Blackadder

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For other uses, see Blackadder (disambiguation).
Blackadder

Left to right: (Back) Tim McInnerny: Stephen Fry and Hugh Laurie, (Front) Rowan Atkinson and Tony Robinson in Blackadder Goes Forth
Genre Situation comedy
Running time 30 minutes
Creator(s) Richard Curtis & Rowan Atkinson
Starring Rowan Atkinson
Tony Robinson
Tim McInnerny
Hugh Laurie
Brian Blessed
Miranda Richardson
Stephen Fry
Gabrielle Glaister
Patsy Byrne
Rik Mayall
Helen Atkinson-Wood
Country of origin United Kingdom
Original channel BBC One
Original run 15 June 1983–2 November 1989
No. of episodes 24

Blackadder is the generic name that encompasses four series of an acclaimed BBC One historical sitcom, along with several one-off installments. The first series was written by Richard Curtis and Rowan Atkinson, while subsequent episodes were written by Curtis and Ben Elton. The shows were produced by John Lloyd, and starred Rowan Atkinson as the eponymous anti-hero, Edmund Blackadder, and Tony Robinson as his sidekick/dogsbody, Baldrick.

In 2000, Blackadder Goes Forth ranked at #16 in the "100 Greatest British Television Programmes", a list created by the British Film Institute. Also in the 2004 TV poll to find "Britain's Best Sitcom", Blackadder was voted the second best British sitcom of all time, beaten by Only Fools and Horses.

Contents

[edit] Overview

Although each series is set in a different historical period, all follow the fortunes (or, rather, misfortunes) of Edmund Blackadder (played by Atkinson), who in each is a member of an English family dynasty present at many significant periods and places in British history. Although his intelligence levels rise over the course of the series (the character starts as being quite unintelligent in the first and gradually becomes smarter and more perceptive through each passing generation while ironically depressing in social status), each Blackadder is similar in that they are all cynical cowardly opportunists concerned with maintaining and increasing their own status and fortunes in life, regardless of their surroundings. In each series, however, Blackadder is usually a cynical (almost modern) voice puncturing the pretentions and stupidity of those around him, and what might - through modern eyes - be seen as the more ludicrous and insane follies of history (from the cruel and unjust medieval religious witch-hunts and the petty whims and insanities of various British monarchs to the pointless bloodshed of World War I).

The lives of the four Blackadders are also entwined with their servants, all called Baldrick (played by Robinson), who in each generation acts as Blackadder's dogsbody/punching bag and who decreases in intelligence (and in personal hygiene standards) just as his master's intellect increases. Each Blackadder and Baldrick are also saddled with the company of a dim-witted aristocrat (whom, remarkably, even the more idiotic Baldricks are usually much smarter than) whose presence Blackadder must somehow tolerate. In the first two seasons, this role was taken by Lord Percy Percy (Tim McInnerny), whereas this position was assumed in the third season by Prince George (Hugh Laurie) and Lieutenant George, again played by Laurie, in the fourth (see George (Blackadder character)).

Each series was set in a different period of English history, beginning in 1485 and ending in 1917 (with one special set on New Year's Eve 1999) comprising six half-hour episodes. The first series, made in 1983, was called The Black Adder. This was followed by Blackadder II in 1986, Blackadder the Third in 1987, and finally Blackadder Goes Forth in 1989. In addition to these, three specials were also made: "Blackadder: The Cavalier Years" appeared as a 15-minute insert during the 1988 Comic Relief telethon; Blackadder's Christmas Carol was a 45-minute Christmas installment, broadcast the same year; and Blackadder: Back & Forth was a 30-minute film originally shown in a special cinema at the Millennium Dome throughout 2000, and later transmitted by Sky and the BBC. A pilot episode was filmed in 1982, but has never been shown on television. In it Baldrick was played by a different actor (Philip Fox), and its plot was re-used for the episode "Born To Be King" in Series 1. Although DVD releases never include the pilot (Atkinson specifically prevents it from being distributed, because he fears the reputation of the pilot will overshadow his acting skills in it), copies are known to circulate among fans.

[edit] Developments over the series

It is implied in each series that the Blackadder character is a distant descendant of the previous one. This would apparently contradict the fact that the first two Blackadders died without having fathered any children (it was even stated in "The Queen of Spain's Beard" (1.4) that Edmund was a virgin), although, as stated in another episode, he may have had relations with an old hag.

With each observed generation, his social standing is reduced, from prince, to lord, to royal butler, before he moves upward to regular army captain in Blackadder Goes Forth and King of modern Britain in "Back and Forth". However, he concurrently goes from being an incompetent fool (in the first series) to an ever more devious strategist in matters that affect him. The Macbeth-inspired witches, in "The Foretelling" (1.1) (thinking he is, in fact, Henry Tudor), promise that one day Blackadder will be king and, in "Bells" (2.1), the 'wise woman' says "thou plottest Blackadder: thou wouldst be King!" In the first series, Edmund does become king for less than a minute, but then dies after succumbing to some poisoned wine; a fact alluded to in the closing credits song in "Head" (2.2):

His great-grandfather was a king
Although for only thirty seconds

In the second series, Blackadder comes very close to marrying Elizabeth I but fails. At the end of Blackadder the Third, the character assumes the role of Prince Regent after the real prince is killed in a duel with the Duke of Wellington and so presumably ascends the throne as George IV. After his general decline in status through the series, Blackadder, or at least the descendant of the original, finally becomes absolute monarch in Blackadder: Back & Forth through manipulation of the timeline. A Grand Admiral Blackadder of the far future is also seen in the Christmas special, and his status further rises when he manages to achieve control of the entire universe upon marrying Queen Asphyxia XIX. However, while Prince Edmund Plantagenet adopts the title "The Black Adder," Centurion Blacaddicus (presumably an ancestor) has it as a name. It may be a cognomen, a nickname at the end of a Roman man's name.

