Blackadder – 40th Anniversary Blu-ray Review

Last year marked the 40th anniversary of the classic historical sitcom Blackadder, and a new Complete Collection Blu-ray was released in December to mark the milestone. I was too busy to look through it at the time, but I finally got around to it recently, so this is my extensive review of the series and all the bonus material.

The show features the brilliant Rowan Atkinson in the title role of Edmund Blackadder, whose cynical and scheming nature causes him to look down on other people, especially his servant and inventor of ridiculous ‘cunning plans’ Baldrick, played by Tony Robinson. There’s also an impressive roster of co-stars and guest stars, most notably Stephen Fry, Hugh Laurie, Tim McInnerny, Miranda Richardson & Rik Mayall, who all had multiple roles in the show.

All of the series and specials are set in different historical periods, so it always feels fresh and different. Each period is represented by exquisite costumes and beautiful sets, along with enjoyable variations of Howard Goodall’s theme tune. All of the episodes were written by Richard Curtis and Ben Elton, except for the first series where Richard had teamed up with Rowan instead. As great as Rowan is, bringing Ben on board really gave the series the shot in the arm it needed. And John Lloyd (best known for producing QI these days) was the producer for every episode except the pilot (which sadly isn’t in this set) and the millennium special.

Thanks to the sterling efforts of Richard Latto and his colleagues – who also compiled the excellent Young Ones Blu-ray in 2022 – the episodes have been remastered for this new Blu-ray edition, alongside all the old extras ported over from the previous Ultimate Edition DVD set (even though it’s not mentioned on the packaging), and a huge treasure trove of new bonus material as well. A lot of hard work has clearly gone into this collection, it’s very impressive.

So this is my review of the four series, the specials and the bonus material in the box set, as well as the pilot and documentary that were on Gold last year to celebrate the anniversary. As usual, I’m not sponsored or affiliated with anyone involved in the show or the Blu-ray production, and these are all my own opinions, so I hope you enjoy!

Contents

• Series 1-4
  • The Discs
  • The Black Adder
  • Blackadder II
  • Blackadder The Third
  • Blackadder Goes Forth
  • Audio Commentaries
• Specials
  • Cavalier Years
  • Christmas Carol
  • Back & Forth
  • Baldrick’s Video Diary
  • Radio Rarities
• Blackadder Rides Again
  • Documentary
  • Interviews
  • Costumes Revisited
• Bonus Content
  • Film Rushes
  • Studio Recordings
  • Other Extras
• Gold Celebrations
  • The Lost Pilot
  • A Cunning Story
• Other Appearances

Series 1-4

The Discs

Discs 1-4 contain Series 1-4 respectively. All the discs in this set load very quickly, with just a brief copyright notice and the BBC logo before the menu. The menu on each disc isn’t animated, simply showing a resized version of the cover image for the relevant section in the box, while playing a brief extract of the closing theme for the relevant series (or a bit of Series 1’s opening theme on discs 5-7). Which isn’t a complaint, I like the simplicity of it and the pictures are nicely put together. Subtitles are available on every disc as well, naturally.

For Series 1-4 there are options to play all the episodes at once or individually – and if you do the latter, selecting certain episodes will bring up the option to play with or without commentary. There are no other extras on these first 4 discs.

I can’t give a professional comment on the quality of the remastering, as I don’t have great eyesight, technical knowhow, or ability to play the old DVDs and the new Blu-rays side-by-side. But they do look great to me, especially considering their age, and I get the impression from other people commenting online that it is a noticeable improvement, especially for the extensive location shots that were recorded on film for Series 1 (apart from an incorrect bit of film in Episode 6, where apparently half of a split screen shot has been briefly inserted in error, though if you don’t know it’s there it’s easy to miss as it’s so short, so I’m not worried about it).

The Black Adder (1983)

This series, set in the Middle Ages, helps to give the character of Blackadder some historical context, features the booming-voiced Brian Blessed as King Richard IV along with some big guest stars, has impressively large sets and exquisite costumes, does deliver some amusing moments, and even won an international Emmy in the Popular Arts category that year. Yet, despite all that, it is still by far the weakest of the series, as widely acknowledged by many of those who were involved with it, and it’s the one I watch the least.

For a start, Blackadder is quite weak and feeble (though he does gradually learn to become slightly more confident and assertive), while Baldrick is the more intelligent one. And it just doesn’t feel right, even if you somehow don’t know about the later series. There’s just no reason to care about Edmund or root for him to gain some sort of power, because you don’t feel he deserves to succeed. However, Edmund’s other servant, Percy (played by Tim McInnerny), is as stupid as he continues to be in the next series, so there is a small bit of consistency in that sense.

The episodes were also shot on film, primarily in and around Alnwick Castle, with a large number of sets, costumes and cast members, which was impressive but made it very expensive and difficult to make. The storylines were also unnecessarily complex or just felt dull. And the lack of a live studio audience affected the performances and the overall atmosphere, as being in front of a crowd in the studio was clearly a huge benefit in later series (as revealed in the fascinating studio recordings on the bonus disc). There is a recorded laugh track from when the episodes were shown to an audience later, but it’s not the same as having them there in person for the actors to react to.

