In my opinion, this was a rare case of getting it right the first time. This pilot was made for the purpose of selling the series to the BBC. Watching it you can clearly see why they gave the show the green light. Everything about it is spot on. So much so that you wonder why they changed the setting, the personality of its title character, as well as the overall tone of the show when they made the first BlackAdder.
This pilot feels very much like an episode from "BlackAdder II." It features the same Elizabethan setting. Yet more importantly, Edmund is the same stylish and conniving rogue that he was in the second series as well. With the same sardonic verbal wit and nasty demeanor. Yet, the original BlackAdder ended up doing things much differently. Setting itself during the Middle Ages with our slimy protagonist being a sniveling coward instead. Personally, I prefer a BlackAdder that is devilishly cool as opposed to being a dunce.
It follows the same plot as the episode called "Born to be King," from the first series. However, it is done much better as the scripting and humor are solid throughout. It is very much like series II, III, and IV in its style. Considering how flawed the first BlackAdder was, you could say the show able to hit its stride when it reverted back to the format of this pilot.
A must see for fans. I do recommend watching it after you have seen all of the series. It was never broadcast and is not available on DVD but you can see it online.