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 Period, Situational comedy
Created by Richard Curtis
Rowan Atkinson
Ben Elton
Starring Rowan Atkinson
Tony Robinson
Tim McInnerny
Miranda Richardson
Stephen Fry
Hugh Laurie
Theme music composer Howard Goodall
Country of origin UK
Language(s) English
No. of series 4
No. of episodes 24 (plus 3 specials) (List of episodes)
Production
Producer(s) John Lloyd
Camera setup Multi-camera
Running time 30 min. approx
Broadcast
Original channel BBC One
Picture format PAL (576i)
Audio format Monaural sound
Original run 15 June 1983 – 2 November 1989
External links
Official website
IMDb profile
TV.com summary

Blackadder is the generic name that encompasses four series of an acclaimed BBC One historical sitcom, along with several one-off instalments. 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, topped by Only Fools and Horses. It was also ranked as the 20th Best TV Show of All Time by Empire Magazine.[1]


Contents

[edit] Overview

Although each series is set in a different time era, 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 decreasing in social status), each Blackadder is similar in that every one is a cynical, cowardly opportunist concerned with maintaining and increasing his own status and fortunes, regardless of his surroundings. In each series Blackadder is usually a cynical (almost modern) voice puncturing the pretensions 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 bloodshed of World War I).

The lives of each of the four Blackadders are also entwined with his servant, each called Baldrick (played by Tony Robinson), who in each generation acts as Blackadder's dogsbody 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 (who is arguably dimmer than even Baldrick) whose presence Blackadder must somehow tolerate. This role was taken in the first two series by Lord Percy Percy (Tim McInnerny), in the third series by Prince George, Prince Regent, and in the fourth by Lieutenant George, the latter two played by Hugh Laurie (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 1985, 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 recorded 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 have never included the pilot, copies are known to circulate online.

[edit] Developments over the series

It is implied in each series that the Blackadder character is a distant descendant of the previous one, although none of the Blackadders are mentioned during their series as having fathered any known children (it was even stated in "The Queen of Spain's Beard" (1.4) that Edmund was a virgin, although in a later episode he is alleged to have had relations with an old hag). Lord Blackadder had relationships with Kate and Lady Jane Pottle, and often engaged prostitutes, one of whom was even seen in the episode "Money", but whether he sired any offspring is never stated.

With each observed generation, his social standing is reduced, from prince, to lord, to royal butler of the Prince Regent, and finally a regular army captain in the trenches of World War I in Blackadder Goes 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] 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. It is performed mostly with trumpets and timpani in The Black Adder, typical scoring for middle-age renaissance music; with a combination of recorder, string quartet and electric guitar in Blackadder II; on oboe, cello and harpsichord (in Waltz time) in the style of a madrigal 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.[2]

[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, starting with the third season, 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.

Blackadder was referenced in the House of Commons on November 21, 2007, during the 2007 UK child benefit data scandal. Elfyn Llwyd, a Plaid Cymru MP, suggested it was "time for Blackadder to say goodbye to Darling", comparing Alistair Darling, the Chancellor of the Exchequer, to his fictional namesake, Kevin Darling.

Mark Bolland, the Deputy Private Secretary to the Prince of Wales from 1998 until 2002, was reportedly nicknamed "Lord Blackadder" by the young princes William and Harry. [3]

[edit] Origin of Name

Dr. Eric Blackadder, Chief Medical Officer at the BBC at the time of the first programme, claims that the series is named after him.[4]

[edit] Series and specials

See also: List of Blackadder episodes

[edit] Chronological order

[edit] Series 1: The Black Adder

Main article: The Black Adder

The Black Adder was the first series of Blackadder and was written by Richard Curtis and Rowan Atkinson, and produced by John Lloyd. The series was originally aired on BBC 2 from 15 June 1983 to 20 July, 1983, and was a joint production with the Australian Seven Network.

Set in 1485 at the end of the British Middle Ages, the series is written as a secret history which contends that King Richard III won the Battle of Bosworth Field, only to be accidentally murdered, and is succeeded by Richard IV, one of the Princes in the Tower. The series follows the exploits of Richard IV's unfavoured second son Edmund (who calls himself "The Black Adder") in his various attempts to increase his standing with his father and his eventual quest to overthrow him.