There are some nice guest stars though, including Peter Cook as King Richard III, Miriam Margolyes and Jim Broadbent as the Spanish Infanta and her interpreter, an uncredited Rik Mayall as Mad Gerald (though he gets a much better role in the next series of course), and narrator Patrick Allen appearing on screen as Phillip of Burgundy.

So ultimately, by their own admission, it was too ambitious and a bit pretentious. There are funny bits, but they’re not regular or consistent, and it’s just messy. However, as soon as they simplified the production, plot lines and characters from the next series, they quickly found their feet and it became an instant hit from that point onwards.

Blackadder II (1986)

With Ben Elton on the writing team, a live audience in the studio, and a general sense of everyone having learnt from their mistakes, things take a huge turn for the better here, and this is my favourite of the 4 series.

There are essentially two great trios at the heart of this series, both of whom generate a lot of laughs. Firstly, Blackadder now has a much more confident and enjoyable role, as he bosses around and insults his dim-witted servants Baldrick and Percy, and several other people he comes into contact with. But I also absolutely adore Miranda Richardson as the spoilt, bratty, child-like Queen Elizabeth I, looked after by Nursie (Patsy Byrne) and Lord Melchett (Stephen Fry). So it’s a fairly big cast with 6 regular characters, but they’re all sufficiently different to one another and they all make great contributions.

Meanwhile my favourite guest stars include Gabrielle Glaister as Bob (whose name Blackadder utters in a variety of amusing ways), Miriam Margolyes as Lady Whiteadder, Hugh Laurie as both Simon Partridge and Prince Ludwig, and Tom Baker as Captain Redbeard Rum. But best of all is the unstoppable powerhouse Rik Mayall as the sex-crazed show-off Lord Flashheart, whose fantastically energetic and over-the-top performance blows everyone else out of the water. In his typical style he asked that every one of his lines was funnier than everyone else’s, and he got his wish, as well as ad-libbing some gags of his own.

And the end credits have an unfolding mini-story of their own, with Blackadder trying to catch the pestering balladeer that sings a different song about each episode (and you can watch the clean footage of those scenes, without credits or audience laughter, on the bonus disc). They were played by Tony Aitken on screen, who was also Poor Tom in the Money episode, with the singing voice of countertenor Jeremy Jackman dubbed on. So there’s a great deal to enjoy altogether, it’s a really well thought-out series.

Blackadder The Third (1987)

This is also a great series, with some nicely constructed plot lines and very funny scenes, and won the BAFTA for Best Comedy Series. The episode names are also clever parodies of Sense & Sensibility, and there are amusing book names in the opening titles as well.

This time Blackadder is the butler for George, the scatter-brained and easily-led Prince Regent, played by Hugh Laurie. And Baldrick is still Blackadder’s dogsbody of course, although it’s this series where his “cunning plans” really come to the fore, after only occasional mentions previously, and he actually has a good plan in the last episode. They’re the only 3 main characters, so it’s an even simpler cast this time, and that’s not a bad thing at all. There are also appearances by coffee shop owner Mrs Miggins (Helen Atkinson-Wood) throughout the series, who had been mentioned but never seen in Series 2, but she’s not as important or funny as the leading trio.

Tim McInnerny, Miranda Richardson & Stephen Fry were again part of this series as well, but only in single episodes this time (as nobleman Topper, Amy Hardwood and the Duke of Wellington respectively). My favourite guest star, however, is Robbie Coltrane as dictionary writer Dr Samuel Johnson. That’s the best episode of the series, as Blackadder invents some very funny words to wind up the author, and there are lots of other great moments.

Other guests in the series include Nigel Planer (nobleman Smedley), Chris Barrie (a French revolutionary), and Hugh Paddick & Kenneth Connor (thespians David Keanrick & Enoch Mossop). It’s a lot of fun to see Rowan playing Blackadder’s mad Scottish cousin in the last episode as well, and on the bonus disc you can see the full studio recording of the two characters meeting in the coffee shop, with clever use of split screen and over-the-shoulder shots to marry it all up.

Blackadder Goes Forth (1989)

As with Series 3, this also won the BAFTA for Best Comedy Series, and again the central characters are Blackadder, Baldrick and George. But this time they’re soldiers in the trenches during World War I, taking their orders from General Melchett (Stephen Fry) and Captain Darling (Tim McInnerny), and there’s plenty of humour generated by the latter’s name. Most of the episode titles are puns based on military ranks as well, apart from the last one.

Among the guest appearances are new variations of Bob and Lord Flashheart, with Rik Mayall in particular deservedly getting a much bigger role as the latter in his episode, which also features his comedy partner Adrian Edmondson as Baron Manfred von Richthofen. We also see Miranda Richardson again, this time playing a nurse, and the legendary Geoffrey Palmer (credited as “Special Guest Brass Hat”) has a cameo as Field Marshal Douglas Haig.

