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

[while sitting in prison. ]
Prince Edmund: Dear Lord, who made the birds and the bees... and the snails, presumably, erm, please help me, a little animal too, in my despair. I have bee a sinner, but now I intend to follow the path of the saints: particularly the very religious ones.

---

Connections

Featured in Zomergasten: Episode #11.2 (1998)

User Reviews

Curtis and Atkinson save the best till last.

Writers Richard Curtis and Rowan Atkinson end series one of The Black Adder on a high with The Black Seal, which features the greatest Adder one-liners to be cooked up by the duo, and introduces six of their most outrageous characters, who team up with Prince Edmund to try and seize the throne of England: there's villainous Sir Wilfred Death (John Hallam); treacherous Three Fingered Pete; evil Guy of Glastonbury (Patrick Malahide); lecherous Friar Bellows (Paul Brooke); Sean, The Irish Bastard (no description necessary); and diminutive killer Jack Large (played by Big Mick, who is anything but), the bull-buggering beast killer of no fixed abode.

As if that wasn't enough, The Young Ones' Rik Mayall turns up in an uncredited and hilarious role as Mad Gerald, a wild haired crazy man who has been locked up in prison for 20 years (with only Mr. Rat and Mr. Key for company), and Patrick Allen, the series' narrator, makes an appearance as The Hawk, Edmund's lifelong arch enemy, who also wants to be king.

The Black Seal also sets the precedent that the last episode of each series sees Atkinson's character die, often along with the rest of the cast (although Series 3 provides an unusual twist on this idea): in this case, Edmund gets his from a nasty piece of torture equipment equipped with a rotating device called a 'codling grinder'. Ouch!