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69-674: Blackadder is a series of four period British sitcoms , plus several one-off instalments, which originally aired on BBC1 from 1983 to 1989. All television episodes starred Rowan Atkinson as the antihero Edmund Blackadder and Tony Robinson as Blackadder's dogsbody , Baldrick . Each series was set in a different historical period, with the two protagonists accompanied by different characters, though several reappear in one series or another, e.g., Melchett ( Stephen Fry ), Lord Percy Percy / Captain Darling ( Tim McInnerny ) and George ( Hugh Laurie ). The first series, The Black Adder ,

138-577: A Restoration Blackadder reading aloud a letter to the Privy Council of King Charles II. He colourfully refuses their invitation to stage a royal gala, calling such occasions "very, very, very dull" and asserting that there was "more musical talent on display when my servant Baldrick breaks wind." In 2000, on the BBC's annual Royal Variety Performance , Atkinson portrayed Blackadder as a present-day officer in "Her Majesty's Royal Regiment of Shirkers" and delivered

207-690: A duel with the Duke of Wellington ( Stephen Fry ). This series is set in 1917, on the Western Front of the First World War. Another "big push" is planned, and Captain Blackadder 's one goal is to avoid being killed, but his schemes always land him back in the trenches. Blackadder is joined by his batman Private S. Baldrick (Tony Robinson) and idealistic Edwardian twit Lieutenant George (Hugh Laurie). General Melchett (Stephen Fry) rallies his troops from

276-595: A flat . Lloyd is the great nephew of the soldier John Hardress Lloyd . Lloyd worked as a radio producer at the BBC between 1974 and 1978 creating The News Quiz , The News Huddlines , To the Manor Born (with Peter Spence ) and Quote... Unquote (with Nigel Rees ). He wrote Hordes of the Things (as J. H. W. Lloyd) with Andrew Marshall , co-authored two episodes of Doctor Snuggles with Douglas Adams, and co-wrote

345-522: A French château 35 miles (56 km) from the front, where he is aided and abetted by his assistant, Captain Kevin Darling (Tim McInnerny), pencil-pusher supreme and Blackadder's nemesis, whose name is played on for maximum comedic value. Guest appearances in this series include Stephen Frost as the leader of a firing squad detail, Miranda Richardson as Nurse Mary Fletcher-Brown, two further appearances of Gabrielle Glaister as "Bob" (in this series,

414-452: 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

483-585: A child, Lloyd lived in several different places, owing to his father's job. This led him to attend school properly only at the age of 9. He was educated at West Hill Park School in Titchfield , Hampshire , a place where he claims bullying was "endemic", and later at The King's School, Canterbury . He read Law at Trinity College, Cambridge , and was a member of the Footlights . He became friends with fellow student Douglas Adams , with whom he later worked and shared

552-429: A fictional British bank, appearing with Baldrick as his gardener, convinces the panel to publicly blame the entire crisis on Baldrick, to the latter's consternation. Baldrick (Tony Robinson) returned in 2023 for a Red Nose Day sketch for the BBC. There was no involvement of Rowan Atkinson or a subsequent reboot, amid speculation. Rowan Atkinson and Richard Curtis developed the idea for the sitcom while working on Not

621-541: A genre directed towards women. Historical dramas have also been described as a conservative genre, glorifying an imagined past that never existed. Historical drama may include mostly fictionalized narratives based on actual people or historical events, such as the history plays of Shakespeare , Apollo 13 , The Tudors , Braveheart , Chernobyl , Enemy at the Gates , Les Misérables , and Titanic . Works may include references to real-life people or events from

690-648: 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 established actors, some at the veteran stage of their careers, were also recruited for roles. These included Peter Cook , John Grillo , Simon Jones , Tom Baker , Jim Broadbent , Hugh Paddick , Frank Finlay , Kenneth Connor , Bill Wallis , Ronald Lacey , Roger Blake, Denis Lill , Warren Clarke and Geoffrey Palmer , who played Field Marshal Sir Douglas Haig in " Goodbyeee ",

759-477: A monologue titled "Blackadder: The Army Years", proposing that Britain regain her former greatness by invading (or at least buying) France. In 2012, as part of the Prince's Trust charity show We Are Most Amused , Atkinson and Robinson reprised their roles as Blackadder and Baldrick in a comedy sketch featuring Miranda Hart as leader of a government inquiry into the recent banking crisis. Blackadder, chief executive of

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828-692: A number of aspects of medieval life in Britain: witchcraft , royal succession, European relations, the Crusades , and the conflict between the Church and the Crown. Along with the secret history, many historical events portrayed in the series were anachronistic (for example, Constantinople had already fallen to the Ottoman Empire in 1453, predating the events in the episode by 32 years); this dramatic license would continue in