Throughout the series, the basic storyline is that Blackadder is keen to find any way out, to avoid having to go over the top to certain death in No Man’s Land, while the naive Baldrick and George appear to be more excited to defend their country. But the last episode, while still very funny, openly addresses everyone’s fears as the big push becomes imminent.

It all leads to that famously poignant ending, with a mournful version of the theme tune (available on Howard Goodall’s Inspired album) and no credits, as Blackadder, Baldrick, George and Captain Darling bravely leave the trench and charge at their enemies in slow motion, before the scene fades to a poppy field. It wasn’t the intended ending to the episode originally, as they had filmed the characters running a short distance and then awkwardly dying in front of the camera. But, as explained in documentaries about the series and a brand new extra in this set, they changed it to the slow-motion ending in post-production, and it’s hard to imagine it concluding any other way now.

It’s quite a gamble for a sitcom to do something like that, but it works so well because of the juxtaposition with all the great comedy preceding it, delivered by characters that we’ve grown to love. It brings you down to earth, making it clear that the ultimate price of war hasn’t been overlooked and isn’t something to joke about. So it’s perfectly edited, very moving, and a lovely tribute to our real military heroes.

Audio Commentaries

Even though it doesn’t say so on the packaging, this release includes all of the audio commentaries from the Ultimate Edition DVD box set released in 2009, where key members of the cast and crew watch 2 episodes each (or 4 in John Lloyd’s case):

• Writers Richard Curtis & Ben Elton join producer John Lloyd for lively and interesting discussions about writing and filming the show.
• Actor Rowan Atkinson and producer John Lloyd also have very honest chats together.
• Actors Tony Robinson & Tim McInnerny react to the episodes and impart occasional bits of trivia, but they don’t have much to offer overall.
• Actor Stephen Fry occasionally goes quiet when he gets absorbed in the episodes, but overall he’s well spoken and insightful, with very fond memories.

In addition, brand new commentaries have been recorded for 6 episodes in Series 1-4, where Richard Latto interviews a different person each time, namely actors Brian Blessed & Miranda Richardson, directors Mandie Fletcher & Richard Boden, editor Chris Wadsworth and producer John Lloyd. It marks the first time we’ve had any commentaries for Series 1, and the first time that nearly all of these participants have recorded commentaries for the show. So they’re well worth listening to for a variety of new anecdotes and perspectives, because they’re very enjoyable and insightful discussions.

6 new audio commentaries including… Director Richard Boden, Director Mandie Fletcher, Producer John Lloyd, Editor Chris Wadsworth, Brian Blessed and Miranda Richardson pic.twitter.com/2ElQ6iqQK4

— Richard Latto (@RichardLatto) November 24, 2023

The full list of commentaries is therefore as follows. To find them on the discs, you need to open the episode menu and click on the relevant title, which will then give you the option to watch it with or without the commentary track.

• Series 1:
  • 1. The Foretelling – Richard Latto & John Lloyd
  • 3. The Archbishop – Richard Latto & Brian Blessed
• Series 2:
  • 1. Bells – Richard Curtis, Ben Elton & John Lloyd
  • 4. Money – Tony Robinson & Tim McInnerny
  • 5. Beer – Richard Latto & Miranda Richardson
  • 6. Chains – Stephen Fry
• Series 3:
  • 1. Dish & Dishonesty – Richard Latto & Mandie Fletcher
  • 2. Ink & Incapability – Rowan Atkinson & John Lloyd
  • 5. Amy & Amiability – Richard Curtis, Ben Elton & John Lloyd
  • 6. Duel & Duality – Stephen Fry
• Series 4:
  • 1. Captain Cook – Richard Latto & Richard Boden
  • 2. Corporal Punishment – Richard Latto & Chris Wadsworth
  • 3. Major Star – Tony Robinson & Tim McInnerny
  • 6. Goodbyeee – Rowan Atkinson & John Lloyd

Specials

The specials are all on Disc 5, including the uncut version of the Christmas episode with a fascinating audio commentary, and the millennium special in HD with optional laugh track.

The Cavalier Years (1988)

This 15-minute sketch was shown as part of the first ever Red Nose Day telethon in aid of Comic Relief. Here Blackadder and Baldrick (working in a redecorated version of the kitchen set they’d used in Series 3), are the only remaining loyal servants of King Charles I, whom Stephen Fry portrays with mannerisms like the modern Prince Charles (or King Charles III as he’s now known of course). The King is being hidden in Blackadder Hall for his safety, but is captured by Oliver Cromwell (Warren Clarke), thanks to a typical slip-up by Baldrick, and taken to the Tower Of London. Blackadder then has to try and save the monarch from being executed. So it’s a fun sketch, with Harry Enfield the other contributor as the narrator, and it can also be enjoyed in full on Comic Relief’s Youtube channel.

