Introduction

I should hate Blackadder for one reason; it turned me into the weirdest ten year old imaginable. I was the only one certainly in my class that spoke with a sardonic inflection in my voice and muttered "what ho?" when I saw something surprising. It certainly didn't help me make friends at the time, giving me a strange impulsion to call everyone a cretin and say 'I have a cunning plan' very slowly at the beginning of every other sentence. Luckily I shook off these very annoying habits, but I firmly believe that Blackadder made part of who I am today, and I consider this DVD set my third parent in that respect.

Blackadder is the brainchild of misters Richard Curtis and Rowan Atkinson, a character so cruel, hurtful and cunning to everyone around him, but so lovable to the viewer and so interesting because of all these things. He is the dreamer, in every series the Blackadder character's status gets lower and lower, and so do his expectations and aspirations, but he never gives up trying to find a way around whatever life throws at him, and it is this I think, that the modern viewer empathises with.

As a show, it was hugely successful, but not from series one. It earned it's place as the nations second most beloved sitcom (after Only Fool's of course), through trial and error, and with a fantastically versatile cast and a perfect leading man. It has had multiple co-writers and directors throughout it's life, but it would have all fallen apart without Curtis holding it together and Atkinson making it work, and boy does it work.

Where to buy

This DVD set I discovered in WHSmiths when it came out about 5 years ago, and I made my parents get it me for Christmas at the princely cost of £60. Now it can be found wherever DVD's are sold, for between £15 and £40 in my experience, so it's best to look around for the best price. I would recommend eBay of course, where they rarely sell for over £25 and they are well worth it.

The Main Cast

Rowan Atkinson: The Blackadders - Known mainly for his famous Mr. Bean and the Blackadder series, Rowan Atkinson has absolutely impeccable comedy timing and delivers his lines so effortlessly but with such a sting behind them. He and Curtis created the role, and they really found his forte, making the audience crack up with just a look on many occasions.

Tony Robinson: The Baldricks - Tony Robinson plays the increasingly dim witted sidekick to Blackadder in every series, and is the only other actor to play a major role in every series. He is lovable but revolting, and is portrayed always as the lowest urchin of whatever society they happen to be in.

Tim McInnerny: Percy & Darling - McInnerny is a formidable classical actor, spending a lot of time with the "Shakespeare bug", and making a good name for himself at the RSC and the like. As Percy, he is dim witted but comical, and as Darling he is bitter and vile; quiet an achievement to pull both off so well.

Hugh Laurie: Prince George and Lieutenant George - Hugh Laurie couldn't be more funny if he tried. Its in his blood to be daft and hilarious and his aptitude for acting air headed when he's actually got a brain the size of Bolton it astonishing. He plays the lavishly spoilt and desperately thick Prince George with brilliant timing and physicality, and Lieutenant George in the following series with just as much vigor.

Stephen Fry: Melchets & Wellington - What is there to say... everything he does is perfect, it seems futile to try and put it into words. Both Melchets are so different; the first is a serious and sarcastic aide to Queen Elizabeth, and the other a lunatic General of the British army. He plays both sarcasm and lunacy with equal brilliance, and cameo's and the Duke of Wellington, coming to kill Prince George at the end of series three.

Miranda Richardson: Queenie - Miranda Richardson's Elizabeth the first is the making of series two. She plays her in the most hilarious, childish way imaginable, mixing insanity with power perfectly to create the character all around her fear and grovel to. This makes it all the more amusing watching the way the other characters such as Blackadder and Melchet talk to her.

Series One: The Black Adder

The Black Adder is set in medieval England, around the time of Richard III and Henry Tudor. It does however give a new slant on both of these characters, and indeed history itself, by saying Henry Tudor invented the stories of the evil Richard, who was actually a (almost) kindly figure who didn't kill his nephews but treasured them. It is filmed in an enormous castle with an equally sizeable cast of about forty. It's different from the sequel series in that it had a much bigger budget, and appealed to a more niche audience. Much of the comedy is contemporaneous (which is a word, I assure you), and there are a lot of Shakespeare references that a lot of people miss, particularly if they are unfamiliar with Macbeth and Richard III. Most of the laughs though come from clever language, the way Prince Edmund is treated by his family and of course Rowan Atkinsons rubber spined physicality.