[edit] Comparison over the series

The first series, written by Curtis and Atkinson and without the involvement of Ben Elton, is the most different from the three others. It is noticeable that, as Blackadder is more cunning in series two, so Baldrick develops even further into a dimwit. It is clear that in the first series, the latter is smarter than his superior, saving the day on several occasions, whereas Edmund is despised by all and never accomplishes a thing. In the unaired pilot episode these relations were different, more like Series Two, where Blackadder is not completely successful, but not completely ridiculous either.

The subsequent three series had a smaller budget and the main characters more or less stay at the same level of intelligence. The Back & Forth special hardly changes anything about the cast of Series 4 at all, except of course their time and place. With regard to Blackadder-Baldrick, this means their roles are slightly reversed from series 2 onwards. While at first it was Baldrick who had a cunning plan, later it is Blackadder who is the more sophisticated of the two. This doesn't stop Baldrick from presenting his own 'cunning' plans, however (which are usually more stupidly optimistic than cunning, but sometimes still work).

[edit] Similarities over the series

[edit] Theme tune

Howard Goodall's theme tune has the same melody throughout all the series, but is played in roughly the style of the period in which it is set (mostly with trumpets in The Black Adder; with a combination of recorder, string quartet and electric guitar in Blackadder II; on oboe, cello and harpsichord for Blackadder the Third; by a military band in Blackadder Goes Forth; sung by carol singers in Blackadder's Christmas Carol; and by an orchestra in Blackadder: The Cavalier Years and Blackadder: Back & Forth.[1].

[edit] Popularity and effects on popular culture

After the first series — which had enjoyed a considerable budget for a sitcom, and had been shot largely on location — the BBC decided not to take up the option of a follow-up. However, in 1984, Michael Grade took over as the controller of BBC One and, after talks with the Blackadder team, finally agreed that a second series could be made as long as the cost was dramatically cut. Blackadder II was therefore to be a studio-only production, with Ben Elton joining the writing team. Besides adding more jokes, Elton suggested a major change in character emphasis: Baldrick would become the stupid sidekick, while Edmund Blackadder evolved into a cunning sycophant. This led to the now familiar set-up that was maintained over all the following series. Only in the Back & Forth millennium special was the shooting once again on location, due to the fact that this was a production with a budget estimated at £3 million, and was a joint venture between Tiger Aspect, Sky Television, the New Millennium Experience Company and the BBC, rather than the BBC alone.

While each episode was plot-driven, they were still formulaic to a degree. For example, whenever Blackadder found himself in a difficult situation (as was the case most of the time), Baldrick would invariably suggest a solution, starting with the words, "I have a cunning plan". This became the character's catch phrase and, while his ideas were usually totally unhelpful, he would sometimes come up with a scheme that went towards saving the day.

[edit] Series and specials

See also: List of Blackadder episodes

[edit] Chronological order

Spoiler warning: Plot and/or ending details follow.

[edit] Series 1: The Black Adder

See also: List of Blackadder episodes#Series 1: The Black Adder (1983)

Set in the Middle Ages, this series is written as a secret history. It opens on 21 August 1485, eve of the Battle of Bosworth Field, which is represented as being won by Richard III (played by Peter Cook as being a rather nice man who doted on his nephews, contrary to the traditional and highly debatable view of him as a hunchbacked, infanticidal monster), instead of Henry Tudor who won in reality. After his victory, Richard III is then accidentally killed by Lord Edmund Plantagenet (Richard takes Blackadder's horse, which he thinks is a stray, but Edmund thinks he is stealing it, does not realise he is the king, and cuts his head off). The late King's nephew, Richard, Duke of York (played by Brian Blessed) who is Lord Edmund Plantagenet's (The Black Adder) father, is then crowned as Richard IV. Lord Edmund never took part in the battle (he arrived late and went the wrong way, but claimed to have killed four hundred and fifty peasants and several nobles, one of whom had actually been killed by his brother in the battle). This logical but very silly historical premise, combined with interwoven bits of Shakespeare, lends real intellectual delight and challenge to the humour.

Richard, Duke of York (one of the 'Princes in the Tower') was in reality only 12 years old (and perhaps two years dead) when the Battle of Bosworth Field took place in 1485, and so far too young to have had two grown up sons. This and other historical discrepancies don't detract from the comedy, though.