Blackadder’s Christmas Carol (1988)

This extended episode, lasting nearly 45 minutes, is one of my favourite Christmas specials from all the sitcoms I like. And it’s now uncensored, as they’re finally restored Baldrick’s line about nailing a dog to a cross in an Easter play, which had been cut from the old DVD set and many TV repeats.

The story is basically the reverse of the classic Dickens tale. Here Blackadder is overly generous and gullible, dishing out money and food to whoever pleads poverty to him, meaning that he and Baldrick are left with nothing to celebrate Christmas with. But he changes his ways after The Spirit Of Christmas (Robbie Coltrane) unintentionally shows him that his predecessors got everything they wanted by being bad (meaning we get new scenes featuring the characters from Series 2 & 3), and that the same would happen in the future (in a science fiction scene).

Miranda Richardson, Patsy Byrne & Stephen Fry therefore all reprise their roles as Queenie, Nursie and Melchett from Series 2, while Hugh Laurie returns as Prince George from Series 3, as well as being the narrator for this special. All 4 of those actors star in the futuristic scene as well.

Meanwhile, back in the present-day Christmas time, the most notable visitors to Blackadder’s shop are Queen Victoria & Prince Albert, played by Miriam Margolyes & Jim Broadbent, while others include Blackadder’s screeching goddaughter Millicent (Nicola Bryant), Mrs. Scratchit (Pauline Melville) and orphan master Beadle (Denis Lill). So it’s an impressive cast and it works really well.

Blackadder: Back & Forth (1999)

The millennium special is presented in glorious HD for the very first time in this set, thanks to Richard Latto putting in a lot of time and effort to track down the original 35mm negatives. You also have the option of watching with or without a laugh track for the first time, as the old DVD set only had the original Sky version without it, whereas the BBC had added laughter for their broadcast in 2002.

I remember seeing a screening of this half-hour film at the Millennium Dome‘s SkyScape cinema back in 2000, where it was first shown before being broadcast on Sky One later that year, and on BBC One a couple of years later. Both broadcasters had co-funded the project, but then got into a dispute about who would show it, and the BBC weren’t happy that they had to concede to their rival over a programme that was theirs. Supermarket chain Tesco was also among the sponsors, hence the inclusion of a joke involving their loyalty card.

Because this special had a high budget thrown at it and was made for the cinema, it was shot on film in widescreen with surround sound, and used a wide variety of sets and costumes, so it looks and sounds amazing. The majestic orchestral version of the theme tune, with images of Blackadder in old artworks and photos, also helps to give it an epic feel from the outset.

The story sees Blackadder entertaining guests at his residence on New Year’s Eve 1999, as they prepare to celebrate the new millennium. He shows them a contraption that he claims is a time machine, built to Leonardo Da Vinci‘s exact specifications, and makes a wager that he can bring back any historical items chosen by his guests as proof, in return for a stash of cash.

It’s meant as a prank, with Baldrick digging out any old items that Blackadder can pass off as artefacts from the past. But the plans have been followed rather too well, as the machine actually works and throws Blackadder and Baldrick into the past. And as Baldrick has neglected to put in the date counter, they find themselves lost in time, randomly landing in different periods ranging from the dinosaurs to futuristic space battles, until they figure out a way back to the present day.

Cue lots of fantastic guest stars that they encounter along the way. Yet again Miranda Richardson, Stephen Fry and Patsy Byrne appear as their Series 2 characters in one sequence, while Stephen and Miranda play other roles as well, including a couple of Blackadder’s party guests. His other party attendees are played by Hugh Laurie and Tim McInnerny, who also have parts in the historical sections. Rik Mayall also returns, playing a very Flashheart-esque version of Robin Hood, and he’s joined by Kate Moss as Maid Marian. Meanwhile other big-name cameos include Colin Firth as William Shakespeare and Simon Russell Beale as Napoleon. And the primary stars Rowan Atkinson and Tony Robinson even play Roman soldier versions of their characters as well.

When Blackadder and Baldrick eventually make it back home, they find that their actions have changed history for the worse, so they have to sprint back through time again to put things right, and after that Blackadder wins the bet. But having realised he can change the course of history, Blackadder goes for one last trip, resulting in his guests seeing him as the new King of England on TV, with Baldrick as the Prime Minister. Then the closing song – with fun lyrics sung by Giles Underwood as Blackadder’s head bounces over the words on screen – brings the story to a close in celebratory style.

So this millennium special is a fitting end to the Blackadder saga, if we never get any more – at least not until the proposed sequel in the Summer of 3000…

Baldrick’s Video Diary

This is a bit of a misnomer, as it’s actually a half-hour behind the scenes documentary about the millennium special, including interviews, deleted moments, outtakes and a look at the filming of various scenes. The video diary aspect simply refers to Baldrick’s short introduction, and he occasionally pesters the documentary crew to do an interview with him. But it’s fun and interesting in any case.

