Film

Bill

Name: Bill
Genre: Comedy, Family
Released: 2015
Cast: Mathew Baynton, Simon Farnaby, Martha Howe-Douglas, Jim Howick, Laurence Rickard

Comedy
Light-hearted

A fizzing period comedy about the teenage Shakespeare's misadventures across Elizabethan Europe, searching for artistic inspiration while accidentally stumbling into espionage and romance. Made by the brilliant British troupe Horrible Histories, it's cheerful chaos with real affection for both Shakespeare and history. Funny for adults, accessible for smart kids.

TMDb rating

3.4

Should you watch it?

Watch it if you like broad, silly historical farce, where an earnest fool bumbles through Elizabethan intrigue and every gag lands with cheerful, cartoonish confidence.

Skip it if you find big, mugging performances tiring, or wanted a serious account of the playwright's life; the humour is broad and rarely subtle.

What it asks of you: Brisk at ninety-four minutes, it keeps the gags coming, rewarding a relaxed evening over close attention; the tone stays bright and silly throughout.

Not sure? Find tonight's pick in a minute.

If you liked this

Horrible Histories: The Movie — Rotten Romans2019

Same cast, same anarchic energy, same knack for making history a raucous celebration rather than a sermon. If you loved Bill's sketch-within-sketch structure and absurdist humour, this delivers it with the same confidence.

But The rapid-fire gags and shifting tones demand your full attention; if you prefer comedy to land in silence rather than pile up, this will feel exhausting.

Horrible Histories: The Movie — Rotten Romans poster

The Lego Movie2014

Shares Bill's willingness to be structurally messy in the name of joy—pop-culture references, fourth-wall nudges, and genuine heart underneath the chaos. Both films trust their audience to keep up.

But The relentless cheerfulness can feel saccharine if you're not in the mood for wholesomeness wrapped around the jokes.

Shakespeare in Love1998

Another romantic comedy built on Shakespeare's 'Lost Years', but glossy and swoony where Bill is scruffy and chaotic. A good counterpoint if you want to see how differently the same historical gap can be filled.

But It's earnestly romantic and occasionally sentimental—the opposite tonal register from Bill's screwball energy.

Not sure tonight? Get a pick in a minute, starting from Bill

The wildcard

Something you would not have found on your own.

The NeverEnding Story1984

Both centre a young person discovering that storytelling is not ornamental but necessary, and that the act of creation reshapes reality.

A fantasy film about a boy reading a story that asks what stories are for and who gets to tell them. Bill is fundamentally about Shakespeare's relationship with language and invention, and this is the purest film expression of that same question: imagination as survival.

But It's entirely sincere about its metaphysics, with no jokes as cushioning—the cosmic stakes might feel heavy if you're coming for scrappy comedy.

Monty Python and the Holy Grail1975

The spiritual ancestor of British sketch comedy in film form. Same commitment to sustained silliness, anarchic logic, and the idea that history is better as a punchline than a lesson.

But Older comedy can feel dated; this one mostly doesn't, but the rhythm and references are unmistakably 1975.

What We Do in the Shadows2014

A mockumentary that plays the same game as Bill: take a genre (vampire lore, history, whatever) and demolish it from the inside with warmth and genuine affection. Both films love what they're spoofing.

But Mockumentary format can feel self-satisfied in the wrong hands, and this one walks that line carefully enough that it might not land if you're skeptical from the start.

The Death of Stalin2017

Political satire played as dark farce, with the same willingness to scramble registers and let chaos reign. Both films believe that comedy is the sharpest tool for handling power and absurdity.

But This one is far darker and more viciously political; if you're looking for Bill's lighter touch, you'll feel the tonal shift immediately.

The Personal History of David Copperfield2019

A period adaptation that refuses to be reverential, casting against type and treating Dickens like a playground. Both films believe history is more fun when you don't behave.

But It's more visually ambitious and less jokey than Bill, so the tone shift might feel like a step towards seriousness.

The Personal History of David Copperfield poster

Kinky Boots2005

Feel-good film about outsiders and found family with tremendous warmth and a willingness to be silly without apology. Similar commitment to likeability and genuine heart beneath the comedy.

But Contemporary setting and a very different kind of humour; if you're specifically after historical comedy, this won't scratch that itch.

My Fair Lady1964

Both are obsessed with language as identity, and with the idea that how you speak determines who you are allowed to become.

A musical about transformation through language and performance, where learning to speak 'correctly' is really about becoming a new person. Bill chases this same question—how does language make us? What happens when you learn to speak differently?—but through farce instead of romance.

But Nearly three and a half hours of lavish, stately musical theatre. If you want lightweight, this is the opposite.

Pennies from Heaven1978

Both explore the relationship between storytelling and survival—what stories do for people who feel trapped or overlooked, and why art matters when material life is hard.

A harsh, tender drama about a sheet-music salesman in Depression-era America who escapes into song and cinema. It's about the hunger for beauty and narrative when your actual life is bleak. Bill is lighter, but they're both asking: why do we need stories? What do they give us that reality doesn't?

But It's a five-episode miniseries built on melancholy and regret, not jokes. Entirely different emotional register from Bill's cheerfulness.

People

Cast

Mathew BayntonWilliam 'Bill' Shakespeare / Lord Burghley / English Messenger / Customs Official
Simon FarnabyEarl of Croydon / Juan Domingo / Sausage / Dmitri Alexandrovitch / Fur Seller
Martha Howe-DouglasAnne Hathaway / Molly / Spanish Courtier / Body Collector
Jim HowickChristopher Marlowe / Gabriel Montoya / Cynical Jester / Palace Doorman / Mysterious Man / Even Grubbier Thief / Party Planner
Laurence RickardSir Francis Walsingham / Lope Lopez / Stand-Up Jester / Chatty Guard / Slightly Late Courtier / Ian / Hanging Criminal / Chicken Drumstick
Ben WillbondKing Phillip II of Spain / Earl of Southampton / Grubby Thief / Alexander Dimitrievitch / Head of Guards
Helen McCroryQueen Elizabeth I
Damian LewisSir Richard Hawkins
Justin EdwardsSir Francis Drake
Rufus JonesSir Walter Raleigh
John Henry FalleMiguel
Jamie DemetriouSergio