Black Adder the Third (1987– )

In the 19th century Regency era, Mr E. Blackadder serves as butler to the foppish numskull Prince George amidst the fads and crazes of the time.

Stars:

Rowan Atkinson, Tony Robinson, Hugh Laurie

1 win & 4 nominations.

Cast

Complete series cast summary:
Rowan Atkinson	...	Edmund Blackadder, butler to the Prince (6 episodes, 1987)
Tony Robinson	...	Baldrick, a dogsbody (6 episodes, 1987)
Hugh Laurie	...	The Prince Regent, their master (6 episodes, 1987)
Helen Atkinson-Wood	...	Mrs. Miggins, a coffee shoppekeeper (6 episodes, 1987)

Storyline

During the Regency period, the insane King George III's stark raving mad son, George, is the Prince Regent of Wales. Vulgar and staggeringly slow-and-dim-witted, George exhausts the country's money and would surely be dead by know were it not for his dry, angry, bitter, arrogant and cynical butler, Edmund Blackadder, Esq. Blackadder is an ex-aristocrat who has lost his family fortune and been reduced to servant-hood, and full of loathing knowing he should have a better position then serving a lunatic. Sod-Off Baldrick is his dirty, smelly peasant servant, and Mrs. Miggins is an annoying cheerful coffee-shoppe owner who is too stupid to understand most of Mr. Blackadder's insults.

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Plot Keywords:

servant | 19th century | england | king | cult tv | 

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Taglines:

Macbeth!

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Genres:

Comedy | History

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Details

Country:

UK

Language:

English

Release Date:

17 September 1987 (UK)

Also Known As:

Blackadder III

Company Credits

Production Co:

British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC)

Technical Specs

Runtime:

30 min 30 min (6 episodes)

Color:

Color

Did You Know?

Trivia

This is the only Blackadder series not to feature Rik Mayall

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Quotes

Prince George: What can I do to a woman that I can't do to you?
Blackadder: I cannot conceive, sir.

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Crazy Credits

The closing credits are presented in the style of a theatre programme from a Regency-era play. The last scene of the episode forms a poster image, and below it run the following credits: For the BENEFIT of SEVERAL VIEWERS MR CURTIS & MR ELTON'S Much admir'd Comedy BLACKADDER The THIRD or (EPISODE NAME) was performed with appropriate Scenery Dresses etc. by EDMUND BLACKADDER, butler to the Prince, Mr. ROWAN ATKINSON Baldrick, a dogsbody, Mr. TONY ROBINSON The Prince Regent, their master, Mr. HUGH LAURIE Mrs. Miggins, a coffee shoppekeeper, Miss. HELEN ATKINSON-WOOD (Cast for that particular episode) MUSIC, (never performed before), Mr. HOWARD GOODALL (List of the Crew) the producer, Mr. LLOYD To conclude with Rule Britannia in full chorus NO MONEY RETURN'D (C) BBC MCMLXXXVII

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Connections

Followed by Blackadder Back & Forth (1999)

User Reviews

Absolute Class

The 3rd and in my view the best of the Blackadder series.

The only downside is that there is no Lord Percy who was the funniest character from the previous series but Hugh Laurie's Prince Regent is suitably madcap laugh a line.

As a package it's quality through and through with convincing regency sets, superb cutting sarcasm and little bits of the wacky, the 'macbeth' actors standing out and Prince Georges 'lucky us' chicken impression, and the missing words from Dr Johnson's dictionary.

Few comedies have been quite as both clever as they are funny, okay the odd lame observation or line gets in but mostly it's a scream.