Radio Rarities

This is technically an Easter egg, as it’s not mentioned on the packaging or in the online listings. But in a brand-new commentary on the Christmas special, Richard Latto has a short chat with director Richard Boden about the episode, before introducing a set of wonderful rarities from the BBC Radio archives, with clips of:

• Gloria Hunniford (Radio 2) – An interview with Ben Elton in June 1990, where he talks about his family’s reactions to his work, the people he’s happy to go to for criticism and advice, the time he spends writing, and why they didn’t write any more Blackadder after Series 4.
• Selling The Joke (Radio 4) – Richard Curtis being interviewed in February 1991, talking about a sketch he wrote for Rowan Atkinson about Jesus at the Feast of Cana, and the four distinct types of jokes they have in Blackadder.

• Woman’s Hour (Radio 4) – Extracts of Blackadder and Baldrick invading the show in November 1988 for Children In Need, trying to get the ladies to donate money to them, and talking about women in history. The episode can be heard in full on Soundcloud.

• Desert Island Discs (Radio 4) – Rowan Atkinson being interviewed by Sue Lawley in May 1988, where he talks about the serious business of being funny, how he discovered his comedic and face-pulling talents, his family, his time at school, his comedy heroes, his earliest professional show, the types of characters he plays, Not The Nine O’Clock News, and of course Blackadder. You can hear his episode in full on the BBC website, where he picks a nice variety of tracks, my favourites being Stairway To Heaven by Led Zeppelin, Let It Be by The Beatles, Every Time We Say Goodbye by Simply Red and Lady Writer by Dire Straits. His other choices are Still Crazy After All These Years by Paul Simon, Miss Otis Regrets by Ella Fitzgerald, a choral piece called Miserere by Gregorio Allegri and a classical number called Nocturne In C Sharp Minor by Chopin.

• With Great Pleasure (Radio 4) – John Lloyd introduces a couple of readings from Blackadder: The Whole Damn Dynasty, which he wrote with Richard Curtis, Ben Elton and Rowan Atkinson in the 90s, with royalties going to Comic Relief. The extracts are read by Hugh Laurie, as we hear the menu from Mrs Miggins’ Coffee Shop and learn about the duties of different members of society in the Series 3 era. We also hear briefly from Miriam Margolyes (who appeared in Blackadder a few times) and Julian Rhind-Tutt (who was the successor to Rowan in the Barclaycard adverts), plus John explains how Howard Goodall played a special and relevant piece of music at his wedding.

Blackadder Rides Again

Disc 6 presents the documentary that was made for the 25th anniversary, along with a couple of related extra features, all ported over from the old DVD release.

Documentary

This 1-hour programme, narrated by John Sergeant, looks in detail at the making of Series 1-4. It features interviews with Rowan Atkinson & John Lloyd as they travel to Alnwick Castle (the location for Series 1), Tony Robinson, Stephen Fry, Hugh Laurie, Miranda Richardson, Rik Mayall, Richard Curtis, Ben Elton and more.

Along the way there are classic moments from Series 1-4, a very brief clip from the pilot (the full version of which sadly isn’t in this set), Miranda looking at her old Queenie costume, Stephen being reunited with his comedy breasts, behind the scenes footage from the rehearsals and filming of Series 4, Ben & John visiting a war cemetery, a close look at the raw footage from the final scene of Series 4, and a few ideas they had for other potential series that never got made.

Interviews

Here you get a substantial 1½ hours of insightful interview material that they didn’t have room for in the documentary. The longest of these extras, at around 24 minutes, is with Rowan Atkinson talking to John Lloyd as they travel to Alnwick Castle. We then spend roughly 15 minutes each with Richard Curtis & Ben Elton in Soho, Tony Robinson at a couple of locations in London, and Stephen Fry in Africa. And finally there are short segments, each less than 5 minutes, with Miranda Richardson, Hugh Laurie and Rik Mayall, as well as Hilary Bevan Jones (the Assistant Floor Manager on Series 1).

Costumes Revisited

This is a 10-minute feature filmed at BBC TV Centre, where Miranda Richardson & Patsy Byrne are first to explore many of the impressively detailed costumes from the series, while Tony Robinson & Tim McInnerny reunite and reminisce together in an empty TV studio before having a bit of fun in the costume store as well.

Bonus Content

In addition to the 7 new commentaries on the earlier discs, Richard Latto and his team have filled Disc 7 with a wealth of incredible extras to wrap up the set, gifting us with a whopping 9 hours of fascinating rare material.

Film Rushes

• Series 1 Film Rushes – Over an hour of the raw footage shot on location, in HD for the first time, for all 6 episodes and the title sequence. Brian Blessed makes his presence felt the most, naturally, he’s amazing.
• Series 1 Cine Footage – Short, shaky clips lasting just 1½ minutes, with the audio of the projector, showing the crew working on location in Hulne Park in February 1983, including a glimpse of Rowan riding a horse. It’s nothing exciting given how brief it is, but it is a nice little glimpse of the crew at work.
• Series 2 Film Rushes – A delightful compilation, lasting almost 10 minutes, with a lot more of Blackadder’s day out with Bob that was cut from the Bells episode, and the entire saga of Blackadder being pestered by the balladeer at the end of each episode is presented without credits or audience laughter over the top. The original footage for the opening titles is also provided, without audio, which isn’t as exciting as there’s nothing really new to see, but it’s nice to have it anyway.