Synopsis (Spoiler warning) - In the first episode, Prince Edmund accidentally kills his great uncle Richard III at the Battle of Bosworth, and gets away with it, thanks to his father (who becomes Richard IV in the episode) and his dim wit, blaming the murder on Henry Tudor, who successfully escapes after Edmund and Percy accidentally nurse him back to health without knowing his true identity. Edmund is consumed by the idea of becoming King, and in the following episodes, we see his pursuit of this dream, through enormous setbacks including an arranged marriage with a less than attractive spanish infanta, being accused and prosecuted for witchcraft, accidentally becoming the archbishop of Canterbury, finding out he's technically a bastard, and eventually, after having had enough, devising a plot to overthrow his father and kill his family to claim the throne. His plan fails, but in a dramatic turn of events, his whole family and their court accidentally poison themselves to death thanks to Percy, and The Blackadder becomes king of England... for about 10 seconds before he also accidentally kills himself too. (End of spoiler)

I personally really love the first series, but I think I'm in a minority where most Bladder fans that are used to the clever Blackadder/stupid Baldrick situation are concerned. It was clearly a huge budget series for the time, with massive stage names and an even more massive location budget, and for many viewers the niche comedy style and slimy antihero of a main character may have fallen short of this effort. However it still remains one of my favourite series ever, and it does certainly grow on you when you catch all the jokes.

Series Two: Blackadder Two

Many people see this series as the beginning of the saga, as it differs so much from the previous series, and has a lot in common with subsequent ones. The main difference is the obvious slash in budget costs, as the series has a much smaller cast and very much less where set design and location is concerned, being filmed in a studio rather than a castle. It is however the characters that make the comedy, and here, this series does not disappoint. Blackadder is much more witty, intelligent and commands a great deal more respect than his predecessor, whereas Baldrick is thick as anything. Queen Elizabeth is portrayed brilliantly as air-headed and superficial, and at the same time all too aware of her power and with a little bit of insanity thrown in. It makes for great viewing, as we watch Blackadder wriggle in and out of trouble with both her, her aide Melchett, a religious bank, the rough ocean, a mysterious german transvestite and a veritable rainbow of other things in the hope of staying sane and alive.

Synopsis (Spoiler warning) - The first episode begins with a short scene depicting a poor man and his daughter, lamenting their own poverty. The girl plans to dress up as a boy and travel to London to earn her fortune as a manservant. She arrives at the home of Blackadder, dressed as a boy, and Blackadder soon dismisses his current servant Baldrick, and falls in love with 'Bob', secretly assuming he must be gay, and seeking a cure from various sources. 'Bob' however reveals to him that she's actually a girl, and they arrange to marry. The day arrives, and Blackadder's best man Lord Flashheart (Rick Mayall) turns up, storms around the set and steals the bride. Blackadder is left to survive the following five episodes alone, as he struggles to stay alive and in the queens good books. He is made high executioner for an episode, and comes close to having his own head in a basket when he decides to cut corners. He, Percy, Baldrick and a mad old sea captain (Tom Baker) embark on a voyage around the Cape Of Good Hope, in order to out-do Walter Raleigh, and become very nearly eaten, before becoming very nearly beheaded once more. He is forced to think of a way to pay of a loan with a baby-eating Bishop, with hysterical consequences. He tries to win his puritanical aunt and uncle over in order to scoop up an inheritance, but is hindered by Melchett's insistence on having a booze-up in the very next room at the same time. And finally, he and Melchett are kidnapped and held at ransom by an insane German Prince Ludvig (Hugh Laurie). (End of spoiler).

This series sees phenomenal performances from the entire cast, Blackadders new suave manner is a step up from his earlier, slimier counterpart, and the stories seem to be much faster paced to account for the lower budget. This series will always get five stars from me, and it helped set the stage for the following series enormously.