Conceived while Atkinson and Curtis were working on Not the Nine O'Clock News, the series dealt comically with a number of medieval issues in Britain - witchcraft, Royal succession, European relations, the Crusades and the conflict between the Crown and the Church. The filming of the series was highly ambitious, with a large cast and much location shooting. The series also featured Shakespearean dialogue, often adapted for comic effect.

[edit] Series 2: Blackadder II

Main article: 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 (Stephen Fry) and her demented former nanny Nursie (Patsy Byrne).

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.

A quote from this series was placed in third position for the top twenty-five television 'put downs' of the last 40 years by the Radio Times magazine. It was the following insult directed at Lord Percy by Edmund Blackadder: "The eyes are open, the mouth moves, but Mr Brain has long since departed, hasn't he, Percy?"

[edit] Series 3: Blackadder the Third

Main article: Blackadder the Third

Blackadder the Third is set in the late 18th and early 19th centuries, a period known as the Regency. 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, apart from his frequently fluctuating wage packet from the Prince, as he says: 'If I'm running short of cash all I have to do is go upstairs and ask Prince Fat-head for a rise'.

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 (or "robber buttons"), Dr. Samuel Johnson (played by Robbie Coltrane), William Pitt the Younger, the French Revolution (featuring Chris Barrie, Nigel Planer and Tim McInnerny as the Scarlet Pimpernel), over-the-top theatrical actors, squirrel-hating highwaymen, and a duel with the Duke of Wellington (played by Stephen Fry).

[edit] Series 4: Blackadder Goes Forth

Main article: Blackadder Goes Forth

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 their cook, Private S. Baldrick. General Melchett (Stephen Fry) 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.

Except for the final episode, the episode titles are all plays on words involving military titles, e.g. "Captain Cook" (about food), "Private Plane" (involving Rik Mayall as a pilot).

The final episode of this series, "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. "Goodbyeee ..." 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: like the poem "In Flanders Fields". This particular poignant moment illustrates how the series had the capacity to be more than just a sitcom. 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.

[edit] Specials

  • The Pilot Episode
Main article: The Black Adder (pilot episode)

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 lines appearing in other episodes of the series.[5]

  • 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, portrayed as a soft-spoken, ineffective, slightly dim character, with the voice and mannerisms of Charles I's namesake, the current Prince of Wales). However, due to a misunderstanding between Oliver Cromwell (guest-star Warren Clarke) 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
  • 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. The Spirit of Christmas shows Blackadder the contrary antics of his ancestors and descendants, and reluctantly informs him that if he turns evil his descendents will enjoy power and fortune, while if he remains the same a future Blackadder will live shamefully subjugated to a future incompetent Baldrick. This remarkable encounter causes him to proclaim, "Bad guys have all the fun", and adopt the personality with which viewers are more familiar.

BBC One, Friday 23 December 1988, 9.30–10.15pm
  • 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, in 1988, Blackadder and Baldrick show up, travel back in time and talk to Shakespeare (not for the last time!) and others.

The purpose of the "invasion" was to raise money for Children in Need.[6]

  • The Shakespeare Sketch

This non-canonical sketch was performed on stage at the Sadlers Wells Theatre on September 18, 1989. It was written for, and performed at an AIDS benefit concert directed by Stephen Fry, and features Rowan Atkinson as a Blackadder-esque character chatting with Hugh Laurie as "Bill" Shakespeare, talking about cutting various sections of Hamlet – in particular the "To be or not to be" soliloquy. Ultimately, Blackadder talks Shakespeare down from an over-long speech to the familiar 'snappy' phrase. From Will's first draft:

"To be a victim of all life's earthly woes, or not to be a coward and take Death by his proffered hand" via Blackadder's suggestion
"To be a victim, or not to be a coward," ultimately condensed to "To be, or not to be".

To which Shakespeare naturally replies: "You can't say that – it's gibberish!"