Studio Recordings

The highlight of the disc is an astonishing 5½ hours of raw footage from the studio recordings of 4 episodes and the Comic Relief special, with all but one of these tapes filmed in front of a live audience. The sound and picture quality is naturally variable, but they’re still perfectly watchable and it’s well worth doing so, as you get to experience the warm-ups, outtakes, retakes and other little moments between scenes as if you were really there.

It’s fun to see alternate takes of scenes that are so familiar, and occasional lines that never made it to air. And you can tell when retakes are going to happen if you know the episodes well, because you instantly recognise that lines have been said or captured on camera slightly differently from the final edit. The actors are all very self-disciplined as well, so they don’t make a joke out of every single fluff unless it’s clearly a funny mistake – particularly Rowan Atkinson, who is very focused, and will sometimes ask to do lines again that he’s unhappy with, while Tony Robinson tends to be a little more laid back. So it showcases the dedication and hard work of everyone involved to get everything just right, it’s interesting to see the actors switching in and out of character, and you appreciate the job of the editor more as well.

• Series 2: Potato – Here we get to see the whole episode being filmed over the course of an hour. There aren’t any massively hilarious bloopers, but there are some mildly amusing ones, particularly during the scenes in the throne room, and it’s nice seeing more of Tom Baker as Captain Rum as well. It’s also interesting to hear Ben Elton doing material for the audience to keep them occupied before the show and in the gaps between scenes.
• Series 3: Duel & Duality – This entire 50-minute recording reveals how complicated it was to film the 2½-minute scene in Mrs Miggins’ Coffee Shop where Blackadder meets his Scottish cousin MacAdder, with both parts being played by Rowan. So naturally there’s no audience here, as this would have been edited together and played on monitors to them on another day, during the recording of the rest of the episode. It employs a mixture of split-screen filming – with the dividing line sometimes highlighted on screen so that Rowan and the crew know where it can’t be crossed – and shots filmed over the shoulder of a stand-in from behind, who is dressed in the opposite character’s costume and speaks the feed lines for Rowan to reply to. So it’s really interesting to see it broken down into its component parts like this.
• Series 4: Corporal Punishment – At 2 hours long, with excellent picture and sound quality, this is the best of the bunch. There are some very funny outtakes, particularly during the court scene with Hugh Laurie getting tangled up in the doorway and Stephen Fry corpsing, as well as in some other scenes. Meanwhile, Richard Curtis talks to the audience in between scenes, some of which is quite amusing and interesting, including a fun questionnaire and some facts about the show. And when the crew are preparing to film in the prison cell tucked away at the back of the stage, the audience are shown clips from the first and third series. There’s also a nice shot where the camera travels from the dugout across the stage, past the prison cell and into the courtyard set for the firing squad scene, which gives you a good sense of the layout.
• Series 4: Goodbyeee – This is just an hour in length, so isn’t the complete recording, but again it’s very good quality and there’s a lot to enjoy. It focuses mainly on the filming of the dugout scene where the gang are discussing going over the top (which Richard Curtis tells the audience is the longest scene they’ve done in any episode). After that we also see General Melchett giving Captain Darling his commission to join the lads on the frontline for the big push, and Blackadder phoning Field Marshal Douglas Haig (Geoffrey Palmer) in a last desperate plea to save his life. So they’re all important scenes, and they include a few little sections of dialogue that were cut from the final edit. We also see the tape being rewound and sped forwards now and again when they’re checking the footage. Richard’s chatter with the audience is largely the same as in the other episode above, which makes sense as it’s a different crowd this time, and the same two clips from the first and third series are also played.
• The Cavalier Years – The 40-minute studio tape for the Comic Relief special isn’t in great shape, with some interference and dropouts in the picture. But it’s still adequate for viewing and there are some funny outtakes, with Tony in particular making a few quips, and Rowan having trouble with his moustache at one point. The tape was acquired by Kaleidoscope a few years ago, as they posted a few highlights on Youtube here, here and here, but it’s great to see it in full on the Blu-ray.