The series follows the fictitious reign of Richard IV (1485–98). Richard and his Queen Gertrude of Flanders, the Witch Queen, have two sons:

It is later revealed in the episode "Born to be King" that after Harry's birth and before Edmund's, Queen Gertrude had an affair with Donald McAngus, Third Duke of Argyll. There is a possibility that Edmund was this affair's result. If so, then Edmund is Harry's half-brother and also has another half-brother:

By the end of the series, events converge with our timeline, when King Richard IV and his entire family are poisoned, allowing Henry Tudor to take the throne as King Henry VII. He then proceeds to rewrite history, presenting Richard III as a monster, and eliminating Richard IV's reign from the history books.

In this series, the character of the Black Adder is somewhat different from later incarnations, being largely unintelligent and sniveling. The title of Laird of Roxburgh, Selkirk and Peebles may have been inspired by the then leader of the Liberal Party, David Steel, who was MP for that constituency when the series was written.

The character does evolve through the series, however, and he begins showing signs of what his descendants will be like by the final episode, where he begins insulting everyone around him and making his own plans. This evolution follows naturally from the character's situation. "The Black Adder" is the title that Edmund adopts during the first episode (after first considering "The Black Vegetable"). Presumably one of his descendants adopted it as a surname prior to Blackadder II, where the title character becomes "Edmund Blackadder". Edmund's father the king can never remember his name at all (usually he forgets that he even has a second son), calling him "Edwin", "Edward", "Enid", "Osmond" or "Edna". In the last moment before Edmund's death in the final episode, his father finally addresses him correctly and Edmund thanks him tearfully, asking to be remembered as Edmund the Black Adder. His father, mishearing him, says "Oh, I'm sorry, Edgar. Let the name Edgar, The Black Dagger, be known as long as our family exists!" Then, the whole family of Edmund drinks the poison wine and dies.

It is therefore interesting to note that the unaired pilot episode, covering the basic plot of "Born to be King", has some differences to the first series. Baldrick was played by Philip Fox, who was replaced by Tony Robinson. The King is played by John Savident (famous for playing Fred Elliot in the TV soap Coronation Street), while Percy was still played by Tim McInnerny. Rowan Atkinson speaks, dresses and generally looks and acts like the later Blackadder descendants of the second series onwards, but no reason is given as to why he was changed to a sniveling wretch for the first series. One assumes that the change was driven by the writing, which wouldn't have worked with a swaggering character in the lead.

Richard Curtis admitted in a 2004 documentary on the show that just before filming began, producer John Lloyd came up to him with Atkinson and asked what Edmund's character was. Curtis then realised that, despite writing some funny lines, he had no idea how Rowan Atkinson was supposed to play his part. This is typical of the slighting and dismissive remarks Curtis makes about this first series. One supposes that Atkinson, who co-wrote this series but not the later ones, came up with his characterization himself.

All the credits of this first series included "with additional dialogue by William Shakespeare" as famous quotes were worked in wherever possible.

The opening titles consisted of several stock shots of Edmund riding his horse on location, interspersed with different shots of him doing various silly things (and, usually, a shot of King Richard IV to go with Brian Blessed's credit). The closing titles were the same sequence of Edmund riding around, eventually falling off his horse, and then chasing after it. The theme tune also gained lyrics:

The sound of hoofbeats 'cross the glade,
Good folk, lock up your son and daughter,
Beware the deadly flashing blade,
Unless you want to end up shorter.
Black Adder, Black Adder, he rides a pitch black steed.
Black Adder, Black Adder, he's very bad indeed.
Black: his gloves of finest mole,
Black: his codpiece made of metal,
His horse is blacker than a vole, [often misquoted as "hole"]
His pot is blacker than his kettle.
Black Adder, Black Adder, with many a cunning plan.
Black Adder, Black Adder, you horrid little man.

At the end of the last episode, the lyrics are changed, and the theme is sung by a boy soprano at a slower pace in the style of a funeral ode:

So now, the wage of sin is paid:
The blade is still, the black horse grazes.
The only sound across the glade
Is Edmund pushing up the daisies.
Black Adder, Black Adder, a shame about the plan:
Black Adder, Black Adder: Farewell, you horrid man.

[edit] Series 2: Blackadder II

See also: List of Blackadder episodes#Series 2: Blackadder II (1986)
Some of the cast of Blackadder II
Enlarge
Some of the cast of Blackadder II

Blackadder II is set in England during the reign of Queen Elizabeth I (1558–1603), played by Miranda Richardson. The principal character is Edmund, Lord Blackadder, the great-grandson of the original Black Adder. During the series, he often comes into contact with the Queen, her pretentious Lord Chamberlain Lord Melchett and her demented former nanny Nursie.

Following the BBC's request for improvements to be made to the show, several changes were made. The second series was the first to establish the familiar character of Blackadder: cunning, shrewd and witty, in sharp contrast with Prince Edmund of the first series. To make the show more cost effective, it was also shot with far fewer outdoor scenes than the first series and several, frequently used, indoor scenes, such as the Queen's throne room and Blackadder's front room. Each episode in the series also features another unique location, from Bob's father's front room to a Spanish dungeon.