The sketch was available on video as part of Hysteria 2 – The Second Coming, released by Palace Video on 21 May 1990.[7]

  • 1775 (US series pilot)

This was the pilot for a prospective US Blackadder series. It was shot in 1992 and aired once, but failed to be picked up. Its cast was completely different and it was set in colonial Philadelphia.[1]

  • Blackadder and the King's Birthday

A short sketch performed at the Prince of Wales' 50th Birthday Gala. It featured Rowan Atkinson as Lord Blackadder and Stephen Fry as King Charles II, and was televised on ITV (in the UK) on 14 November 1998.[8]

  • 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, works, 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. Finding that Baldrick has forgotten to write dates on the machine's dials, the rest of the film follows their attempts to find their way back to 1999, often creating huge historical anomalies in the process which must be corrected before the end. The film was notable for featuring cameo roles from all the main Blackadder actors, as well as a number of famous stars of stage and screen.

  • Blackadder: The Army Years

A short monologue performed at the Dominion Theatre for the Royal Variety Performance 2000. It features 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, who was the compère of the evening.[9]

  • 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.[10]

[edit] A fifth series?

In January 2005, Tony Robinson told ITV's This Morning that Rowan Atkinson was more keen than he has been in the past to do a fifth series, set in the 1960s (centred around a rock band called the "Black Adder Five", with Baldrick – aka 'Bald Rick' – as the drummer).[citation needed] Robinson in a stage performance June 1, 2007, again mentioned this idea, but in the context of a movie. However, aside from a brief mention in June 2005,[11] 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 II, the chances of it happening are extremely low.[citation needed] 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)[12], though this too was touched upon in Blackadder's Christmas Carol. On April 10, 2007, Hello! reported that Atkinson was moving forward with his ideas for a fifth series. He said, "I like the idea of him being a prisoner of war in Colditz. That would have the right level of authority and hierarchy which is apparent in all the Blackadders."[13]

A post on www.BlackAdderHall.com from Ben Elton in early 2007 states that Blackadder will return in some form, whether it be a TV series or movie. Elton has since not given any more information on the putative Blackadder 5.

During an interview in August 2007 regarding his latest movie, Mr. Bean's Holiday, Atkinson was asked about the possibility of a further Blackadder series, to which the simple reply "No, no chance" was given:

"There was a plan for a film set in the Russian revolution, a very interesting one called The Red Adder. He would have been a lieutenant in the Secret Police. Then the revolution happened and at the end he is in the same office doing the same job but just the colours on his uniform have changed. It was quite a sweet idea and we got quite a long way with it but in the end it died a death."

During his June 2007 stage performance, chronicled on the Tony Robinson's Cunning Night Out DVD, Robinson states that after filming the Back and Forth special, the general idea was to reunite for another special in 2010. Robinson jokingly remarked that Hugh Laurie's success on House may make that difficult.

[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.[14]

[edit] Anachronism

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. The series suggests repeatedly that Scotland and England were united at the time, which did not in fact happen until much later (they had the same monarch starting in 1603, and were formally united only in 1707).
  • 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, beginning as early as the first episode, yet the French Revolution only takes place in the third episode.
  • Blackadder also refers to the Duke of Wellington as the Iron Duke, even though the Duke of Wellington had not been given that nickname at that time.

[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, Simon Jones, Tom Baker, Jim Broadbent, Hugh Paddick, Frank Finlay, Miriam Margolyes, Kenneth Connor, Bill Wallis, Ronald Lacey, Roger Blake, Denis Lill, Warren Clarke 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 descendants:

  • 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
    • Bishop Flavius Melchett – Blackadder Back and Forth
    • General Melchecus – Blackadder Back & Forth
    • The Duke Of Wellington, not a Melchett, but definitely a precursor to the series 4 Melchett character (e.g. his use of Melchett's eventual catchphrase "Behh!"), series 3
  • Lord Percy Percy – Tim McInnerny, Series 1 and 2
  • Kevin Darling – Tim McInnerny
    • Captain 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, Series 3
    • Lieutenant The Honourable George Colthurst St. Bartleigh, Series 4
  • Elizabeth – Miranda Richardson
    • Queen Elizabeth I in Series 2, Christmas Carol, and Back & Forth
    • Lady Elizabeth in Back & Forth.
  • Bob – Gabrielle Glaister – an attractive girl who poses as a man called Bob, before revealing her true sex and becoming romantically involved with Flashheart (2 and 4)
  • Lord Flashheart – Rik Mayall, a vulgar yet successful rival of Blackadder (2 and 4)
    • a decidedly Flashheart-like Robin Hood in Back and Forth.

