Blackadder 

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

Creator:

Richard Curtis

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 / ... 1 episode, 1982-1983
Brian Blessed	...	King Richard IV / ... 6 episodes, 1983
Tony Robinson	...	Baldrick / ... 6 episodes, 1983
Robert East	...	Harry, Prince of Wales 5 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 / ... 2 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

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 | civil war | prince | house of york | kingdom of england | 

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Taglines:

The most gripping sitcom since 1380.

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Genres:

Comedy

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Certificate:

TV-PG

Did You Know?

Trivia

This season had the largest budget in the series, with a multitude of extras and props (horses, armour, etc) and on-location shooting at actual medieval locations. Rowan Atkinson has described shooting as being extravagant: "It cost a million pounds for the six episodes, a lot of money to spend... it looked great, but it wasn't as consistently funny as we would have liked." In partial consequence, the later shows had their budgets, casts and sets scaled down.

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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

Opening tune singer: The sound of hoof beats 'cross the glade / Good folk, lock up your son and daughter / Beware the deadly flashing blade / Unless you want to end up shorter / Black Adder, Black Adder, he rides a pitch black steed / Black Adder, Black Adder, he's very bad indeed / Black: his gloves of finest mole / Black: his codpiece made of metal / His horse is blacker than a vole / His pot is blacker than his kettle / Black Adder, Black Adder, with many a cunning plan / Black Adder, Black Adder, you horrid ...

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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 Nostalgia Critic Real Thoughts: Neverending Story Movies (2015)

User Reviews

promising start to an excellent series

Although series 2 ('Elizabethan'), 3 ('Regency'), and 4 ('Great War') were probably better overall, this was the series that introduced Edmund Blackadder to the TV-watching world twenty years ago. In series 1, however, it was Edmund who was spineless and Baldrick who really did have the sense; in subsequent series these roles would be somewhat reversed and the idea then really took off.

I do like series 1 for the following reasons: strong casting aside from Rowan Atkinson, Tony Robinson and Tim McInnerny; this series included Brian Blessed, Robert East as regulars and guests like Peter Cook (brilliant in the very first episode), and Alex Norton (as McAngus). The eagle-eyed will also spot a very young Angus Deayton in the St Leonard's Day episode. While the three following series were sharper and more studio-based (not always a good thing ...) I do think the wild open spaces of The Black Adder helped enormously to get some sense of the Middle Ages into comedy, even if all four series have played havoc with historical fact!

Details

Official Sites:

Official site

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