The opening titles are accompanied by a version of the Blackadder theme played on a recorder and an electric guitar, and feature a black snake (not actually an adder[citation needed]) slithering about on a chessboard. The snake is eventually removed and replaced with something related to the episode title, which in this series is always a single noun. The opening ominous violin music and imagery are a parody of the opening credits of the 1975 BBC television adaptation of Robert Graves' I, Claudius.

The closing titles use a different arrangement of the theme on various instruments, accompanied by a countertenor who sings lyrics reflecting the events of the preceding episode, over a shot of Blackadder strolling through a formal garden and being annoyed by a lute-wielding minstrel, presumably the singer. As each episode elapses, this sequence becomes a mini-series in its own right in which Blackadder constantly tries to apprehend the musician. At the end of the final episode, Blackadder catches the minstrel and dunks him into a fountain numerous times.

[edit] Series 3: Blackadder the Third

See also: List of Blackadder episodes#Series 3: Blackadder the Third (1987)

Blackadder the Third is set in the late 18th and early 19th centuries, a period known as the Regency. For much of this time, King George III was incapacitated due to poor mental health, and his son George, the Prince of Wales, acted as regent. From 1811 until his father's death in 1820, he was known as "the Prince Regent".

In the series, E. Blackadder Esquire is the butler to the Prince of Wales (the prince is played by Hugh Laurie as a complete fop and idiot). Despite Edmund's respected intelligence and abilities, he has no personal fortune to speak of. According to Edmund he has been serving the Prince Regent all their lives, since they were both breastfeeding (when he had to show the Prince which part of his mother was serving the drinks). There are three main sets: the Prince's quarters, which are large and lavish, the below-stairs kitchen hangout of Blackadder and Baldrick, which is dark and squalid, and finally Mrs. Miggins' coffeehouse (Mrs. Miggins' pie shop was a never-seen running gag in Blackadder II; she — or at least, a descendant of hers — is now finally shown).

As well as Rowan Atkinson and Tony Robinson in their usual roles, this series starred Hugh Laurie as the Prince Regent, and Helen Atkinson-Wood as Mrs. Miggins. The series features rotten boroughs, Dr. Samuel Johnson (played by Robbie Coltrane), the French Revolution (featuring Chris Barrie) and the Scarlet Pimpernel, over-the-top theatrical actors, squirrel-hating highwaymen, and a duel with the Duke of Wellington (played by Stephen Fry).

The last episode of the series also features Rowan Atkinson in the role of Blackadder's Scottish cousin MacAdder, supposedly a fierce swordsman. Interesting enough, this leads to a dialogue in which Atkinson is acting both parts. The special effects required for this dialogue far surpassed the budget of an ordinary episode, but Richard Curtis and Ben Elton excused that given that it was the season finale.

In one of the episodes, Caroline of Brunswick, the real life Prince George's future wife, is mentioned while Blackadder is searching for a possible bride of the prince. She is dismissed however, due to her terrible personality.

The opening theme is this time played on a harpsichord, oboe and cello over close-ups of Blackadder searching a book-case. The credits and title appear on some of the books' spines (along with humorous titles such as From Black Death to Blackadder, The Blackobite Rebellion of 1745 and The Encyclopædia Blackaddica). Hidden inside a hollow book, he finds a romance novel (complete with steamy cover art) bearing the episode's title, which is always a noun paired with another, derived from a cognate adjective. Example: "Sense and Senility" (based on the Jane Austen novel Sense and Sensibility. The closing credits are presented in the style of a theatre programme from a Regency-era play, and with an entirely new closing theme. Finally Blackadder finds fortune and ends up (permanently) posing as the Prince Regent after the real prince regent's untimely death by cannonball.

[edit] Series 4: Blackadder Goes Forth

See also: List of Blackadder episodes#Series 4: Blackadder Goes Forth (1989)

This series is set in 1917, on the Western Front in the trenches of the First World War. Another "big push" is planned, and Captain Blackadder's one goal is to avoid getting shot, so he plots ways to get out of it. Blackadder is joined by the idealistic Edwardian twit Lieutenant George (Hugh Laurie), and the world's worst cook, Private S. Baldrick. The first initial "S" is taken from the first episode of Season 3, in which Baldrick says he can't remember his first name, but assumes it must be "Sodoff", as when he introduces himself to people, they generally say, 'yes, we know: Sod off, Baldrick'. Loony General Melchett rallies his troops from a French mansion thirty-five miles from the front, where he is aided and abetted by his assistant, Captain Darling (Tim McInnerny), pencil-pusher supreme and Blackadder's nemesis, whose name is played on for maximum comedy value. The first five episode's titles are based on the pairing of a military rank, major, general, etc., and another word. (Ex. "Major Star", "Captain Cook", etc.) This format is not used in the final episode, titled "Goodbyeee". In a list of the 100 Greatest British Television Programmes drawn up by the British Film Institute in 2000, voted for by industry professionals, Blackadder Goes Forth was placed 16th.

Captain Darling's name was originally intended to be Captain Cartwright, until Stephen Fry remembered a boy at his school called 'Darling', and this new name was played. Cartwright is still used in Major Star, after 'Georgina', who is really George in a dress, is 'killed' to stop Melchett from marrying him/her. Blackadder and George think of new people to be their leading lady, and George mentions Corporal Cartwright as one of his suggestions.

