Second best sitcom according to viewers of the BBC sereies "Britains Best Sitcom"? Coming second only to Only Fools and Horses… I order a re-count! I believe Blackadder deserved a lot more as the acting and the events which happen to Edmund Blackadder (Rowan Atkinson - the former Mr Bean) and his servant Baldrick (Tony Robinson - Time Team) are only to be laughed at again and again.
"Blackadder - The complete collection" is a 6 disc DVD limited edition box set of all the 4 Blackadder series, including the 3 specials Blackadders Christmas Carol, The Cavalier Years and the most recent Blackadder:Back and Forth. The Box set is amazing piece of artwork with the symbol of a Knife with a adder around it on the front. Every fan knows that to be the symbol of History's bogeyman, Edmund Blackadder.
On sliding out the DVD's from the black sleeve, the inside unravels to reveal all the Blackadder Series of The Blackadder,, Blackadder II, Blackadder III, Blackadder Goes Forth and the extra discs of Blackadders Christmas Carol and Back and Forth (along with the Cavalier years), only previously available separately and not in the previous complete series box set available to fans of this well written hilarious series by Richard Curtis and Ben Elton (The first series was written by Richard Curtis and Rowan Atkinson and not Ben Elton). All the theme music is by Howard Goodall.... On the discs themselves is a picture of half of Edmund Blackadders face in character in which he plays in the relative series or special and on the reverse is again a picture of Edmund Blackadder. On the reverse though, there is also a quote which accompanies the picture and adds more humour as any fan of the series will recognise all of the quotes, "For us, the Great War is finito, a war which would be a damn sight simpler if we just stayed in England and shot fifty thousand of our own men a week." As fans know already, Blackadder dies in every series, but to not spoil this for new viewers i have not said how this happens, only in the Fourth series....
The Blackadder ---------------------- First series of Blackadders life, mainly starring Rowan Atkinson, Tim McInnery, Tony Robinson and East Anglias finest, the one and only Brian Blessed. In this series, Edmund Blackadder, the un-loved son of King Richard IV's aims to be the nastiest man in Britain…but with plenty of funnies on the way, even being named the Arch Bishop of Canterbury will make your sides split with laughter. The Six Episodes are : The Foretelling, Born to Be King, The Archbishop, The Queen Of Spain's Beard, Witchsmeller Pursuivant and The Black Seal.
Blackadder II ------------------ Welcome Stephen Fry and Miranda Richardson as Lord Melchett and Queen Elizabeth I respectively. No Brain Blessed in this series though, as Blackadder plays the role of a Lord and friend to a rather simple minded Queen Elizabeth I with annoyance and pain with his 2 friends Percy and Baldrick. In this series, Blackadder manages to end up as Chief Death Commisoner with literally fatal error as he ends up attempting to speed up the process and murdering the wrong man….and also a guest appearance from Rik Mayell aka Lord Flasheart! The Six Episodes are : Bells, Head, Potato, Money, Bear and Chains.
Blackadder III ------------------- Hugh Laurie joins the team after a cameo role in the final episode of Blackadder II, but not huge roles for Miranda Richardson. Also, no Stephen Fry or Tim McInnery unfortunately, but they will return in Blackadder Goes Forth. In this series, Blackadder plays the Butler to the Prince Regent, through his rather strange outlook on things. Most memorable in this series is the episode in which the Prince wants to be an actor. Just look out for the word Macbeth ;-P The Six Episodes are: Dish & Dishonesty, Ink & Capabulty, Nob & Nobility, Sense & Senility, Amy & Amibilty and Duel & Duality.
Blackadder Goes Forth ------------------------------- Fry and McInnery return, but again only a small role for Richardson, as this time, Blackadder(Atkinson) finds himself as a Captain during the First World War, with Private S Baldrick (Robinson), General Melchett (Fry), Lieutentant George Coltburst (Laurie) and Captain Darling (McInnery). A most memorable in this series is the final episode in the "Great Push" as the soldiers go over the top. A non-comedic moment really and quite a sad ending to a death of a Legend and what it must have been like to hundreds of thousands in the war. A truly magnificent series in all and by far stands out the most. The Six Episodes are: Captain Cook, Corporal Punishment, Major Star, Private, General Hospital and Goodbyeeee
Blackadders Christmas Carol ----------------------------------------- Here, Blackadder plays scrooge…we all know the story :-P
Back and Forth (along with the Cavalier years) -------------------------------------------------------------- In Back and Forth, Blackadder is a wealthy man of the future, and on the eve of New Years, himself and a few friends decide to get together and Blackadder stuns them all, well, attempts to scam them all with a Time Machine. The thing is, is that Baldrick actually builds a working time machine. Many tales occur, and a guest appearance from Kate Moss as Maid Marion. In the end, Blackadder manages to change history to make it that he is King and Baldrick is Prime Minister…. hilarious stuff!
The Cavalier Years -------------------------- A revisit back to Blackadder III and Oliver Cromwell is after King Charles who is in the hiding of Blackadder….it all goes wrong in the end though!
The only "extras" contained on the disc is that of "Baldricks Diary" in which we are able to follow the day of the life of Baldrick while filming Back and Fourth. This though, appeared on the separate disc of the Back and Forth disc, so is not really an "extra". Overall, the discs themselves contain no more actual extras than what I have stated (Series and Specials) which is quite unfortunate, but for the same price as the original series 1-4 box set, you are getting Blackadders Christmas Carol and Back and Forth included in the set as well, and around £40, it is worth it as you can they own one of our countries finest comedies.
cynical and self-serving lineage of various Edmund Blackadders from the muck of the Middle Ages to the frontline of World War I. In his pre-Mr Bean triumph, Britis...
cynical and self-serving lineage of various Edmund Blackadders from the muck of the Middle Ages to the frontline of World War I. In his pre-Mr Beantriumph, British c...
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