Series Three: Blackadder The Third

This third instalment of the Blackadder saga sees our antihero thrust into the English Regency period, and pushed down another degrading rung of society into the position of Prince Georges butler. Prince George himself (Hugh Laurie) is dim, self righteous and quite a bit mad, and this series not only focuses on Blackadders selfish attempts to stay alive, but also his attempts to keep his master fed and happy, so that he never runs short of cash. This series has an even smaller main cast than Blackadder 2, but features a lot of cameo roles from well known comedians.

Synopsis (Spoiler warning) - The first episode sees Blackadder desperately trying to stop parliament from bankrupting Prince George by taking over a rotten borough constituency, and therefore controlling its only voter, which conveniently ends up being Blackadder himself. This episode mocks the British Lords and entire parliamentary system, as well as television coverages of election nights. Following this episode, we see Prince George try to prove that he is literate and moreover intelligent, by becoming the patron of The Dictionary and the friend of its writer Dr. Johnson (Robbie Coltrane). It all goes pear-shaped however and Blackadder finds himself trying to re-write the entire dictionary in one evening, after Baldrick appears to have burned the only copy. Episode three is a mockery of the french revolution and its impact in England, with Blackadder trying to win a bet by pretending to copy the Scarlet Pimpernel, but landing up on death row. The next episode sees the Prince nearly assassinated at the theatre, inspiring him to improve his public image by means of elocution lessons. Blackadder takes an immediate dislike to the actors he hires, which causes a rift between him and the prince. Episode 5 sees Blackadder becoming a highwayman as the only means of procuring money, and getting into a regrettable entanglement with the squirrel murdering 'Shadow', leaving him to be rescued by Baldrick of all people. In the final show of the series, Blackadder agrees to change places with the prince, in order to save him from the Duke of Wellington (Stephen Fry), and as you may have guessed, this also goes horribly wrong, and Prince George ends up dying, leaving Blackadder to become heir to the throne, with the help of the insane King George III (End of spoiler).

This series is enormously funny in my opinion, and is the one I warmed to first, mainly due to the tremendous on screen partnership between Atkinson and Laurie, which we see more of in the following series. I would recommend this as a starting point for anyone that wants to get into Blackadder, and hasn't seen much of it before.

Series Four: Blackadder Goes Forth

This, one of the funniest british comedy series of all time according to the public, is set in one of the least amusing time periods imaginable, World War I. It is perhaps this that adds to it's greatness; the fact that it managed to be so funny in the terrible atmosphere of trench warfare, and so poignant and inoffensive at the same time. Blackadder is now a captain of a small company, including Lieutenant George (Hugh Laurie) and Private Baldrick (Tony Robinson), and largely unseen others. The series is remembered for its criticism of leadership during the war, and this is highlighted by Stephen Fry's

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genuinely insane General Melchett, and his limpet Captain Darling (Tim McInnerny).

Synopsis (Spoiler warning) - In episode one, Blackadder volunteers to become the official war artist, in the hopes that he will be posted to Tahiti to soak up some artistic influence. Sadly however, his mission is to crawl into no-mans land, and sit painting pictures of the Germans. Episode two begins with Blackadder 'accidentally' shooting the Generals best carrier pigeon and eating him. He is put on trial and sentenced to death by firing squad, which he narrowly avoids, no thanks to George. Blackadder's next attempt to get sent home, involves him organising a variety show to take back to London. It all goes wrong, however, when General Melchett falls in love with his leading lady (George). The next episode features the comedy duo Rick Mayall and Adrian Edmonson, as British and German (respectfully) flying ace counterparts, who annoy Blackadder a great deal as he endeavours and fails epically at becoming a 'Twenty Minuter'. Next, George ends up in hospital, where Blackadder is then stationed to wheedle out an enemy spy, who turns out to be the matron he's sleeping with. Finally, in perhaps the most moving comedy episode in decades, we see Blackadder and his company prepare to go over the top, and witness his final futile attempts to get out of it. This episode balances comedy with the stories of the men, and the harsh reality of trench warfare, and is almost certain to make a first time viewer cry as it closes in its inimitable, iconic way.

