BBC fans are “obsessed” with one Shakespeare adaptation released in 2015. Putting a new spin on the playwright William Shakespeare’s life and times, the comedy film Bill is set during his “lost years”, which are still a mystery to scholars to this day. The eponymous Bill rises from obscurity in Stratford-upon-Avon to become the country’s most famous playwright.

Produced by the same team behind Horrible Histories and Yonderland, the film stars Mathew Baynton, Simon Farnaby, Jim Howick and Martha Howe-Douglas. Billed as – pardon the pun – the “real story” following “hopeless lute player Bill Shakespeare, [who] leaves his family and home to follow his dream. It’s a tale of murderous kings, spies, lost loves and a plot to blow up Queen Elizabeth I.”

The film borrows from tried and tested tropes first seen in Monty Python, with the six main cast members playing 40 different roles in total.

Reviews praised the “hilarious” movie, with one IMDb user writing: “Bill is a funny movie that appeals on two levels. As an adult, I like comedy that refers to real historic events and people. But I imagine children will also enjoy the silly acting and more obvious jokes. I am an old fan of Monty Python and see similarities to that style.”

“Unlike similar takes on history by Monty Python, this film does have a real plot. Actually, the plot is even twisted and well crafted like a work of Shakespeare himself, around whom the plot is centred,” someone else agreed.

Another fan wrote: “This movie was such a delightfully funny surprise. Reminiscent of Monty Python fare and wit, it totally cracked me up.

“Well executed, well paced, and well cast, and served up with ridiculous irreverent perfection. I got the feeling they were loving what they were doing – and I loved it too.”