897-471: A run of 12 episodes. In its eighth series, which started on BBC One in September 2010, Lloyd appeared as a panellist in one of the episodes. Lloyd has presented the radio series The Museum of Curiosity (2011), which he co-created with producers Richard Turner and Dan Schreiber and former co-host Bill Bailey . In December 2011, Lloyd appeared as captain of the winning Trinity College, Cambridge , team on

966-584: A television comedy producer at both the BBC and ITV . As well as being associate producer of The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy , he created Not the Nine O'Clock News (co-produced with Sean Hardie) and produced Spitting Image . He also produced all four Blackadder series. Lloyd was originally to have been the host of BBC topical news quiz Have I Got News for You , with the programme initially intended to be called John Lloyd's Newsround . A pilot episode of

1035-756: A vague or general era such as the Middle Ages , or a specific period such as the Roaring Twenties , or the recent past. In different eras different subgenres have risen to popularity, such as the westerns and sword and sandal films that dominated North American cinema in the 1950s. The costume drama is often separated as a genre of historical dramas. Early critics defined them as films focusing on romance and relationships in sumptuous surroundings, contrasting them with other historical dramas believed to have more serious themes. Other critics have defended costume dramas, and argued that they are disparaged because they are

1104-466: A working time machine . While this is intended as a clever con trick , the machine surprisingly works, sending Blackadder and Baldrick back to the Cretaceous period , 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,

1173-409: A young woman who pretended to be a boy in order to join the army), Rik Mayall appearing as Royal Flying Corps Squadron Commander The Lord Flasheart , Adrian Edmondson as Baron Manfred von Richthofen (aka "The Red Baron"), and Geoffrey Palmer as Field Marshal Douglas Haig . The series' tone is somewhat darker than the other Blackadder s; it details the privations of trench warfare as well as

1242-698: Is Edmund, Lord Blackadder , the great-grandson of the original Black Adder. During the series, he regularly deals with the Queen , her obsequious Lord Chamberlain Lord Melchett ( Stephen Fry ; his rival for the Queen's affections), his friend Lord Percy Percy (played by Tim McInnerny ) and the Queen's demented former nanny Nursie ( Patsy Byrne ). Guest appearances in the series include Tom Baker as Captain Redbeard Rum, Simon Jones as Sir Walter Raleigh , Ronald Lacey as

1311-426: Is also saddled with tolerating the presence of a dimwitted aristocrat . In the first two series, this is Lord Percy Percy , played by Tim McInnerny . Hugh Laurie plays the role in the third and fourth series, as Prince George, Prince Regent , and Lieutenant George respectively. Stephen Fry 's Lord Melchett fills a similar role in the second and fourth series. The Black Adder , the first series of Blackadder ,

1380-506: Is an English producer and writer. His television work includes Not the Nine O'Clock News , The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy , Spitting Image , Blackadder and QI . He is currently the presenter of BBC Radio 4 's The Museum of Curiosity . Lloyd was born on 30 September 1951 in Dover , Kent . His father, H. L. "Harpy" Lloyd, was an Anglo-Irish captain with the Royal Navy . As

1449-404: Is set in a different period of British history . The first series, made in 1983, was titled The Black Adder and was set in the fictional reign of " Richard IV ". The second series, Blackadder II (1986), was set during the reign of Elizabeth I . Blackadder the Third (1987) was set in the late 18th and early 19th centuries during the reign of George III . Blackadder Goes Forth (1989)

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1518-568: Is succeeded by Richard IV ( Brian Blessed ), one of the Princes in the Tower . The series follows the exploits of Richard IV's unfavoured second son Edmund, the Duke of Edinburgh (who calls himself "The Black Adder") in his various attempts to increase his standing with his father and his eventual quest to overthrow him. Guest appearances in this series include Peter Cook as King Richard III , Russell Enoch as

1587-471: 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 descendants 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

1656-576: The Christmas University Challenge . Lloyd was appointed Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE) in the 2011 New Year Honours for services to broadcasting. Lloyd was also awarded an honorary degree from Southampton Solent University . In August 2014, Lloyd was one of 200 public figures who were signatories to a letter to The Guardian opposing Scottish independence in

1725-402: The 100 Greatest TV Characters . 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 9th-best TV show of all time by Empire magazine. Rowan Atkinson said Blackadder is "the thing he found the least stressful" to do. Each series comprises six half-hour episodes and