The theme tune here was played by a military band (in this case the Band of the 3rd Battalion, the Royal Anglian Regiment) over opening title images of Blackadder and George parading their men past Melchett and Darling, while Baldrick plays the triangle. The music starts with the opening bars of 'The British Grenadiers' before segueing into the familiar Blackadder theme. In the closing credits, the full Blackadder theme plays as the men march off down the parade ground. Of note is that the titles here are presented as static captions instead of being rolled as on the previous three series, and that the crew credits are presented in pseudo-military fashion: for example, the designer is credited thus: ' Dgr – 404371 Hull, C '. Also of note is that the opening sequence is filmed in colour, while the closing sequence is filmed in grainy, streaky sepia.

[edit] Moral messages

Blackadder Goes Forth in general has a very potent anti-war message presented as absurdist comedy. In the episode "Corporal Punishment", Blackadder justifies the shooting for food of a carrier pigeon (which turns out to be Melchett's pet) by saying, "With 50,000 men killed a week, who's going to miss a pigeon?" (That episode, which features Blackadder being sentenced to death by firing squad for said act — although not executed — is in many ways a parody of the equally cynical film and novel Paths of Glory).

The tactics of Field Marshal Sir Douglas Haig (who appears in the show's final episode played by Geoffrey Palmer) that resulted in hundreds of thousands of British deaths (particularly at Passchendale and the Somme) are continually referenced and criticised by the characters. Blackadder himself describes Haig's 'master plans' as 'everyone climbing out their trenches and walking very slowly towards the enemy' which he claims is to be repeated 'until everyone is dead except for Field Marshall Haig, Lady Haig and their tortoise Alan'. In Goodbyeee..., there is even a scene which shows Haig's 'tactical planning', with the General playing with toy soldiers, which he sweeps nonchalantly from trench to trench, and then onto the floor while listening to Blackadder's plea to get out of the final push on the phone.

In "Private Plane", after receiving word that Blackadder and Baldrick may have been killed when shot down over German lines, Melchett tries to cheer George up by showing a life-size model (measuring seventeen square feet) of land recaptured by the British ("It's superbly detailed — look, there's a little worm," remarks Darling). In "Goodbyeee..." there is philosophising about World War I in general, including truthful and satirical musings about why the war started and the degree to which British soldiers have been suffering over its course, as well as discussing the Christmas truce of 1914. (As Blackadder said, "Both sides advanced further during one Christmas piss-up than they did in the next two and a half years of war.")

The final episode of this series, the aforementioned "Goodbyeee...", is known for being extraordinarily poignant for a comedy — especially the final scene, which sees the main characters (Blackadder, Baldrick, George, and Darling) finally venturing forward and charging off to die in the fog and smoke of no man's land. (Melchett remains at his office but blithely orders a reluctant Darling to fight with the others.) At one point, when the artillery goes silent the comment "The Great War 1914 to 1917" is spoken by Captain Darling. Blackadder's final line is poignant, offered after Baldrick claims to have one last cunning plan to stop them advancing (at which point a RSM-type command voice orders the men to "Stand ready", then to ascend to the fire step, before going over the top):

"Well, I am afraid it will have to wait. Whatever it was, I am sure it was better than my plan to get out of this by pretending to be mad. I mean, who would have noticed another madman around here? Good luck everyone."

"Goodbyeee..." also had no closing titles, simply fading from the protagonists charging across no man's land under fire, to a field of poppies in the sunlight: an obvious reference to the poem "In Flanders Fields". "Goodbyee" was the title of a popular song during the First World War (Bob can be heard singing a snippet of this song off-camera in the episode "Major Star".) It also sounds similar to Queenie's "Byeee" in her letter to Ludwig (in the second season episode "Chains") in which she refuses to pay the ransom to release Melchett and Blackadder. The episode was shown on 2 November 1989 — nine days before Armistice Day.

[edit] Specials

[edit] The Pilot Episode

Main article: Prince Edmund (Blackadder Pilot)

The Blackadder pilot was shot but never aired in the UK. One notable difference in the pilot, as in many pilots, is the casting. Baldrick is played not by Tony Robinson, but by Philip Fox. The script of the pilot is roughly the same as the episode Born to be King, albeit with some different jokes, with some jokes appearing in other episodes of the series.[2]

[edit] "Blackadder: The Cavalier Years"

Main article: Blackadder: The Cavalier Years

This takes place at the time of the English Civil War. It is a short episode, shown as part of Comic Relief's Red Nose Day in 1988.

The 15-minute episode was set in November 1648, during the last days of the Civil War. Sir Edmund Blackadder and his servant, Baldrick, are the last two men loyal to the defeated King Charles I of England (played by Stephen Fry). They have given refuge to the King in Blackadder Hall. Edmund remains loyal because as a known royalist he sees the King as his only hope of survival and also because of his fear of a hideous age of Puritanism, full of moral prohibitions (as he describes it). However, due to a misunderstanding between Oliver Cromwell and Baldrick, the King is arrested and sent to the Tower of London. The rest of the episode revolves around Blackadder's attempts to save the king, as well as improve his standing.

