Upstart Crow Trivia

1. When Will decides to write a play about Julius Caesar, which episode of Caesar's career does he intend to focus on?

From Quiz "Upstart Crow" - A 3rd Groat's Worth of Wit (III)

Answer: Invasion of Britain

Despite Kate pointing out a number of interesting events, including three marriages, numerous mistresses, conquering half the known world, crossing the Rubicon, becoming dictator for life and being stabbed to death by his best mates, Will decides that his play about Caesar will focus on the "short weekend break he took to Kent in 55 BC". Although Kate thinks the play should be about Caesar's murder, focusing on assassination, regicide and betrayal, Will pragmatically points out that the Queen, often at risk of assassination, regicide and betrayal, might have an issue with this.

From Quiz "Upstart Crow" - A 3rd Groat's Worth of Wit (I)

Answer: Southwark

Kate is adamant that she will not marry the old and warty Lord Egeus, even though he is the richest man in Southwark, in spite of both Will and Kit Marlowe attempting to persuade her otherwise. Will comes up with a plan to make Kate fall for Lord Egeus, which proves unsuccessful, but which gives Will the inspiration for his most famous comic character, the donkey-headed weaver Bottom in "A Midsummer Night's Dream".

From Quiz "Upstart Crow" - A 2nd Groat's Worth of Wit (II)

Answer: Maasai

Jocelyn Jee Esien, who plays Lucy, first came to prominence in 2003 in the BBC hidden camera show "3 Non-Blondes". Since then, in addition to appearing in "Upstart Crow", she has also made appearances in many TV series including "Holby City" and "The Sarah Jane Adventures".

From Quiz "Upstart Crow" - A 2nd Groat's Worth of Wit (I)

Answer: Bristol

"Prince" Otello catches the eye of Kate, who goes diddly-do-dah over him, and gives him the pet sobriquet "Hottie". It's Kate that eventually finds "Hottie" out for the conman that he is, as all of his tales of derring-do are taken directly from Sir Walter Raleigh's book, 'The Discovery Of The Large, Rich And Beautiful Empire Of Guyana, With The Relation Of The Great And Golden City Of Minoa (Which The Spaniards Call Eldorado)'.

From Quiz "Upstart Crow" - A Groat's Worth of Wit

Answer: She is the Landlady's daughter

As well as being a mezzo-soprano and being able to speak conversational Spanish, Gemma Whelan, who plays Kate, was cast as Yara Greyjoy in Game of Thrones in 2012.

From Quiz "Upstart Crow" - A 3rd Groat's Worth of Wit (III)

Answer: By only sending half the script

Sending the Master of Revels only half the script means the play appears to end with the assassination of Julius Caesar. Such an ending would seem seditious and an incitement to regicide. Greene therefore sees an opportunity to have Will imprisoned via the performance of the play, and so grants the licence for this reason. It is only when Greene attempts to close the theatre during the first performance that Will reveals the subsequent second half of the play, which is the opposite of seditious and leads to Greene's public ridicule.

From Quiz "Upstart Crow" - A 3rd Groat's Worth of Wit (I)

Answer: Nigel Planer

Nigel Planer has had a long working history with Ben Elton. Before their collaboration in "The Young Ones", they both performed at The Comedy Store in London, and once in television they continued to work closely, with "Filthy, Rich and Catflap" following on immediately after the classic student sitcom. More recently, Nigel Planer starred on stage in "We Will Rock You", the musical based around the songs of Queen, which was co-written by Ben Elton.

From Quiz "Upstart Crow" - A 2nd Groat's Worth of Wit (II)

Answer: He thinks they are being used for Catholic communion

Following the reign of her Roman Catholic sister Mary I, Queen Elizabeth initially favoured a degree of toleration towards Catholics at the start of her reign. This ended following the publication of a 1570 papal decree that declared Elizabeth to not be a rightful monarch, and that she should be deposed. After this, Catholics suffered increasing persecution, culminating in a 1585 law making it illegal to harbour Catholic priests, and treason for Jesuit or other priests to be in England.

From Quiz "Upstart Crow" - A Groat's Worth of Wit

Answer: To prevent Florian from engaging in an unsuitable marriage

The adventure with Florian gives Will some inspiration towards the ending of his "teen romance" play, originally titled "Romeo and Julian".

