upstart Crow come from miscommunication, with Mitchell’s depiction of Shakespeare having an extra hurdle to negotiate as no other characters seem to be able to make head nor tale of his rhetoric. For those of us having briefly studied the playwright at school, we are frequently permitted the smug satisfaction of being able to appreciate a reference; something we were no doubt unable to do whilst actually studying. In this way, Shakespeare’s works are made accessible for an audience of all ages, humorously slammed by less-appreciative characters almost before Will has managed to utter beginnings of a metaphor.

The satirical misogyny is in abundance, highlighting the ridiculous nature of inequality spanning way back to the 16th century. Rob Rouse’s character, Shakespeare’s servant Bottom, is particularly moronic in his sexism (along with Kit Marlowe, played by Tim Downie; “A clever girl’s an ugly girl, Kate,”); stupid in such a way that is almost refreshing, as for once the female character is sympathised with by a modern audience. Predictable in places, perhaps, but the ridiculous nature of some of these plot lines is arguably in the same vein as of the bard’s own greatest comedies. It may be a push to label Upstart Crow an informative piece of television, but it certainly encourages further research. The life and works of Shakespeare are fondly ridiculed, with the satire skirting lightly on the border of cynicism. Here we have a modern twist on a widely-known historical figure that encourages a greater understanding of the wider context of Shakespearean Britain, and is already set to return for a second series.

UPSTART CROW IS AVAILABLE ON BBC IPLAYER

TV Review: Raised By Wolves

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Raised By Wolves is a brand new, refreshingly unyielding sitcom written by Caroline and Caitlin Moran. It follows a loud, predominantly-female family, which reflects the upbringing the Moran sisters had (described in detail in Caitlin’s best-selling book, How to be a Woman). A twist, however, is that the programme is set in the present day, rather than the Eighties. The essence of Caz and Caitlin’s teenage years is reflected in the characters of Germaine and Aretha who are played by Helen Monks and Alexa Davies. These two ladies truly are a match made in television heaven; their conversations are cripplingly funny and their personalities are near-polar opposites.

The girls are very intelligent, which immediately challenges the prejudices Caitlin (I can only talk for her, rather than both sisters, because I have read her book) no doubt faced growing up in Wolverhampton. It is also reminiscent of the way many young people feel they are interpreted by people from outside the Midlands, whether that is down to our accent, or the areas in which we may live. In this sense, Raised by Wolves has the potential to be revolutionary and as a Midlands teenager myself, it is encouraging to hear the accent used in a non-derogatory way for once, in a way that doesn’t suggest stupidity.

Channel 4

Channel 4

The kids’ mother, Della, is played by Rebekah Staton who approaches the role with brilliant sarcasm and brutal honesty. With helpful, yet somehow aggressive, motherly advice like: “Germaine, you’ve got the posture of a victim- sort it out,” the character of Della acts as a sort of moral device for the entire programme. Della holds all of the wisdom.

Some critics have accused the Moran sisters of being arrogant in suggesting that this is the only sitcom on television with a mainly female cast, but I think that accusation is ludicrous, not least because they haven’t once implied this. Rather than worrying about whether there are any programmes of  this sort, we should be asking ourselves whether there are enough. To criticise Raised By Wolves for being, at the end of the day, unnecessarily feminist sounds like just the thing an oblivious misogynist might say.

The resultant message is that this sitcom is needed more than ever. Not only is this programme bitterly funny, but it also implies something far more poignant beneath the surface. I eagerly anticipate another series.

CATCH UP WITH SERIES ONE OF RASIED BY WOLVES ON 4OD