BBC One, Friday 5 February 1988, 9.45–10pm

[edit] "Blackadder's Christmas Carol"

Main article: Blackadder's Christmas Carol

The second special was broadcast in 1988. In a twist on Charles Dickens' A Christmas Carol, Ebenezer Blackadder is the "kindest and loveliest" man in England, and could be considered to be the 'white sheep' of the Blackadder Family. One of the ghosts that so effectively convinced Ebenezer Scrooge to change his miserly ways reluctantly displays for this Blackadder the contrary antics of his ancestors and descendants, causing him to proclaim, "Bad guys have all the fun" and adopt the personality viewers are more familiar with.

BBC One, Friday 23 December 1988, 9.30–10.15pm

[edit] The Shakespeare Sketch

A short sketch made in 1989 with Hugh Laurie as William Shakespeare and Rowan Atkinson as Blackadder (currently Shakespeare's agent). Blackadder complains that at five hours Hamlet is too long and that they need to cut out "some of the dead wood".

[edit] "Blackadder and the King's Birthday"

A short sketch with Rowan Atkinson as Lord Blackadder and Stephen Fry as King Charles II was performed at the Prince of Wales' 50th Birthday Gala. It was televised on ITV (in the UK) on 14 November 1998.

[edit] "Woman's Hour Invasion"

Woman's Hour is a show on BBC Radio 4 consisting of reports, interviews and debates aimed at women, and also includes short serials during the last quarter of the show. On one instance of the show, Blackadder and Baldrick show up, travel back in time and talk to Shakespeare and others.

The purpose of the "invasion" was to raise money for Children In Need. [3]

[edit] "Blackadder: The Army Years"

The Royal Variety Performance 2000. A short sketch with Rowan Atkinson as the modern-day Lord Edmund Blackadder of Her Royal Highness's regiment of shirkers. The sketch was written and introduced by Ben Elton.

[edit] "Blackadder: Back & Forth"

Main article: Blackadder: Back & Forth

Blackadder: Back & Forth was originally shown in the Millennium Dome in 2000, followed by a screening on Sky One in the same year (and later on BBC1). It is set on the turn of the millennium, and features Lord Blackadder placing a bet with his friends — modern versions of Queenie (Miranda Richardson), Melchett (Stephen Fry), George (Hugh Laurie) and Darling (Tim McInnerny) — that he has built a working time machine. While this is intended as a clever con trick, the machine, surprisingly, does work, sending Blackadder and Baldrick back to the time of the dinosaurs, where they manage to cause the extinction of the dinosaurs, through the use of Baldrick's best, worst and only pair of underpants as a weapon against a hungry T.Rex.

Attempting to find their way home, they find themselves unable to (as Baldrick did not complete the machine's controls) and instead land at the court of Elizabeth I, where they are mistaken for the contemporary versions, and Blackadder takes the opportunity to assault William Shakespeare (Colin Firth) "on behalf of every schoolboy and schoolgirl for the next 400 years". They next arrive in Sherwood Forest where Blackadder, held hostage by Robin Hood (Rik Mayall, portrayed here as a generation of another Blackadder character, Lord Flashheart), talks the Merry Men into revolt. They eventually kill Robin and, after spending some time in the forest — in Edmund's case, with Maid Marian (Kate Moss) and in Baldrick's, with Will Scarlet, they return to the machine.

The duo have brief stopovers at the Battle of Waterloo, where they accidentally kill Wellington (Stephen Fry), and in Roman Britain, where Centurion Blacaddicus and Legionary Baldricus face the Scots, before they finally find their way home, thanks to Baldrick's cunning plan of sticking his head into the toilet and seeing where the switches were when his life flashes before his eyes.

After returning home to a French-ruled Britain where no-one's heard of Shakespeare or Robin Hood, Blackadder quickly returns to the machine and restores history. Upon his second return, the others comment that a machine like that could be dangerous in the wrong hands. This gives Blackadder a very cunning plan indeed, and he excuses himself while the others watch the Millennium celebrations on television.

The television shows King Edmund III and Queen Marian of Sherwood arriving at the Millennium Dome to be greeted by Prime Minister Baldrick. The Blackadders have finally achieved their destiny.

"Let joy fill every Briton's heart;
For now our country's going to make it;
At last a King who looks the part;
At last a Queen who looks good naked."
"Blackadder, Blackadder;
A monarch with panache!;
Blackadder, Blackadder;
He's got a nice moustache!"
"Everything he wants, he'll get;
The world is now Blackadder's oyster;
Most prime ministers are wet;
But Baldrick, he is even moister!"
"Blackadder, Blackadder;
A dog who's got his bone!;
Blackadder, Blackadder;
A bastard on the throne!"
"Blackadder, Blackadder;
His beard is neatly curled!;
Blackadder, Blackadder;
He's going to rule the world!"