From Quiz "Upstart Crow" - A 3rd Groat's Worth of Wit (III)

Answer: Adrian Edmondson

Beattie Edmondson is the second of three daughters of Adrian Edmondson and Jennifer Saunders. She followed in the footsteps of her parents by developing a career in comedy as part of a trio, initially named "Lady Garden" before assuming the moniker of "Birthday Girls". She has also appeared in numerous TV series, including regular roles in Ben Elton's sitcom "The Wright Way" and Josh Widdecombe's self-titled sitcom, as well as appearing alongside her mother in "Jam & Jerusalem" and "Absolutely Fabulous".

From Quiz "Upstart Crow" - A 3rd Groat's Worth of Wit (II)

Answer: Thomas Cranmer

Ben Elton based the characterisation of the actor Wolf Hall on Sir Mark Rylance, who is a noted proponent of the theory that Shakespeare was not the author of his plays. The episode features Robert Greene planting this notion into the mind of the actor Wolf Hall, who subsequently accuses Will of being a front for a posh boy author. The actor Wolf Hall is played by the comedian and actor Ben Miller.

From Quiz "Upstart Crow" - A 2nd Groat's Worth of Wit (II)

Answer: Edward II

One of the major theories about William Shakespeare is that it was in fact Christopher Marlowe who was responsible for writing much of Shakespeare's work. "Upstart Crow" flips this idea by having Will write a number of plays that are eventually attributed to Kit Marlowe - in the first series, Will mentions having given Kit both "Tamburlaine" and "Doctor Faustus", and subsequently hands over to him "The Jew of Malta".

From Quiz "Upstart Crow" - A 2nd Groat's Worth of Wit (I)

Answer: Noel Fielding

Having made his name in the sitcom "The Mighty Boosh", and as a familiar face on panel shows including "Never Mind the Buzzcocks", Noel Fielding's role as Thomas Morley placed him in a different setting but portraying a character not far removed from his well known television persona.

From Quiz "Upstart Crow" - A Groat's Worth of Wit

Answer: Bottom

Nick Bottom is a weaver who has his head turned into that of a donkey in "A Midsummer Night's Dream". He has been played on screen by Kevin Kline, Matt Lucas and Johnny Vegas amongst others. In "Upstart Crow", Will's servant is called Ned Bottom and is played by Rob Rouse.

From Quiz "Upstart Crow" - A 3rd Groat's Worth of Wit (II)

Answer: The local dame school

Susanna is employed at the school to help with reading and writing. During her time in this role, she witnesses the way a struggling child is treated by other pupils, and wants to make them see that the victim of their name calling is in fact just like them. She uses a passage of her father's own writing to demonstrate this, having the boy recite it to the class.

From Quiz "Upstart Crow" - A 3rd Groat's Worth of Wit (I)

Answer: Mushrooms

When Susanna and Will venture out to pick mushrooms, Anne warns them to be careful owing to the last time that Sue had brought mushrooms home, which led to her grandfather having "doors to spiritual perception" opened, and seeing a vision of Jesus in his dumpling and onion ring.

From Quiz "Upstart Crow" - A 2nd Groat's Worth of Wit (II)

Answer: Bottom

Will wants to have Juliet say that she needs Romeo to leave but wishes he could stay. To illustrate how this may be the case, Bottom recounts how, when he was a boy, he would capture songbirds by tying silken thread to their legs, allowing them to fly only to the length of the silk. This leads Will to write "Tis almost morning, I would have thee gone. And yet no farther than a wanton's bird that lets it hop a little from his hand, like a poor prisoner in his twisted gyves and with a silk thread plucks it back again, so loving jealous of his liberty."

From Quiz "Upstart Crow" - A Groat's Worth of Wit

Answer: Liza Tarbuck

As well as being an actor in many British TV dramas, Liza Tarbuck has also worked as a presenter of both quiz shows and entertainment programmes since her TV debut in 1987. Her father Jimmy Tarbuck has also hosted many quiz and entertainment shows, as well as working as a stand-up comedian, since the 1960s.

From Quiz "Upstart Crow" - A 3rd Groat's Worth of Wit (III)

Answer: Dyes his hair

Marlowe becomes a blond by using a dye made from gunpowder and lemon juice. With his new look, he further tries to persuade Kate of his suitability as a husband, believing the blond look makes him appear more sensitive and less gold-digging.

From Quiz "Upstart Crow" - A 3rd Groat's Worth of Wit (II)

Answer: Inflated Pig's Bladder Day

Despite the story that Burbage and Condell relate involving a red nose, Will opts to name the benefit "Inflated Pig's Bladder Day". During the show, Will and Kate comment on the juxtaposition of the harsh documentary reality alongside the bum-kicking gags. Will goes on to suggest that future ages will find a way around this awkwardness.

