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Upstart Crow
''Upstart Crow'' is a British sitcom based on the life of William Shakespeare written by Ben Elton. The show premiered on 9 May 2016 on BBC Two as part of the commemorations of the 400th anniversary of Shakespeare's death. Its title quotes "an upstart Crow, beautified with our feathers", a critique of Shakespeare by his rival Robert Greene in the latter's '' Groats-Worth of Wit''. The show is set from 1592 (the year of Greene's quotation) onwards. Shakespeare is played by David Mitchell; his wife, Anne Hathaway, is played by Liza Tarbuck; and Greene himself by Mark Heap. Shakespeare's father, John Shakespeare, is played by Harry Enfield. The first series was directed by Matt Lipsey, with subsequent series being directed by Richard Boden. Synopsis The first series follows the writing and preparation to stage ''Romeo and Juliet'' after William has gained some early career recognition for his poetry, as well as his plays '' Henry VI'' and ''Richard III''. Events in each epi ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Visscher Panorama
The Visscher panorama is an engraving by Claes Visscher (1586-1652) depicting a panorama of London. It shows an imagined view of London in around 1600. The engraving was first published in Amsterdam in 1616, with the title "Londinum Florentissima Britanniae Urbs Toto Orbe Celeberrimum Emporiumque". Overview The engraving comprises four separate plates creating a continuous panorama over long. It provides one of the best views of London before the Great Fire in 1666. From a viewpoint on the south bank of the River Thames, it shows (from west to east, left to right) mansions on the north bank of the river: Whitehall Palace, York House, Durham House, old Somerset House, Burley House, Arundel House and Essex House, then Old St Paul's Cathedral without the spire which was lost after it was struck by lightning in 1561, the low-rise medieval City of London dominated by the spires and steeples of its churches, Old London Bridge covered by shops and houses, and the Tower of Londo ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Radio Times
''Radio Times'' is a British weekly listings magazine devoted to television and radio programme schedules, with other features such as interviews, film reviews and lifestyle items. Founded in September 1923 by John Reith, then general manager of the British Broadcasting Company, it was the world's first broadcast listings magazine. In September 2023 it became the first broadcast listings magazine to reach and then pass its centenary. It was published entirely in-house by BBC Magazines from 8 January 1937 until 16 August 2011, when the division was merged into Immediate Media Company. On 12 January 2017, Immediate Media was bought by the German media group Hubert Burda. The magazine is published on Tuesdays and carries listings for the week from Saturday to Friday. Originally, listings ran from Sunday to Saturday: the changeover meant 8 October 1960 was listed twice, in successive issues. Since Christmas 1969, a 14-day double-duration issue has been published each December ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Running Gags
A running gag, or running joke, is a literary device that takes the form of an amusing joke or a comical reference and appears repeatedly throughout a work of literature or other form of storytelling. Though they are similar, catchphrases are not considered to be running gags. Running gags can begin with an instance of unintentional humor that is repeated in variations as the joke grows familiar and audiences anticipate reappearances of the gag. The humor in a running gag may derive entirely from how often it is repeated, but the underlying statement or situation will always be some form of joke. A trivial statement will not become a running gag simply by being repeated. A running gag may also derive its humor from the (in)appropriateness of the situation in which it occurs, or by setting up the audience to expect another occurrence of the joke and then substituting something else (''bait and switch''). Running gags are found in everyday life, live theater, live comedy, televisi ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
The Office (British TV Series)
''The Office'' is a British mockumentary television British sitcom, sitcom first broadcast in the UK on BBC Two on 9 July 2001. Created, written and directed by Ricky Gervais and Stephen Merchant, it follows the day-to-day lives of office employees in the Slough branch of the fictional Wernham Hogg paper company. Gervais also starred in the series as the central character, David Brent. When it was first shown on BBC Two, ratings were relatively low, but it has since become one of the most successful of all British comedy exports. As well as being shown internationally on BBC Worldwide and channels such as BBC Prime, BBC America, and BBC Canada, it has been sold to broadcasters in over 80 countries, including ABC1 in Australia, The Comedy Network in Canada, TVNZ in New Zealand, and the pan-Asian satellite television, satellite channel Star World, based in Hong Kong. It was shown in the United States on BBC America from 2001 to 2016, and later on Cartoon Network's late night prog ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Blackadder
''Blackadder'' is a series of four Period piece, period British sitcoms - ''The Black Adder'', ''Blackadder II'', ''Blackadder the Third'' and ''Blackadder Goes Forth'' - plus several one-off instalments, which originally aired on BBC1 from 1983 to 1989. All television episodes starred Rowan Atkinson as the antihero Edmund Blackadder and Tony Robinson as Blackadder's dogsbody, Baldrick. Each series was set in a different historical period, with the two protagonists accompanied by different characters, though several reappear in one series or another, e.g., Tim McInnerny as Lord Percy Percy, Percy and Captain Kevin Darling, Darling, Stephen Fry as Melchett (Blackadder), Melchett, and Hugh Laurie as George (Blackadder), George. The first series was written by Richard Curtis and Atkinson, while the subsequent three series were written by Curtis and Ben Elton. All four series were produced by John Lloyd (producer), John Lloyd. In 2000, ''Blackadder Goes Forth'' ranked at 16 in the ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Soliloquy