I adore this series for many reasons, but most of all for its mixture of satire with the horrible effects of war, which it criticises impeccably. It manages to be hilarious to this day, and is still shown in history lessons up and down the country as a way of bringing the Great War alive for otherwise uninterested pupils (it's a great shame that they are otherwise uninterested but thats another matter). Essentially, this series is iconic and is a must for any fan of comedy in general, and is likely to be the most played of the DVD's in this set.

The Special & Movies
(Scattered spoilers throughout)

The 'Back and Forth' disc includes the Millennium centric movie of the same name, Baldrics video diary, a making of documentary about the movie, and a single special episode entitled 'The Cavalier Years'.

Blackadder: Back and Forth is a movie set at the turn of the new millennium, and Blackadder is having a dinner party for his friends, Bishop Melchett (Fry), Archdeacon Darling (McInnerny), Lieutenant George (Laurie) and Lady Elizabeth (Richardson), at which he bets them all he can travel through time and collect any item they request. It is intended to be a practical joke, but amazingly, Baldrick's time machine works, and they are sent through history and interfere with catastrophic consequences. Blackadder is nearly killed by a T-Rex, Queen Elizabeth, Robin Hood, and some angry scots, not to mention killing the Duke of Wellington and insulting Shakespeare. When he returns, his friends have no idea who the historic figures he talks about are, and moreover, they're all French due to his accidental assassination of Wellington. He returns to put things right, and does so in a way that makes him become king of England, with Baldrick as Prime Minister and Maid Marion (Kate Moss) as his wife. This is a great movie, but the comedy is slightly toned down to bring in a wider audience, as it had a much higher budget and needed to fetch a greater return no doubt. Nevertheless it is Blackadder through and through, with all of the favourite actors and a modern spin on their characters.

The Making of documentary is a short look at what went into the making of the movie, and includes a couple of interviews with the cast and writers. It also looks back at the previous series and compares them to the movie. I think that this was something for the fans, as we have always wanted some behind the scenes footage and little or none was filmed during the main series runs.

Baldricks video diary is also worth watching. It makes out Tony Robinson as repellent as the actual Baldrick, and he goes around the film set asking people to talk to him, mostly unsuccessfully.

The Cavalier Years is set in the English Civil War, and focuses around Blackadder's attempts to save the king from execution after Baldrick accidentally gives him away to Oliver Cromwell. It is 15 minutes long and was filmed as part of Comic relief 1988. Stephen Fry appears as King Charles, and does it in a mockery of Prince Charles' voice.

And so we come to the final disk: Blackadder's Christmas Carol. This is a 42 minute movie, and gives a new spin to the traditional Christmas Carol story. Basically Ebenezer Blackadder is a man too kind for his own good, and is visited at Christmas by annoying relatives and strangers to whom he willingly gives all his money and food. But then he is visited by a clumsy ghost who shows him his ancestors from series 2 and 3 in newly filmed sketches, and Blackadder begins to admire their cruelty and wit. He then looks into the future and sees himself as Grand Admiral of the Universe if he becomes like his ancestors, and sees an alternative future of what will happen if he stays the same. He decides he prefers the former, and becomes the 'bad guy' Blackadder we all know. He proceeds to ridicule his next lot of visitors, and the episode comes to a close when he throws away a £50,000 reward by Queen Victoria for being the nicest man in England. This is yet another great episode, and features great writing and a cunning spin on the original story.

Conclusion

If you've read all that, congratulations, now go and buy it. If you haven't, never mind, go and buy it anyway! Seriously I think it's fairly obvious that I would recommend this DVD set to anyone. Everybody loves a laugh, and this set is sure to deliver them by the bucketload.

Well I've enjoyed writing this immensely, and I hope you've enjoyed reading it, otherwise it's been a gargantuan waste of time :P But I'm happy if this review makes just one person go out and buy this set, because it's given me so much enjoyment over the years and I just want to pass that on. Thanks for reading, peace out, Xx