Other Extras

• Series 4: ‘Over The Top’ – In this 4-minute feature, editor Chris Wadsworth shares the raw clips that were recorded for the iconic final sequence, as he explains the challenges of editing it together with so little footage to work with. The story is well known to Blackadder fans, but it’s great to see the rushes in their entirety and to hear him talking in-depth about the process. It’s a shame there isn’t the option to see them without the narration over the top though.
• Photo Gallery – Over the course of 20 minutes, this slideshow presents more than 200 photos from Series 1-4 and Christmas Carol, plus a solitary image of Blackadder and Baldrick from Back & Forth (which is a pity as there must have been loads of snaps from that special). A lot of the pictures are great publicity shots, as well as snaps taken during filming, and the Series 4 photos include a wide selection from the filming of the opening titles. The slideshow is accompanied by 13½ minutes of music from Series 1, with the rest of the time filled by the opening and closing themes from Series 2-4 and Christmas Carol. The Series 2 themes include the noises from the visuals that would normally accompany them, which is a shame given that clean versions are known to exist, particularly the uncut version of the opening theme, which had been used on the Series 2 menu of an old DVD set called The Complete Blackadder, and can be downloaded from the Dirty Feed blog. However, we do get the clean, uncut version of the opening Christmas Carol theme, without the narration at the start.
• BBC Trailers & Promotional Materials – A nice 15-minute selection of trailers and continuity announcements from the archives, with the nostalgia of seeing old idents from BBC1 and BBC2, all expertly restored by Pip Madeley.

• Ye Olde Cunning Clip Compendium – A great 90-minute miscellany of other items from the archives to complete the set. It includes clips of Terry Wogan interviewing Rowan Atkinson, Tony Robinson & Tim McInnerney, plus further interviews with Rowan by Pamela Armstrong and Tony on See You Sunday. Rowan and Tony also appear together on Open Air during Children In Need day, where they field questions from fans on the phone and in the studio. Then on top of that there’s some nice behind the scenes footage and interviews from Series 4, courtesy of Look East and Behind The Screen. And the most amusing clip features Tony in character as Baldrick on Blue Peter, where he makes a very special stew for Comic Relief and covers himself in endless custard pies! So it’s a brilliant compilation altogether. There’s loads of other clips they could have used of course, some of which are on a Blackadder playlist that I’ve put together, but they’ve picked a decent selection here.

Gold Celebrations

In June last year, as well as repeating the series itself, Gold celebrated the 40th Anniversary of Blackadder with a couple of special programmes. These aren’t in the Blu-ray set, but the pilot in particular is worth mentioning.

The Lost Pilot

While short clips of the 1982 pilot have appeared in previous documentaries about Blackadder, and low quality bootlegs have circulated online, this was the first time that it had ever been broadcast on TV, and it was quite fascinating.

Before the pilot itself, the first half of this 80-minute programme saw Tony Robinson (who wasn’t in the pilot) interviewing people about the early evolution of the series, and how it compared to the pilot episode, which put everything nicely into context. The contributors included:

• Richard Curtis – He wrote the pilot with Rowan Atkinson, and was thrilled to see an early script and photos from the time.
• Ben Elton – He wasn’t involved with the pilot, but explained how he came on board with fresh ideas for Series 2.
• John Lloyd – He also wasn’t involved with the pilot, but was able to talk about the development of the series beyond it.
• Howard Goodall – He wrote the theme tune for the pilot and the series, and here he demonstrated how it evolved from his initial idea.
• David Mitchell – This comedian was never involved with Blackadder, but he is a big fan, and has starred in a historical sitcom called Upstart Crow, also written by Ben Elton. So he was able to make some good and relevant points. I didn’t get into Upstart Crow when I tried it a long time ago, and I don’t have any plans to revisit it particularly.

The complete pilot was then shown in the second half of the programme, and afterwards a group of comedians gave their reactions to it, having seen a special screening of it.

It’s not as good as the show that the public came to know and love, inevitably, because it was all very early and experimental. But it was still better than I expected. Crucially, it showed that the foundations of the show were there and it had a lot of potential, which is all a pilot needs to do.

What’s particularly striking is how much it’s unlike the first series that followed (although the basic storyline and several jokes were re-used in episode 4). It’s actually closer to Series 2 in style, because Blackadder is more like his clever, scheming persona from that series, Baldrick is the stupid buffoon, and it’s set during the Elizabethan era, with a similar style to the sets and costumes. So it’s interesting that they took the characters in a different direction in the first series that followed, only to then change their minds again in Series 2.

Also, while Blackadder in the pilot is still played by Rowan Atkinson, Baldrick is instead portrayed by Philip Fox. He’s nowhere near as good as Tony in that role, although that’s largely down to the writing more than the acting, as the character hadn’t yet been refined at that stage, and Baldrick would later become even more stupid. Tim McInnerny, meanwhile, is the dim-witted Percy, and it does feel like his character was nailed down from the outset, as he’s much the same in the full series that came after. One of the funniest moments for me in the pilot, for example, was his confusion over Blackadder’s remark that “It’s all Greek to me.” It felt like pure Percy, and it was indeed one of the jokes that was kept in for Series 1.

The story itself is about a Scotsman returning from war, and as a reward he’s given the Scottish lands currently owned by Blackadder, much to the latter’s annoyance. So Blackadder tries to find a way to kill the Scot, using a stage play to make it look like an accident, only to have to backpedal on his plan urgently when the Scot has revelations about Blackadder’s family. And it works well enough. There are too many characters involved though, as a few have no real purpose, the opening text to set the scene is a bit dull and complicated, and some of the humour doesn’t really land – all of which were issues during Series 1 as well. But in general the storyline does give rise to a few amusing scenes, misunderstandings and physical moments.