1794-519: The Bishop of Bath and Wells , and Miriam Margoyles as Blackadder's aunt, Lady Whiteadder. The series also features two appearances by Hugh Laurie (as Simon Partridge, a friend of Blackadder's, in the episode "Beer"; and as Prince Ludwig the Indestructible in the series' finale "Chains"), as well as the first appearance of Gabrielle Glaister as "Bob", and of Rik Mayall as Lord Flashheart . Following

1863-610: The English Civil War , was shown as part of Comic Relief 's Red Nose Day on Friday 5 February 1988. The 15-minute episode is 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, naive character, with the voice and mannerisms of Charles I's namesake,

1932-646: The Prince Regent and Helen Atkinson-Wood as Mrs. Miggins . The series features Dr. Samuel Johnson ( Robbie Coltrane ); William Pitt the Younger (Simon Osborne); the French Revolution (with Chris Barrie , Tim McInnerny as the Scarlet Pimpernel , and Nigel Planer ); hammy theatrical actors ( Kenneth Connor and Hugh Paddick ); a squirrel-hating cross-dressing highwayman ( Miranda Richardson ); and

2001-576: The town hall window. 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 , the fanfares used suggesting typical medieval court fanfares; with a combination of recorder , string quartet and electric guitar in Blackadder II (the end theme, with different lyrics each time reflecting on

2070-507: The " 100 Greatest British Television Programmes ", a list created by the British Film Institute . In 2004, a BBC TV poll for " 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. Despite regular statements denying any plans for a fifth series, cast members are regularly asked about

2139-442: The BBC's request for improvements (and a severe budget reduction), several changes were made. The second series was the first to establish the familiar Blackadder character: cunning, shrewd and witty, in sharp contrast to the first series' bumbling Prince Edmund . To reduce the cost of production, it was shot with virtually no outdoor scenes (the first series was shot largely on location) and several frequently used indoor sets, such as

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2208-530: The Blackadder series and/or specials. These are: Ben Elton 's arrival after the first series heralded the more frequent recruitment of comic actors from the alternative comedy era for guest appearances, including Robbie Coltrane , Rik Mayall (who had 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

2277-473: The Blackadders (who are usually bachelors) manage to father children. In series one, Edmund Blackadder is not particularly bright, and is much the intellectual inferior of his servant, Baldrick (played by Tony Robinson ). However, in subsequent series, the positions are reversed: Blackadder is clever, shrewd, scheming and manipulative while Baldrick is extremely dim. Each incarnation of Blackadder and Baldrick

2346-531: The Duke of Winchester , Miriam Margolyes as the Infanta Maria Escalosa of Spain (with Jim Broadbent as her interpreter), Frank Finlay as the Witchsmeller Pursuivant, Valentine Dyall as Lord Angus, Stephen Frost and Mark Arden as guards, and Rik Mayall as Mad Gerald. Conceived while Atkinson and Curtis were working on Not the Nine O'Clock News , the series dealt comically with

2415-628: The Nine O'Clock News . Eager to avoid comparisons to the critically acclaimed Fawlty Towers , they proposed the idea of a historical sitcom. An unaired pilot episode was made in 1982, and a six-episode series was commissioned. The budget for the series was considerable, with much location shooting particularly at Alnwick Castle in Northumberland and the surrounding countryside in February 1983. The series also used large casts of extras, horses and expensive medieval-style costumes. Atkinson has said about

2484-508: The Queen's throne room and Blackadder's front room. A quote from this series ranked number three in a list of the top 25 television "putdowns" of the last 40 years by the Radio Times magazine: "The eyes are open, the mouth moves, but Mr. Brain has long since departed, hasn't he, Percy?" Blackadder the Third is set in the late 18th and early 19th centuries, a period known as the Regency . In

2553-557: The Royal Household, under lockdown at Melchett Manor, to help Prince William deal with educating his children via Zoom and discussing Tiger King , before they both step outside to clap for the National Health Service . Melchett is said to be isolating with Lord Blackadder, both grandsons to their First World War counterparts. In 1998, as part of Prince Charles ' 50th Birthday Gala televised on ITV, Atkinson appeared as

2622-530: The Third . Gabrielle Glaister played Bob , an attractive girl who poses as a man, in both series 2 and 4. Rik Mayall plays Lord Flashheart , a vulgar friend in his first appearance and then a successful rival of Blackadder in later episodes of series 2 and 4. He also played a decidedly Flashheart-like Robin Hood in Back & Forth . Lee Cornes also appeared in an episode of all three Curtis-Elton series. He appeared as

2691-451: The UK (although some scenes were shown in the 25th anniversary special Blackadder Rides Again ). One notable difference in the pilot, as in many pilots, is the casting. Baldrick is played not by Tony Robinson, but by Philip Fox . Another significant difference is that the character of Prince Edmund presented in the pilot is much closer to the intelligent, conniving Blackadder of the later series than

