Kenneth Branagh and Lily Cole Join the Cast of BBC's 'Upstart Crow'

Deadline has reported that Kenneth Branagh and Lily Cole have been confirmed to join the cast of BBC's Shakespearean comedy Upstart Crow. Cole will be playing Ephie, and Branagh will be playing a mysterious stranger on the show's upcoming third series, which airs on Amazon. Other upcoming guest stars include Adrian Edmondson, Montserat Lombard, and Ben Miller.

This series will follow the first ever performance of Julius Caesar and Shakespeare's writing of The Merchant of Venice. It will air on BBC Two this year.

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Upstart Crow is a British sitcom which premiered on 9 May 2016 at 10pm on BBC Two as part of the commemorations of the 400th anniversary of the death of William Shakespeare. 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.

It is scripted by Ben Elton and 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. All episodes are directed by Matt Lipsey.