The Black Adder 

In the Middle Ages, Prince Edmund the Black Adder constantly schemes and endeavors to seize the crown from his father and brother.

Stars:

Rowan Atkinson, Brian Blessed, Elspet Gray

Cast

Series cast summary:
Rowan Atkinson	...	Edmund, Duke of Edinburgh / ... 7 episodes, 1982-1983
Elspet Gray	...	The Queen / ... 7 episodes, 1982-1983
Tim McInnerny	...	Percy / ... 7 episodes, 1982-1983
Patrick Allen	...	Narrator / ... 7 episodes, 1982-1983
Brian Blessed	...	King Richard IV / ... 6 episodes, 1983
Tony Robinson	...	Baldrick / ... 6 episodes, 1983
Robert East	...	Harry, Prince of Wales 6 episodes, 1983
Bert Parnaby	...	Cain, A Blind Beggar / ... 3 episodes, 1983
Roy Evans	...	Abel, A Blind Beggar / ... 3 episodes, 1983
David Nunn	...	Messenger / ... 3 episodes, 1983
Perry Benson	...	Daft Ned, A Peasant / ... 3 episodes, 1983
Alex Norton	...	McAngus / ... 2 episodes, 1982-1983
Forbes Collins	...	Dopey Jack, A Peasant / ... 2 episodes, 1983
Barbara Miller	...	Jane Firkettle / ... 2 episodes, 1983
Howard Lew Lewis	...	Mr. Applebottom / ... 2 episodes, 1983
Natasha King	...	Princess Leia of Hungary 2 episodes, 1983
Stephen Frost	...	Soft, A Guard 2 episodes, 1983

Storyline

Set in England at the end of the War of the Roses, we soon find out that the history we know is a Tudor fiction. In fact, Henry VII did not actually win the battle of Bosworth Field; he lost and though Richard III died in the battle, his nephew King Richard IV (who certainly was not smothered while still a boy in the Tower of London) reigned on for some years. The story focuses on Richard IV's younger son Prince Edmund, a sniveling coward who calls himself the 'Black Adder'. Assisted by his grungy servant and the moronic Lord Percy, Edmund plots his rise to greatness.

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Plot Keywords:

middle ages | british humour | civil war | late middle ages | prince | 

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Taglines:

The most gripping sitcom since 1380.

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Genres:

Comedy

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Certificate:

TV-PG

Details

Country:

UK Australia

Language:

English

Release Date:

20 June 1982 (UK)

Also Known As:

Blackadder

Filming Locations:

BBC Television Centre, Wood Lane, Shepherd's Bush, London, England, UK

Company Credits

Production Co:

7 Network, BBC Worldwide, British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC)

Technical Specs

Runtime:

195 min 35 min (6 episodes)

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Michael Grade, who became Controller of BBC One in 1984, regarded this series as overly expensive and unfunny and nearly cancelled further series of Blackadder (he also attempted to cancel Doctor Who (1963) at around the same time and ceased production of The Tripods (1984)). He was eventually persuaded to make more Blackadder if it became a much lower budget studio sitcom. This explains why a second series of Blackadder didn't appear until 1986.

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Goofs

Blackadder is throughout the series referred to as the Duke of Edinburgh, a title that was first bestowed by King George I in 1726, on his grandson, Prince Frederick Lewis, in the Peerage of Great Britain. In the 1480s, the King of England had no jurisdiction over Scotland, where Edinburgh is. Giving Edmund an anachronistic, geographically useless title is a joke, as explained in the DVD special features.

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Quotes

Percy, Duke of Northumberland: Oh Edmund, can it be true that I hold in my hand a nugget of purest Green?

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Crazy Credits

Each episode's "cast in order of..." credit is different depending on the plot of the episode. "Witchsmeller Pursuivant," for instance, introduces the cast "in order of Witchiness," and "The Black Seal" introduces them "in order of disappearance." "The Black Seal" also lists Tim McInnerny's character as "Percy, a Poisoner" (watch the episode to find out why)

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Connections

Referenced in The Smith & Jones Sketchbook: Episode #1.6 (2006)

User Reviews

Witty, clever and DEFINITELY worth your time!

(Entire series) I first saw Blackadder on PBS (in the US) in the late 1980's. I was hooked from the start. All episodes, throughout the first 3 series, are without a doubt the most clever programs ever written for television. The structure of the 4 original series (excluding Back & Forth) is brilliant - Edmund believes he is destined to be king of England; with each successive generation, though, his family drifts another stage further away from the crown, but ironically, with each generation the main character (Blackadder) is more intelligent, and had the family remained close to the crown he no doubt would have found a way to become king. My favorite series overall is Blackadder III, though this may be a result of my literary background and the use of literary themes in this series. I dare you to not laugh uncontrollably at "Sense and Senility".