Blackadder

Blackadder

This show is like Monty Python -- well not exactly. This is similar British humor in a sitcom type show. This is not Mr. Bean, except for the mannerisms. Rowan Atkinson still make all kinds of facial expressions. He is an instigator. The show does take a bit of getting used to.

It's lots of fun.

Want to know more? Wait. I can't type that fast. You email me using the form below and I could put a rush on it.

I will have to put this great bowl of jello aside or use a straw and suck it up while I type more......is that what you want.

I'll even send you a picture of me choking on the straw or shooting jello out of my nose.......

Okay so I made time and I started the page. Read on.



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







Watch the latest videos on YouTube.com
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, "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", the show 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.











Overview

Each of the series was set in a different time era. We get to see the adventures of Rowan Atkinson as Edmund. Edmund is always trying to climb the social and financial ladder by stepping on people.

Edmund has a servant that gets dumber as Edmund becomes smarter. The servant's name is Baldrick. They both seem to be working for a member of the upper-class, who is almost as dumb as Baldrick. The later upper-class characters were played by Hugh Laurie. Yes House! ..... and he has a British accent. I'm so used to him having an American accent or is it having no accent???? I have been watching a lot of House. I have seen Hugh Laurie in many different types of projects including movies and television shows. Every time Laurie is interviewed I get confused because of the accent. I'm used to House but when I see Laurie in other places it's like a whole new person and he's not torturing people who want to keep a job and go on with life.

Anyway, let's talk more about Mr. Bean.....I mean Rowan Atkinson as Black Adder. I still can't say I know a lot bout the show yet but I want to know more. Okay read on.

Each series is based in a different period of English history.





Developments over the series

There is always a hint that each Black Adder is a descendant of the previous one.

As we get to each newer Black Adder the character of Black Adder is of a lower social standing. The order from start to most recent are as follows: prince, lord, royal butler of Prince Rengent, and then finally a regular army captain in the trenches of World War I.

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

In the second series, Edmund (Rowan Atkinson) almost marries Elizabeth I.

Similarities over the series

Theme tune

The theme, which was created by Howard Goodall, is used for all the series. The tune is modified to match the time era of each individual series.





Popularity and effects on popular culture

Most of the episodes involve Black Adder (Edmund) getting in trouble and then Baldrick offering a solution. Most of the time the solution actually makes things worse.

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.



Series and specials

Chronological order

"(BA Unaired Pilot)" (1982)

The Black Adder (1983)

BA II (1986)

"The Shakespeare Sketch" (1989)

"BA: The Cavalier Years" (1988)

BA the Third (1987)

"1775" (US series pilot) (1992)

"BA's Christmas Carol" (1988)

BA Goes Forth (1989)

"Woman's Hour" Invasion (1988)

"BA and the King's Birthday" (1998)

"BA: Back & Forth" (2000)

"BA: The Army Years" (2000)

"The Royal Gardener" (From the Queen's Jubilee) (2002)

"Jubilee Girl" (2002)











Series and specials

Series 1: 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.

Atkinson and Curtis came up with the idea of Black Adder when they were working on Not the Nine O'Clock News. Black Adder dealt with all kinds of medieval British topics including: witchcraft, Royal Succession, European relations, the Crusades and the conflict between the Crown and the Church. The show had a large cast and did a lot of location shooting. Shakespearean language was used a lot also to make things funnier.

Series 2: Blackadder II

This series was set in England during the time that Queen Elizabeth was in power (1558-1603). The Queen was played by Miranda Richardson. The main character in the series is Edmund, Lord Blackadder, the great-grandson of the original Black Adder. Black Adder meets the Queen on many occasions along with her Lord (Stephen Fry) and nanny Nursie (Patsy Byrne).





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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 BA'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?"











Series and specials continued

Series 3: Blackadder the Third

Main article: Blackadder the Third

BA 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).

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 BA's one goal is to avoid getting shot, so he plots ways to get out of it. BA 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 BA'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 (BA, 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, BA Goes Forth was placed 16th.











Specials

The Pilot Episode

Main article: The Black Adder (pilot episode)

The BA 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.

BA: 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 BA 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 BA'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

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 BA 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.

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, BA 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 BA'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.











Specials

1775 (US series pilot)

This was the pilot for a prospective US BA 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.

BA and the King's Birthday

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

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 BA 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 BA 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 BA 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.[10]

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-BA (Keeper of Her Majesty's Lawn Sprinklers) and Dame Edna Everage. Earlier, a BBC "advertisement" for the celebrations also featured this incarnation of BA, 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.











Potential fifth series or film

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). 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, 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.

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), though this too was touched upon in BA'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."