Character types played by the same actor:

  • Stephen Fry played Lord Frondo; King Charles I; Bishop Flavius Melchett; and the Duke of Wellington.
  • Tim McInnerny played The Scarlet Pimpernel (alias Lord Topper and Le Comte De Frou Frou) for one episode in the third series.
  • 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.
  • Miranda Richardson played Miss Amy Hardwood (aka The Shadow) in "Amy and Amiability" in the third series, the dutiful Nurse Mary Fletcher-Brown in "General Hospital" from the fourth, and Queen Asphyxia in the Christmas Carol.
  • 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 Robin Hood in Back & Forth.
  • Gabrielle Glaister plays an attractive girl who poses as a man and calls herself Bob 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, credited as 'Bernard' (though not named in the special this was the name Nursie claimed to have been born under in Series II).
  • 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 and a Mrs. Miggins had been mentioned several times in Blackadder II

A few actors have made multiple guest appearances playing different characters, notably:

[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 [15] 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).

The shows draw on a variety of literary, historical, and film backgrounds for its story and characters. The first two series draw heavily upon the works of William Shakespeare. The first episode of The Black Adder, The Foretelling, references Richard III (the characters and setting), Macbeth (the three witches predicting Blackadder's rise to power and the appearance of King Richard's ghost at the dinner), and King Lear (the witches are named Goneril, Regan, and Cordelia). Bells, the first episode of the second series, draws on Twelfth Night with its cross-dressing "Bob" character. The third series parodies at various points classic novels such as The Scarlet Pimpernel (Nob and Nobility), Cyrano de Bergerac (Amy and Amiability), and The Prince and the Pauper (Duel and Duality), and the titles themselves parody Sense and Sensibility. There are also many references to classic films, for instance Blackadder's forming of his dark army in The Black Seal is parodic of The Magnificent Seven (down to Blackadder holding up fingers to indicate the number of men he has), the Season 1 episode The Archbishop explicitly parodies Becket.

[edit] Notes

  1. ^ The 50 Greatest TV Shows of All Time - Number 20: Blackadder, EmpireOnline.com
  2. ^ "List of Musicians and Singers who Played or Sang on Blackadder and Red Dwarf Themes"
  3. ^ It was me what spun it, The Guardian October 27, 2003. Accessed on May 29, 2008
  4. ^ MacGregor, James (2 February 2001). "Step Forward The Real (Unhappy) Blackadder". Netribution.co.uk. Retrieved on 2008-02-06.
  5. ^ "The Pilot Episode", BlackadderHall.com
  6. ^ "Woman's Hour Invasion", BlackadderHall.com
  7. ^ Shakespeare Sketch at Blackadder Hall. Accessed on January 12, 2008
  8. ^ The King's Birthday at Blackadder Hall. Accessed on January 12, 2008
  9. ^ The Army Years at Blackadder Hall. Accessed on January 12, 2008
  10. ^ The Royal Gardner at Blackadder Hall. Accessed on January 12, 2008
  11. ^ "Faces of the week: Richard Curtis", News. BBC.co.uk, BBC News, 3 June 2005. Retrieved on 2008-02-06. "… Rowan Atkinson, whose collaborations with Curtis include television and cinema's Mr Bean and TV's Blackadder, which is to enjoy a fifth series next year." 
  12. ^ "Black Adder Program Guide"
  13. ^ "Rowan toys with idea of 'Blackadder' return", HelloMagazine.co.uk, Hello!, 10 April 2007. Retrieved on 2008-02-06. 
  14. ^ "Atkinson Developing "Black Adder" Film", Darkhorizons.com
  15. ^ "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

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