The Black Seal (20 Jul. 1983)

When Edmund loses his title of Duke of Edinburgh, he snaps, fires Baldrick and Percy and hires some of the most cruel men in England; Sir Wilfred Death, Three-Fingered Pete, Guy de ... See full summary »

Director:

Martin Shardlow

Writers:

Richard Curtis (by), Rowan Atkinson (by),

Stars:

John Carlisle, Bert Parnaby, Roy Evans

Cast

Episode cast overview, first billed only:
John Carlisle	...	Murdered Lord
Bert Parnaby	...	Cain, A Blind Beggar
Roy Evans	...	Abel, A Blind Beggar
Forbes Collins	...	Trusting Father
Des Webb	...	Person of Unrestricted Growth
John Barrard	...	Retired Morris Dancer
Rik Mayall	...	Mad Gerald - Himself (as Mad Gerald)
Perry Benson	...	Pigeon Vendor
Paul Brooke	...	Friar Bellows
Big Mick	...	Jack Large
Roger Sloman	...	Three Fingered Pete
Patrick Malahide	...	Guy of Glastonbury
John Hallam	...	Sir Wilfred Death
Patrick Allen	...	The Hawk
Ron Cook	...	Sean, The Irish Bastard

Storyline

When Edmund loses his title of Duke of Edinburgh, he snaps, fires Baldrick and Percy and hires some of the most cruel men in England; Sir Wilfred Death, Three-Fingered Pete, Guy de Glastonbury, Sean the Irish Bastard, Friar Bellows and Jack Large to help him take over the kingdom.

---

Plot Keywords:

crossbow | reference to william shakespeare | poisoned | flash forward | begins with text | 

---

Genres:

Comedy | History

---

Details

Country:

UK Australia

Language:

English

Release Date:

20 July 1983 (UK)

Company Credits

Production Co:

British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC), Seven Network

Technical Specs

Color:

Color

Did You Know?

Quotes

[the court toast to Edmund]
King Richard IV: May he live as long as our dynasty!
[everyone except Edmund is killed by the poisoned wine]

---

Connections

References The Three Musketeers (1921)

User Reviews

Best episode of Series 1!

"The Black Seal shall rule England!"

This was the last, and best, Blackadder Series 1 episode. The first historic series bowed out with this great episode, which had it all - humour, plot, new characters and adventure. None of the other episodes are as good as The Black Seal, which finally brings out the intelligence and cunning of Edmund, the uselessness of Percy (which results in one tragic consequence at the end - I shall say no more), and the dirty dung gatherer that Baldrick is. This episode has taken all of the weaknesses from past episodes and perfected them, letting the first great series end with an unforgettable experience.

As Edmund leaves the castle, he embarks on a mission to find the Six Most Evil Men in the land, who are all introduced in humorous scenarios. We don't really get to know anyone except Edmund, but you can't get everything in 30 minutes, and it is, after all - a comedy. This episode is the funniest of the whole series, and even betters a lot of episodes in other series too. However, Rowan Atkinson's being kicked off the position of Richard Curtis's Blackadder writing partner and replaced by Ben Elton has resulted in funnier series on the whole, and has made Blackadder a real success in later series. However, Rowan gives us one last good episode, to bid us farewell with. Nevertheless, his presence in the show is extremely important - without him, Blackadder would be nowhere near as good.

With epic settings, original scenarios and some great one-liners, The Black Seal ends the first series of a great tradition, and makes the first series better in every way. People say the first series was a sham, but that is utter rubbish, and the claim it is rubbish is further proved wrong by this - the last episode of the series.

A great episode that makes the first series just as great as the others! 10/10