[edit] "The Jubilee Girl"

The Jubilee Girl was a 29 December 2002 BBC special about Queen Elizabeth II's Golden Jubilee Concert. The concert was hosted by Sir Osmond-Darling Blackadder (Keeper of Her Majesty's Lawn Sprinklers) and Dame Edna Everage. Earlier, a BBC "advertisement" for the celebrations also featured this incarnation of Blackadder, in which Sir Osmond is told to announce the event, even though he thinks it is a terrible idea:

We don't want thousands of people wandering around here willy-nilly, leaving orange peel on the petunias and frightening the corgies.
I said to her, I said, you're the Queen, not Fatboy Slim.
Spoilers end here.

[edit] A fifth series?

In January 2005, Tony Robinson told ITV's This Morning that Rowan Atkinson is more keen than he has been in the past to do a fifth series, set in the 1960s (centered around a rock band called the "Black Adder Five", with Baldrick — aka 'Bald Rick' — as the drummer) [4]. However, aside from a brief mention in June 2005 [5] there have been no further announcements from the BBC that a new series is being planned. Furthermore, in November 2005, Rowan Atkinson told BBC Breakfast that although he would very much like to do a new series set in Colditz or another prisoner-of-war camp during World War Two, the chances of it happening are extremely low [4]. There were a couple of ideas that had previously floated for the fifth series. Batadder was intended to be a parody of Batman with Baldrick as the counterpart of Robin (suggested by John Lloyd). This idea eventually came to surface as part of the Comic Relief sketch "Spider-Plant Man" in 2005, with Atkinson as the title hero, Robinson as Robin, Jim Broadbent as Batman and Rachel Stevens as Jane Mary. Star Adder was to be set in space in the future (suggested by Atkinson).[6]

[edit] Film

In June 2006, Rowan Atkinson (while filming Mr. Bean's Holiday in France) mentioned the possibility of a feature length version set during the Russian Revolution. Stephen Fry has expressed the view that, since the series went out on such a good "high", a film might not be a good idea.[7]

[edit] Anachronism

Main article: Historical anomalies in Blackadder

The Blackadder series contain many instances of anachronism or anachronistic references. For example:

  • In The Black Adder, the Duke of Edinburgh is one of Edmund's titles. However, Scotland had a separate monarchy at this point, and this title had not yet been created.
  • In several episodes of Blackadder II, Blackadder and others use the term dago to refer to the Spanish, even though this term did not come into being until the 1800s.
  • Blackadder the Third encompasses many historical persons and events from throughout the reign of George III (1760–1820) and even beyond, despite the appearance of taking place over a relatively short period of time. For example, Samuel Johnson completed his dictionary in 1755, which is the premise for the second episode. In the same installment, Dr Johnson is seen with Lord Byron, despite the fact that in real life, the latter was born four years after the former died. The most common setting appears to be during the English Regency (1811–20) despite the fact that Prince George is portrayed as thin and young, when actually he was in his early fifties and very, very fat. (Despite this disparity, jokes are made about Prince George's great weight.) There are also a number of references to Napoleon Bonaparte throughout the series, yet the French Revolution only takes place in the third episode.

[edit] Cast

Ben Elton's arrival after the first series heralded the more frequent recruitment of comic actors from the famed "alternative" era for guest appearances, including Robbie Coltrane, Rik Mayall (who had actually appeared in the final episode of the first series as Mad Gerald), Adrian Edmondson, Nigel Planer, Mark Arden, Stephen Frost, Chris Barrie and Jeremy Hardy. Elton himself played an anarchist in Blackadder the Third.

However, aside from the regular cast listed above, only one actor — Lee Cornes — appeared in an episode of all three Curtis-Elton series. He appeared as a guard in the episode Chains of Blackadder II; as the poet Shelley in the episode Ink and Incapability of Blackadder the Third; and as firing squad soldier Private Fraser in the episode Corporal Punishment of Blackadder Goes Forth.

More 'establishment'-style actors, some at the veteran stage of their careers, were also recruited for roles. These included Brian Blessed, John Grillo, Tom Baker, Jim Broadbent, Hugh Paddick, Frank Finlay, Kenneth Connor, Bill Wallis, Ronald Lacey, Roger Blake, Denis Lill, Warren Clarke, Miriam Margolyes and Geoffrey Palmer who played Field Marshal Sir Douglas Haig in Goodbyeee..., the final, fatal episode of Blackadder Goes Forth.

Unusually for a sitcom based loosely on factual events and in the historical past, a man was recruited for one episode essentially to play himself. Political commentator Vincent Hanna played a character billed as "his own great-great-great grandfather" in the episode Dish and Dishonesty of Blackadder the Third. Hanna was asked to take part because the scene was of a by-election in which Baldrick was a candidate and, in the style of modern television, Hanna gave a long-running "live" commentary of events at the count (and interviewed candidates and election agents) to a crowd through the town hall window.

[edit] List

Main article: List of characters in Blackadder

Each series tended to feature the same set of regular actors in different period settings.