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

During an interview in August 2007 regarding his latest movie, Mr. Bean's Holiday, Atkinson was asked about the possibility of a further BA 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."

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.

During his June 2007 stage performance, chronicled on the Tony Robinson's Cunning Night Out DVD, Robinson states that after filming the Back & 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.











Anachronism

The BA 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 BA II, BA and others use the term dago to refer to the Spanish, even though this term did not come into being until the 1800s.

BA 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. BA 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.











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 BA 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 BA 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 BA 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 BA 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 BA 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.









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:

Edmund Blackadder: (Rowan Atkinson) (although "The Black Adder" was an adopted name of Prince Edmund Plantagenet, who was significantly different from the other BAs)

S. Baldrick: (Tony Robinson) 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

General Melchecus – Blackadder Back & Forth

King Charles I

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

Bishop Flavius Melchett – Blackadder: Back & Forth

Lord Frondo

Percy / Darling Lord Percy Percy – Tim McInnerny, Series 1 and 2

Captain Kevin Darling, Series 4. A somewhat smarter than Percy character but also an antagonist to BA instead of a sidekick.

The Scarlet Pimpernel (alias Lord Topper and Le Comte De Frou Frou) for one episode in the third series.

Archdeacon Darling and Duke of Darling / Duc de Darling – Blackadder: Back & Forth.

George – Hugh Laurie

HRH The Prince George Augustus Frederick, Series 3 Lieutenant The Honourable George Colthurst St. Bartleigh, Series 4

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 BA II, and Lord Pigmot.

Elizabeth – Miranda Richardson

Queen Elizabeth I in Series 2, Christmas Carol, and Back & Forth

Lady Elizabeth in Back & Forth.

Queen Asphyxia in the Christmas Carol.

Amy Hardwood (aka The Shadow) in "Amy and Amiability" in the third series

Mary Fletcher-Brown, a dutiful Nurse in "General Hospital" from the fourth.

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)

Mayall also plays Mad Gerald in The Black Adder series finale and a decidedly Flashheart-like Robin Hood in Back & Forth.











Black Adder

Non-recurring:

Elspet Gray played the queen (Blackadder's) mother in all six episodes of The Black Adder and the Blackadder pilot. As Brian Blessed and Robert East, who also appeared in all six episodes of the first series (as the black adder's father and brother respectively), Gray never appears again in another related show.

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:

Robbie Coltrane appeared in the Season Three episode Ink and Incapability as Samuel Johnson, and would cameo in the Christmas Carol as the Ghost of Christmas Past.

Jim Broadbent portrayed the interpreter, Don Speekenglish, in The Queen of Spain's Beard, and later reappeared as Prince Albert in the Christmas special.

Miriam Margolyes made appearances as three distinct characters: as the Spanish Infanta in Queen of Spain's Beard, as Blackadder's Puritan aunt in Beer, and as Queen Victoria in the Christmas episode.

Denis Lill played an MP in Dish and Dishonesty and portrayed Beadle in the Christmas Carol.

Lee Cornes also portrayed three characters: one of Prince Ludwig's guards in Chains, Percy Shelley in Ink and Incapability, and Private Fraser, a member of the firing squad in Corporal Punishment.











Black Adder

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 [16] 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.









Click here to see a great Blackadder video clip.



Black Adder

Notes

^ The 50 Greatest TV Shows of All Time - Number 20: Blackadder, EmpireOnline.com

^ "List of Musicians and Singers who Played or Sang on Blackadder and Red Dwarf Themes"

^ It was me what spun it, The Guardian October 27, 2003. Accessed on May 29, 2008

^ MacGregor, James (2 February 2001). ""Step Forward The Real (Unhappy) Blackadder"". Netribution.co.uk. Retrieved on 2008-02-06.

^ "The Pilot Episode", BlackadderHall.com

^ "Woman's Hour Invasion", BlackadderHall.com

^ Shakespeare Sketch at Blackadder Hall. Accessed on January 12, 2008

^ http://www.thelogbook.com/logbook/blackadder/1775-us-series-pilot/

^ The King's Birthday at Blackadder Hall. Accessed on January 12, 2008

^ The Army Years at Blackadder Hall. Accessed on January 12, 2008

^ The Royal Gardner at Blackadder Hall. Accessed on January 12, 2008

^ "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."

^ "Black Adder Program Guide"

^ "Rowan toys with idea of 'Blackadder' return", HelloMagazine.co.uk, Hello! (10 April 2007). Retrieved on 2008-02-06.

^ "Atkinson Developing "Black Adder" Film", Darkhorizons.com

^ "The Blackadder Guide to Reincarnation"













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