Upstart Crow

Will Shakespeare is desperate to make a good impression with the College of Heralds so he can get his family a coat of arms and finally make the Shakespeares posh. The only problem is that his deadly rival Robert Greene is the Master of Heralds. But when a dashing African Prince comes to town by the name of Otello, Will suddenly sees a way to make a favourable impression amongst the gentry. Meanwhile, Otello has made a very favourable impression on the heart of Will's friend Kate and the stage seems to be set for Robert Greene to stir up a little jealousy.

Will has to confront a demon from his past when his former schoolmaster comes to stay uninvited, much to the disgust of his wife Anne. Meanwhile Marlowe is on the hunt for Roman Catholic spies - but he seems to be rather more interested in ale and pies.

Will's desperate to find a new idea for his next play, when it turns out his new patron only likes romances set in exotic foreign locations. But when Marlowe and Kate look like they might be falling for each other he comes up with an ingenious plan to help his friends and find some inspiration. All aboard for a budget trip to Verona!

Will makes theatrical history by inventing the greatest hits musical. All he has to do is get hold of the madrigal back catalogue of Elizabethan England's greatest song writer, Thomas Morley.

Will is thrilled with his new play The Taming of the Shrew in which a bright and strong-minded young woman is crushed and humiliated into submission by the man in her life. For some reason Kate is less than impressed, and back in Stratford his wife Anne isn't convinced either. Will thinks the solution is to try out a bit of 'taming' on his very stroppy teenage daughter Susannah. But it turns out what works in a play doesn't always work out quite so well when it comes to real life.

Romeo and Juliet is finally finished, and the only problem is now who will play the young lovers. Burbage and Condell see themselves in the title roles of course, but is there a polite way for Will to tell them they may no longer look like young teenage lovers? Kate would give anything to take to the stage, but she can't possibly be Juliet as she's a girl, and lady-acting is illegal in Tudor England.