From Quiz "Upstart Crow" - A 3rd Groat's Worth of Wit (I)

Answer: A funny name and an inspired visual gag

When returning from the rehearsal with Burbage's demand on his mind, Will asks Bottom what the funny name could be. Immediately afterwards, Kit arrives wearing an ass's head making them all laugh. Will, in spite of his genius, does not at first put these together with his requirement, it being a fortnight until he puts two and two together and comes up with the donkey-headed Nick Bottom.

From Quiz "Upstart Crow" - A 2nd Groat's Worth of Wit (I)

Answer: Sir Francis Walsingham

Although his official title was "Secretary of State", meaning he was Queen Elizabeth I's principal advisor, Sir Francis Walsingham has become most known to history as her principal spymaster, responsible for ensuring the security of the Queen and her country from Catholic plots.

From Quiz "Upstart Crow" - A 3rd Groat's Worth of Wit (III)

Answer: Tyburn

Tyburn was a major site of public executions in London from the 16th to the 18th centuries. In addition to its famous gallows, known as the "Tyburn Tree", which was a major landmark in the area, from which criminals were hanged, felons could also be drawn and quartered, or burned at the stake. At this time, executions were a popular form of entertainment for the masses, and the enthusiasm displayed by Marlowe and Bottom is representative of what is believed to have been the general feeling amongst the public.

From Quiz "Upstart Crow" - A 3rd Groat's Worth of Wit (II)

Answer: Dogberry

Sergeant Dogberry claims to have "slain a thousand Turks in a single day and faced down the hordes of Muscovy", which impresses Will's son Hamnet, but fails to convince Anne. Hamnet is greatly inspired by his father's latest play, "Henry V", and seeks to become a soldier in the Queen's army. Dogberry encourages this, and is keen to welcome the lad as a recruit, which does not impress Hamnet's mother. Sergeant Dogberry is portrayed by Adrian Edmondson, a long-time collaborator with Ben Elton.

From Quiz "Upstart Crow" - A 3rd Groat's Worth of Wit (I)

Answer: Hamlet

Will is somewhat aggrieved when Kate, Marlowe and Bottom describe the central character in his tragic masterpiece as "a grumpy, whiny, self-important student who does absolutely zero coursework and will not get over himself". Will himself describes the play as "a forensically astute journey into the tortured heart of the human soul", with a particularly perceptive death scene at the end.

From Quiz "Upstart Crow" - A 2nd Groat's Worth of Wit (II)

Answer: Will's mother

Will tells Bottom and Kate of the horrors inflicted on him by the tyrannical Simon Hunt and, although claims to be prepared to stand up to his old schoolmaster should they ever meet again, still finds himself cowering in fear when faced with his childhood nemesis. Hunt is played by actor Geoffrey Whitehead who, at the time of his appearance in "Upstart Crow", was a regular in two concurrently running BBC sitcoms, "Not Going Out" and "Still Open All Hours".

From Quiz "Upstart Crow" - A Groat's Worth of Wit

Answer: Starting a father/son double act

In a later episode, John proceeds to blame Will's refusal to enter into a double act as the reason that he (John) turned to crime, which leads to his stealing Will's savings and leaves Will at the mercy of Robert Greene.

From Quiz "Upstart Crow" - A 3rd Groat's Worth of Wit (II)

Answer: The Artist Formerly Known as Marlowe

Marlowe is in hiding having faked his own death, and is living under the protection of Will, taking the opportunity to quaff and gorge on Will's ale and pie while he supposedly painstakingly attempts to craft a new identity. The extended period of Marlowe's presence in Will's household leads to friction between Kit and Kate, and they have resorted to exchanging constant barbs with each other.

From Quiz "Upstart Crow" - A 3rd Groat's Worth of Wit (I)

Answer: Steak and kidney

In "Upstart Crow", Robert Greene's literary salon is held as part of a master plan to discredit Will as writer of his plays. This links to the Marlovian Theory, which espouses that it was in fact Christopher Marlowe who wrote Shakespeare's plays, as Shakespeare, being a mere 'townschool spotty grotty' and a 'country bumshank', did not have the learning to have written such works. Ben Elton, who has dismissed the Marlovian Theory, introduces this into "Upstart Crow" as a satirical swipe at modern proponents of the idea.

From Quiz "Upstart Crow" - A 2nd Groat's Worth of Wit (II)

Answer: Richard Burbage

Richard Burbage is often described as English theatre's first great actor. The son of James Burbage, the founder of the first modern theatre in England, Burbage achieved fame in the 1590s with the Lord Chamberlain's Men, and played the title roles in the first performances of many of William Shakespeare's plays, including "Hamlet", "Othello" and "Macbeth".

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