So while it’s not an episode I’d rush to watch again, it was still amazing to be able to see it for curiosity value after all these years, as it fleshes out the story of Blackadder’s creation very nicely. And it’s therefore a great shame it couldn’t be cleared for inclusion on the Blu-ray set.

A Cunning Story

This 2-hour retrospective was narrated by Miriam Margolyes, and it didn’t reveal anything new, but then I hadn’t expected it to. It’s really more of value to people who haven’t seen the previous documentaries about the show, or the extras on the DVD and Blu-ray releases.

For a start, Gold hadn’t filmed new interviews with anyone involved with the show. They simply reused the title sequence and lots of interview footage from their 25th anniversary documentary The Whole Rotten Saga – which was different to the Rides Again documentary, but the stories about the writing and making of the show are the same anyway. There were a couple of interviewees who weren’t part of Rides Again, most notably Jim Broadbent, but they didn’t add anything of major importance in their brief appearances.

The focus was again on Series 1-4, with the specials acknowledged only fleetingly, which is a pity as they deserve proper attention. So there were plenty of classic clips from the four series of course, although it was disappointing that the occasional mild swearwords were bleeped out, as the show was never really crude. There was no new behind the scenes footage either – the same clips from the rehearsals and the final episode of Series 4 were simply rolled out again.

The only new elements were the contributions from other comedians – including Ardal O’Hanlon, Jack Whitehall, Nina Wadia & Reginald D. Hunter, among others – declaring their love for the show and explaining why it’s funny. That’s commonplace for many tribute documentaries about old sitcoms these days, as it’s a cheap and easy way to fill out the schedule by padding out a show that might have lasted half an hour or an hour to at least 2 or 3 hours, thus making the audience sit through (or, in my case, fast-forward through) more adverts along the way. So it’s lovely that they’re fans of Blackadder, and their perspectives might be useful for people less familiar with the series, who may be tempted to check it out as a result, but they didn’t add anything of value for me personally.

So it is a very nice tribute to the series, but it’s not worth sitting through it if you’ve already got the show on Blu-ray or DVD with the extra features – unlike The Lost Pilot, which is essential viewing given its rarity value.

Gold also promoted their celebrations in a fun way, by installing a Blackadder portrait at English Heritage’s Audley End in Essex. Tony Robinson had fun seeing people’s reactions to it, especially the visitors who didn’t recognise who it was.

Other Appearances

Here are a few other little bits and pieces to finish off this post. It’s a shame that some of the videos here didn’t find their way on to the Blu-ray set.

• Ultimate Edition DVD set – Here’s how the artwork used to look from the 2009 box set I previously owned. Baldrick’s family tree is quite fun.

• The Army Years – This monologue from the Royal Variety Performance in 2000, and introduced by Ben Elton, saw Lord Blackadder from Her Royal Highness’s Regiment Of Shirkers proposing an invasion of France.

• The Jubilee Girl – In 2002, Sir Osmond Darling-Blackadder, Keeper Of The Royal Lawn Sprinklers, reluctantly announced the Party At The Palace for the Queen’s Golden Jubilee, as part of a documentary about the concert, during which he popped up to make other comments about why it shouldn’t have gone ahead.

• We Are Most Amused – In 2012, Blackadder was the CEO of the Melchett, Melchett & Darling bank for a sketch alongside Miranda Hart, who was interviewing him as part of her inquiry into the banking crisis. Baldrick also appeared as Blackadder’s gardener. It was performed live on stage at We Are Most Amused, in aid of The Prince’s Trust.

• Baldrick in 2014 – A special introduction filmed by Baldrick to surprise the audience of Guernsey’s stage show of Blackadder Goes Forth.

• Big Night In – As part of the joint fundraising event for Comic Relief and Children In Need during the Covid pandemic in 2020, Lord Melchett – in his role as Head Of The Royal Household – spoke to Prince William over Zoom about educating his children, during which he also mentioned Blackadder and Baldrick. They both then went outside to applaud the NHS workers – Stephen by himself and Prince William with his family.

• Baldrick’s Bedtime Story – A sketch for Comic Relief in 2023, where Baldrick reads a tale called Balderella. It’s not as good as the other sketches above, but there are some nice illustrations.

Conclusion

And that’s it, I hope you enjoyed that romp through Blackadder’s various incarnations. You can check out my Blackadder playlist for the clips I’ve mentioned above, and a few other random things as well.

It seems highly unlikely that we’ll get any more series, despite the rumours that the media try to stir up every so often, though we could still see occasional appearances by one or two of the characters here and there if we’re lucky. But in any case, the stories spanned the centuries and the show will live on for ages, so Blackadder will never be forgotten. History will certainly remember his name.