Blackadder the Third 

In the Regency era, Mr E. Blackadder serves as butler to the foppish numskull Prince George amidst the fads and crazes of the time.

Stars:

Rowan Atkinson, Tony Robinson, Hugh Laurie

Top Rated TV #114 | 3 wins & 6 nominations.

Cast

Complete series cast summary:
Rowan Atkinson	...	Edmund Blackadder, butler to the Prince / ... 6 episodes, 1987
Tony Robinson	...	Baldrick, a dogsbody 6 episodes, 1987
Hugh Laurie	...	The Prince Regent, their master 6 episodes, 1987
Helen Atkinson Wood	...	Mrs. Miggins, a coffee shoppekeeper 6 episodes, 1987

Storyline

During the Regency period, the insane King George III's stark raving mad son, George, is the Prince Regent of Wales. Vulgar and staggeringly slow-and-dim-witted, George exhausts the country's money and would surely be dead by now were it not for his dry, angry, bitter, arrogant and cynical butler, Edmund Blackadder, Esq. Blackadder is an ex-aristocrat who has lost his family fortune and been reduced to servant-hood, and full of loathing knowing he should have a better position then serving a lunatic. Sod-Off Baldrick is his dirty, smelly peasant servant, and Mrs. Miggins is an annoying cheerful coffee-shoppe owner who is too stupid to understand most of Mr. Blackadder's insults.

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Plot Keywords:

period | british humour | georgian era | regency era | king george iv | 

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Taglines:

Macbeth!

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Genres:

Comedy

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Certificate:

TV-PG

Details

Country:

UK

Language:

English

Release Date:

17 September 1987 (UK)

Also Known As:

Blackadder III

Filming Locations:

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

Company Credits

Production Co:

British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC)

Technical Specs

Runtime:

180 min 30 min (6 episodes)

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Color

Did You Know?

Trivia

When Edmund peruses the bookshelves during the opening credits, titles visible on the shelves include Encyclopedia Blackaddica, The Blackobite Rebellion, From Black Death to Black Adder and Blackadder's Bedside Cockfighting Companion.

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Goofs

Although purportedly set during the British Regency (1811-1820), there are appearances by, and contemporary references to, historical figures who were dead before that time, such as Samuel Johnson and Admiral Nelson. Characters use expressions not developed until later, such as "prince and the pauper" or "roller coaster."

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Quotes

Prince George: What can I do to a woman that I can't do to you?
Blackadder: I cannot conceive, sir.

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Crazy Credits

The closing credits are presented in the style of a theatre programme from a Regency-era play. The last scene of the episode forms a poster image, and below it run the following credits: For the BENEFIT of SEVERAL VIEWERS MR CURTIS & MR ELTON'S Much admir'd Comedy BLACKADDER The THIRD or (EPISODE NAME) was performed with appropriate Scenery Dresses etc. by EDMUND BLACKADDER, butler to the Prince, Mr. ROWAN ATKINSON Baldrick, a dogsbody, Mr. TONY ROBINSON The Prince Regent, their master, Mr. HUGH LAURIE Mrs. Miggins, a coffee shoppekeeper, Miss. HELEN ATKINSON-WOOD (Cast for that particular episode) MUSIC, (never performed before), Mr. HOWARD GOODALL (List of the Crew) the director, Mifs. MANDIE FLETCHER the producer, Mr. LLOYD To conclude with Rule Britannia in full chorus NO MONEY RETURN'D (C) BBC MCMLXXXVII

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Connections

Followed by Blackadder Goes Forth (1989)

User Reviews

from an American fan

I own the DVD box set of all of the Blackadder series and this one and "Goes Forth" are my favorites, but I love them all. This series skips through history with tongue firmly planted in cheek and is just superb. I call it "smart yet silly" comedy. The British are, or were, pros at this. Seeing some more recent "Britcoms", as some of us Yanks call them, I lament that they are taking too much from our lame American sitcoms. The brilliance of the recent "Coupling" gives me hope for the future.

I really enjoy Rowan Atkinson and the cast of Blackadder. They are all fabulous, but Steven Fry just cracks me up as the Field Marshall in the Fourth Series.

To get back to the Third series I really enjoy the guest appearances of Tim McInnerny as Lord Topper/Le Comte de Frou Frou, Chris Barrie (of Red Dwarf and Brittas Empire fame) as the French Revolutionary Guard, and who can forget the role of Dr. Johnson played by the illustrious Robbie Coltrane (who later played Rubeus Hagrid in the Harry Potter series of movies).

If you like "smart" comedy then check out Blackadder!!