A soliloquy (, from Latin 'alone' and 'to speak', ) is a speech in drama in which a character speaks their thoughts aloud, typically while alone on stage. It serves to reveal the character's inner feelings, motivations, or plans directly to the audience, providing information that would not otherwise be accessible through dialogue with other characters. They are used as a Plot device, narrative device to deepen character development, advance the plot, and offer the audience a clearer understanding of the psychological or emotional state of the speaker. Soliloquies are distinguished from monologues by their introspective nature and by the absence or disregard of other characters on the stage. The soliloquy became especially prominent during the English Renaissance theatre, Elizabethan and Jacobean periods, when playwrights used it as a means to explore complex human emotions and ethical dilemmas. William Shakespeare employed soliloquies extensively in his plays, using them to ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Aside
An aside is a dramatic device in which a character speaks to the audience. By convention, the audience is to realize that the character's speech is unheard by the other characters on stage. It may be addressed to the audience expressly (in character or out) or represent an unspoken thought. An aside is usually a brief comment rather than a speech, such as a monologue or soliloquy. The aside was used by Ian Richardson's character Francis Urquhart in the 1990 BBC mini-series '' House of Cards'', as well as by Kevin Spacey's character Frank Underwood in the 2013 Netflix original series of the same name. It can be used to explain the often complex politics on the show, describe what the character's plans/emotions are or simply for humorous effect. It was also used by Michaela Coel’s character Tracey in the Channel 4 comedy series ''Chewing Gum''; and by the titular character in '' Fleabag'', written and played by Phoebe Waller-Bridge. References * Bevington, David (1962 ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Richard III (play)
''The Tragedy of Richard the Third'', often shortened to ''Richard III'', is a play by William Shakespeare, which depicts the Niccolò_Machiavelli, Machiavellian rise to power and subsequent short reign of King Richard III of England. It was probably written . It is labelled a Shakespearean history, history in the First Folio, and is usually considered one, but it is sometimes called a Shakespearean tragedy, tragedy, as in the quarto edition. ''Richard III'' concludes Shakespeare's first tetralogy which also contains ''Henry VI, Part 1'', ''Henry VI, Part 2'', and ''Henry VI, Part 3''. It is the second longest play in the Shakespeare's plays, Shakespearean canon and is the longest of the First Folio, whose version of ''Hamlet'', otherwise the longest, is shorter than its quarto counterpart. The play is often abridged for brevity, and peripheral characters removed. In such cases, extra lines are often invented or added from elsewhere to establish the nature of the characters' rel ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Henry VI (play)
''Henry VI'' is a series of three history plays by William Shakespeare, set during the lifetime of King Henry VI of England. '' Henry VI, Part 1'' deals with the loss of England's French territories and the political machinations leading up to the Wars of the Roses, as the English political system is torn apart by personal squabbles and petty jealousy; '' Henry VI, Part 2'' depicts the King's inability to quell the bickering of his nobles, and the inevitability of armed conflict; and ''Henry VI, Part 3'' deals with the horrors of that conflict. Plot summary Analysis Since the seventeenth century shakespeare editors and scholars have agreed, although not without dissent (e.g., from Alexander, who maintained that '' Henry VI, Part 1'' was by Shakespeare alone), that the three ''Henry VI'' plays were the outcomes of collaborations between two or more playwrights, with Shakespeare's contributions being of varying scope and type. The nature of the collaborations is impossib ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Romeo And Juliet
''The Tragedy of Romeo and Juliet'', often shortened to ''Romeo and Juliet'', is a Shakespearean tragedy, tragedy written by William Shakespeare about the romance between two young Italians from feuding families. It was among Shakespeare's most popular plays during his lifetime and, along with ''Hamlet'', is one of his most frequently performed. Today, the Title character, title characters are regarded as Archetype, archetypal young lovers. ''Romeo and Juliet'' belongs to a tradition of tragic Romance (love), romances stretching back to Ancient history, antiquity. The plot is based on an Italian tale written by Matteo Bandello, translated into verse as ''The Tragical History of Romeus and Juliet'' by Arthur Brooke (poet), Arthur Brooke in 1562, and retold in prose in ''Palace of Pleasure'' by William Painter (author), William Painter in 1567. Shakespeare borrowed heavily from both but expanded the plot by developing a number of supporting characters, in particular Mercutio a ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Harry Enfield
Henry Richard Enfield (born 30 May 1961) is an English comedian. He is known in particular for his television work, including '' Harry Enfield's Television Programme'', '' Harry Enfield & Chums'' and '' Harry & Paul'', across which he created and portrayed comedy characters such as Kevin the Teenager, Loadsamoney, Smashie and Nicey, The Scousers, Tim Nice-But-Dim and Mr "You Don't Want to Do It Like That". Early life Born in Horsham, Sussex, he is the eldest of four children (and only son) of English television, radio and newspaper journalist and presenter Edward Enfield and his wife, Deirdre Jenkins. The Enfield family are descendants of the nineteenth-century philanthropist Edward Enfield. He was educated at the independent Arundale School in Pulborough, Dorset House School, Worth School, Collyer's Sixth Form College (all in West Sussex) and the University of York, where he was a member of Derwent College and studied politics. He squatted in Hackney and worked f ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
John Shakespeare
John Shakespeare ( – 7 September 1601) was an English businessman and politician who was the father of William Shakespeare. Active in Stratford-upon-Avon, he was a glover and whittawer ( leather worker) by trade. Shakespeare was elected to several municipal offices, serving as an alderman and culminating in a term as bailiff, the chief magistrate of the town council, and mayor of Stratford in 1568, before he fell on hard times for reasons unknown. His fortunes later revived and he was granted a coat of arms five years before his death, probably at the instigation and expense of his son, the actor and playwright. He married Mary Arden, with whom he had eight children, five of whom survived into adulthood. Career and municipal responsibilities He was the son of Richard Shakespeare of the Warwickshire village of Snitterfield, a farmer. John Shakespeare moved to Stratford-upon-Avon in 1551, where he became a successful businessman involved in several related occupations. ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