2760-494: The band Waiting For Smith. In a 2016 interview with the spiritual Beshara Magazine , Lloyd talked about the process of self-knowledge , and explained his interest in the Indian guru Nisargadatta Maharaj 's book I Am That and in Sufi mysticism, particularly the works of the writer, thinker and Sufi teacher Idries Shah . On BBC radio's Desert Island Discs , he chose The Book: On

2829-422: The bastard son of Queen Elizabeth II and running a Beatles-like rock band. Rowan Atkinson, Tony Robinson, Hugh Laurie, Stephen Fry, Tim McInnerny and Miranda Richardson would have reprised their roles, and reportedly, Brian Blessed, Elspet Gray and Robert East would have returned from the first series to play Blackadder's biological family. Robinson in a stage performance 1 June 2007, again mentioned this idea, but in

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2898-623: The context of a movie. One idea mentioned by Curtis was that it was Baldrick who had accidentally assassinated John F. Kennedy . However, aside from a brief mention in June 2005, 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, something which both he and Stephen Fry reiterated at

2967-467: The end of Blackadder Rides Again , the chances of it happening are extremely slim. 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

3036-590: The episode's events, was sung by a countertenor ); on oboe , cello and harpsichord (in the style of a minuet ) for Blackadder the Third ; by The Band of the 3rd Battalion, Royal Anglian Regiment 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 . In 2000, the fourth series, Blackadder Goes Forth , ranked at 16 in

3105-423: The episodes to an audience after taping). Besides adding a greater comedy focus, 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 familiar set-up that was maintained in the following series. Only in the Back & Forth millennium special was the shooting once again on location, because this

3174-552: The fifth and sixth episodes of the first radio series of The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy with Adams (Adams wrote all the previous and subsequent episodes solo, as well as the television adaptation). He pitched a story for Doctor Who , The Doomsday Contract , while Adams was script editor of the series, which was never made at the time but eventually became an audio play adapted by Nev Fountain and produced by Big Finish Productions . He also produced series three and four of The Burkiss Way on Radio 4. Lloyd then worked as

3243-528: The final episode of Blackadder Goes Forth . Miriam Margolyes played three different guest roles: The Spanish Infanta in The Queen of Spain's Beard , Lady Whiteadder in Beer , and Queen Victoria in Blackadder's Christmas Carol . 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

3312-550: The fun", and adopt the personality with which viewers are more familiar. 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

3381-473: The incompetence and life-wasting strategies of the top brass. For example, Baldrick is reduced to cooking rats and making coffee from mud, while General Melchett hatches a plan for the troops to walk very slowly toward the German lines, because "it'll be the last thing Fritz will expect." The final episode, " Goodbyeee ", is known for being extraordinarily poignant for a comedy – especially the final scene, which sees

3450-430: The main characters (Blackadder, Baldrick, George, and Darling) finally going " over the top " and charging off into the fog and smoke of no man's land , presumably to die. In a list of the 100 Greatest British Television Programmes , drawn up by the British Film Institute in 2000 and voted for by industry professionals, Blackadder Goes Forth was placed 16th. The Blackadder pilot was shot but never broadcast on TV in

3519-441: The making of the first series: The first series was odd, it was very extravagant. It cost a million pounds for the six programmes ... [which] was a lot of money to spend ... It looked great, but it wasn't as consistently funny as we would have liked. Due to the high cost of the first series, the then-controller of programming of BBC1 , Michael Grade , was reluctant to sign off a second series without major improvements to

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3588-512: 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

3657-423: The possibility of a new 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 on a rock band called the "Black Adder Five", with Baldrick  – a.k.a. 'Bald Rick' – as the drummer). In the documentary Blackadder Rides Again , Robinson stated that the series would present Blackadder as

3726-600: The relevant time period or contain factually accurate representations of the time period. Works that focus on accurately portraying specific historical events or persons are instead known as docudrama , such as The Report . Where a person's life is central to the story, such a work is known as biographical drama , with notable examples being films such as Alexander , Frida , House of Saddam , Lincoln , Lust for Life , Raging Bull , Stalin , and Oppenheimer . John Lloyd (producer) John Hardress Wilfred Lloyd CBE (born 30 September 1951)

3795-612: The rest of the film follows their attempts to find their way back to 1999, often creating huge historical anomalies in the process that must be corrected before the end. The film includes cameo appearances from Kate Moss and Colin Firth . Broadcast in 2020 as part of Children in Need and Comic Relief 's joint special The Big Night In during the COVID-19 pandemic , Fry resumed the role of Lord Melchett (an intellectually-brilliant version), Head of

