Black-Adder II 

In the Tudor court of Elizabeth I, Lord Edmund Blackadder strives to win Her Majesty's favour while attempting to avoid a grisly fate should he offend her.

Stars:

Rowan Atkinson, Tony Robinson, Tim McInnerny

Top Rated TV #96 | 1 win & 1 nomination.

Cast

Series cast summary:
Rowan Atkinson	...	Edmund Blackadder 6 episodes, 1986
Tim McInnerny	...	Lord Percy 6 episodes, 1986
Tony Robinson	...	Baldrick 6 episodes, 1986
Miranda Richardson	...	Queen Elizabeth I 6 episodes, 1986
Stephen Fry	...	Lord Melchett 6 episodes, 1986
Patsy Byrne	...	Nursie 6 episodes, 1986
Tony Aitken	...	Minstrel / ... 6 episodes, 1986

Storyline

Sixty years after the demise of Prince Edmund Plantagenet, Queen Elizabeth I, who's as insane as her ancestors, is England's current leader. Seductive, easy-to-impress, spoiled, and always seeking a husband, "Queenie" has a leading courtier: Lord Edmund Blackaddder, great-grandson of the original. Now, however, he is dryly cynical and intelligent, but still trying to become king; this time by marrying the queen. However, her right-hand-man, Lord Melchett, will always serve as fair competition for her hand. Blackadder is again assisted by the clueless but fashionable Lord Percy Percy and dung-eating, "cunning" peasant Baldrick.

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Plot Keywords:

aristocracy | british humour | elizabethan era | tudor england | kingdom of england | 

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Taglines:

The original may be dead... but now his bastard great-great grandson swaggers around Renaissance London with a big head and a small beard.

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Genres:

Comedy

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Certificate:

TV-PG

Details

Country:

UK

Language:

English

Release Date:

9 January 1986 (UK)

Also Known As:

Crna Guja II

Filming Locations:

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

Company Credits

Production Co:

British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC)

Technical Specs

Runtime:

176 min 30 min (6 episodes)

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Color

Did You Know?

Trivia

The format of the Blackadder series was changed substantially after the BBC was displeased with the first series, The Black Adder (1982). The new BBC One Controller Michael Grade agreed to make another series if it was made as a standard studio sitcom with an audience, the characters' roles were redefined and the budget was substantially trimmed.

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Quotes

Blackadder: Shut up, Balders. You'd laugh at a Shakespeare comedy.

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Crazy Credits

In the opening credits, a snake (a Mexican black kingsnake) slithers across a marble table (in a homage/parody to I, Claudius (1976), a historical/political drama series which starred Patsy Byrne). However, the snake doesn't go the way it should, and at the end is removed and replaced with an object (the object varies depending on the episode).

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Connections

Referenced in Blackadder's Most Cunning Moments (2008)

User Reviews

The Elisabethan Sitcom

'Blackadder 2' provoked outrage when first broadcast in the U.K. Those who'd liked the first series were extremely unhappy at the show's reformatting; Nina Myskow, television critic of 'The News Of The World' bestowed on Rowan Atkinson her infamous 'wally of the week' title. Its only with the benefit of hindsight can we see now that the changes were absolutely spot-on; Edmund becoming a sarcastic cad, Baldrick turning stupid, and the expensive film sequences dropped in favour of stronger characterisations and tighter plots. Without the likes of Brian Blessed to constantly upstage him, Atkinson was free to dominate the show. Ben Elton replaced Atkinson as Richard Curtis' co-writer - another wise move. As the squeaky-voiced 'Queenie', Miranda Richardson was simply outstanding. Tom Baker played 'Captain 'Redbeard' Rum' in one episode, a tour-de-force of over-the-top acting. The weight of public opinion gradually swung behind 'Blackadder 2' - its now regarded as better than its predecessor.