The only character types to retain the same name throughout were:

Some characters recurred as their own presumed descendents:

  • Melchett - Stephen Fry
    • Sycophantic Lord Melchett (a sort of William Cecil character), an advisor to Queen Elizabeth I, series 2
    • General Sir Anthony Cecil Hogmanay Melchett, a blustering buffoon and presumed descendant of Lord Melchett, series 4
    • General Melchecus - Blackadder Back & Forth
  • Lord Percy Percy (Tim McInnerny) (who only appeared in Series 1 and 2)
  • Darling (Tim McInnerny)
    • Kevin Darling, series 4
    • Archdeacon Darling and Duke of Darling / Duc de Darling - Blackadder Back and Forth
  • George - Hugh Laurie
    • HRH The Prince George Augustus Frederick Hanover, Series 3
    • Lieutenant The Honourable George Colthurst St. Bartleigh, Series 4

Character types played by the same actor:

  • Duke of Wellington in the final episode of the third series - Stephen Fry played Lord Frondo; King Charles I; Bishop Flavius Melchett;
  • Tim McInnerny The Scarlet Pimpernel (alias Lord Topper), Le Comte De Frou Frou for one episode in the third)
  • Hugh Laurie also played Simon "Farters Parters" Partridge (also known as Mr Ostrich) in episode five, and Prince Ludwig the Indestructible in the final installment of Blackadder II, and Lord Pigmot (Back & Forth)
  • Miranda Richardson played Queen Elizabeth I in the second series, Miss Amy Hardwood (aka The Shadow) in "Amy and Amiability" in the third, dutiful Nurse Mary Fletcher-Brown in "General Hospital" from the fourth, and Queen Asphyxia; Lady Elizabeth (Back & Forth)
  • Rik Mayall plays 'Mad Gerald' in the first series and the dashing Lord Flashheart, a vulgar yet successful rival of Blackadder in both the second and fourth series; he also plays a decidedly Flashheart-like Robin Hood in Back & Forth.
  • Gabrielle Glaister plays an attractive girl who poses as a man and calls herself Bob, before revealing her true gender and becoming romantically involved with Flashheart, in both the second and fourth series.

Non-recurring:

  • Patsy Byrne received plaudits for her crucial role as Nursie in all six episodes of Blackadder II but never featured in either of the subsequent series, either as a regular character or one-off. Her only future roles in Blackadder were in Blackadder Back & Forth and Blackadder's Christmas Carol, when she briefly reprised Nursie during scenes set in the Blackadder II era and then in Carol's Christmas future scenes, also playing a member of the "triple husbandoid" to Queen Asphyxia.
  • Similarly, Helen Atkinson-Wood played the role of Mrs. Miggins in all six episodes of Blackadder the Third, but did not appear again in the programme, although she was mentioned in "Goodbyeee", the final episode of Blackadder Goes Forth.

[edit] Precursors

The plot device of a 'modern' man in ancient times is not new, and has a venerable history in fiction.

In TV comedies, perhaps the most obvious 'ancestor' of the Blackadder series is Up Pompeii. The series, starring Frankie Howerd as Lurcio, was set in ancient Rome and made similar play with historical characters. Even the apparent 'reincarnation' device found in Blackadder [8] is also used. The TV series inspired three feature films, the first of which, Up Pompeii!, was also set in Imperial Rome with Howerd as Lurcio. The film ended with the eruption of Vesuvius and had a final scene set in the present day, in which the actors all played tourists closely resembling their ancient roles, with Howerd being a tour guide, showing them around the ruins of Pompeii. The second was set in medieval times and called Up the Chastity Belt, with Howerd's character as 'Lurkalot' (cf The Black Adder). In this, Howerd's character is discovered to be a double of Richard Lionheart, and later assumes the throne under his identity while the real king leads a bawdy life as Lurkalot (cf Blackadder the Third). Most strikingly, the third and final Up ... film, Up the Front, sees Howerd's character reborn as 'Private Lurk' and fighting in the First World War (cf Blackadder Goes Forth).

[edit] Notes

  1. ^ "List of Musicians and Singers who Played or Sang on Blackadder and Red Dwarf Themes"
  2. ^ "The Pilot Episode", BlackadderHall.com
  3. ^ "Woman's Hour Invasion", BlackadderHall.com
  4. ^ a b http://www.thelogbook.com/log/blackadder/
  5. ^ http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/magazine/4606743.stm
  6. ^ "Black Adder Program Guide"
  7. ^ "Atkinson Developing "Black Adder" Film", Darkhorizons.com
  8. ^ "The Blackadder Guide to Reincarnation"

[edit] References

  • All series and many of the specials are available on DVD and video, as well as many available on BBC Audio Cassette.
  • Curtis, Richard, Elton, and Atkinson. Blackadder: The Whole Damn Dynasty 1485–1917. Penguin Books, 2000. ISBN 0-14-029608-5. Being the—almost—complete scripts of the four regular series.
  • Howarth, Chris, and Steve Lyons. Cunning: The Blackadder Programme Guide. Virgin Publishing, 2002. ISBN 0-7535-0447-2. An unofficial guide to the series, with asides, anecdotes and observations.
  • Curtis, Richard, Ben Elton. Blackadder: Back & Forth. Penguin Books, 2000. ISBN 0-14-029135-0. A script book with copious photographs from the most recent outing.

[edit] External links

Wikiquote has a collection of quotations related to:
Blackadder
Blackadders Other Characters The Series

In chronological order

The Black Adder

Blackadder II

Blackadder the Third

Blackadder Goes Forth

In chronological order
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