3864-457: The right level of authority and hierarchy which is apparent in all the Blackadders." A post on BlackAdderHall.com by Ben Elton in early 2007 said that Blackadder would return in some form, whether it be a TV series or film. Elton has since not given any more information on the putative Blackadder 5 . During an interview in August 2007 about his film Mr. Bean's Holiday , Atkinson was asked about

3933-400: The run-up to September's referendum on that issue . Lloyd's book 1,411 Quite Interesting Facts to Knock You Sideways , a collaboration with John Mitchinson and James Harkin , was published in 2014 by Faber and Faber . Lloyd married Sarah Wallace in 1989, with whom he has three children, one of whom is Harry Lloyd (christened Hardress Llewellyn Lloyd), frontman and singer-songwriter of

4002-701: The series, Edmund Blackadder Esquire is a butler to George IV , who is played as a buffoonish fop . 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 (“If I’m running short of cash, all I have to do is go upstairs and ask Prince Fathead for a raise”), and from (it seems) stealing the Prince's socks and selling them off. The episode titles were puns on Jane Austen ’s novels Sense and Sensibility and Pride and Prejudice . Along with Rowan Atkinson and Tony Robinson in their usual roles, this series starred Hugh Laurie as

4071-430: The show and drastic cost-cutting, leaving a gap of three years between the two series. A chance meeting between Richard Curtis and comedian Ben Elton led to the decision to collaborate on a new series of Blackadder. Recognising the main faults of the first series, Curtis and Elton agreed that Blackadder II would be a studio-only production (along with the inclusion of a live audience during recording, instead of showing

4140-555: The show was recorded under this name in mid-1990, with Lloyd hosting alongside team captains Ian Hislop and Paul Merton . Lloyd subsequently decided to pull out of hosting the programme full-time and the pilot episode was never broadcast. Lloyd was replaced by Angus Deayton as host and the show was renamed Have I Got News for You in time for its debut on BBC2 later that year. His first new TV series for 14 years, QI starring Stephen Fry ( Sandi Toksvig from 2016) and Alan Davies , began on 11 September 2003 at 10pm on BBC Two for

4209-436: The snivelling, weak buffoon of the original. Set in the year 1582, 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. UKTV Gold broadcast the pilot on 15 June 2023, as part of an 80-minute special hosted by Sir Tony Robinson and featuring interviews with Ben Elton and Richard Curtis. This special, set in

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4278-493: The subsequent Blackadders . 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; the end credits featured the words "Additional Dialogue by William Shakespeare". Blackadder II is set in England during the reign of Queen Elizabeth I (1558–1603), who is portrayed by Miranda Richardson . The principal character

4347-555: The then Prince of Wales (now Charles III ). 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 own standing. The second special was broadcast on Friday 23 December 1988. In a twist on Charles Dickens ' A Christmas Carol , Ebenezer Blackadder

4416-484: The title hero , Robinson as Robin, Jim Broadbent as Batman and Rachel Stevens as Mary Jane . Star Adder was to be set in space in the future (suggested by Atkinson), though this too was touched upon in Blackadder's Christmas Carol . On 10 April 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

4485-656: 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. Each series tended to feature the same set of regular actors in different period settings, although throughout the four series and specials, only Blackadder and Baldrick were constant characters. Several regular cast members recurred as characters with similar names, implying, like Blackadder, that they were descendants. Various actors have appeared in more than one of

4554-431: Was quite a sweet idea and we got quite a long way with it but in the end it died a death. 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. Period piece Historical drama can be differentiated from historical fiction , which generally present fictional characters and events against a backdrop of historical events. A period piece may be set in

4623-451: Was set in 1917 in the trenches of the Great War . Blackadder follows the misfortunes of Edmund Blackadder (played by Atkinson). It is implied in each series that the Blackadder character is a descendant of the previous one. The end theme lyrics of the series-2 episode "Head" specify that he is the great-grandson of the previous incarnation, although it is never specified how or when any of

4692-605: Was written by Richard Curtis and Rowan Atkinson and produced by John Lloyd . It originally aired on BBC1 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 an alternative history in which Richard III won the Battle of Bosworth Field only to be mistaken for someone else and murdered, and

4761-408: Was written by Richard Curtis and Rowan Atkinson, while subsequent series were written by Curtis and Ben Elton . The shows were produced by John Lloyd . In 2000, the fourth series, Blackadder Goes Forth , ranked at 16 in the 100 Greatest British Television Programmes , a list created by the British Film Institute . In a 2001 poll by Channel 4 , Edmund Blackadder was ranked third on their list of

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