Tonight on the cable channel 'UK Gold' there was a documentary called 'Blackadder - The Whole Rotten Saga'. It marks the 25th anniversary of Blackadder's first showing and features all the stars (except for Rowan Atkinson!) talking about the show and how they see it... I remember the day after the first episode went out because I didn't know what the kids at school were blathering on about...
If you are a fan of the series, then you won't be disappointed.
As Blackadder turns 25, we chart the spectacular rise of the much-loved sitcom David Thomas
12th December 2008
Blackadder was finished. His situation was as terminal as a dying dodo with a death wish. 'I remember the sentence very clearly,' says Ben Elton, who wrote the series with Richard Curtis. 'The letter said that Blackadder had been cancelled "for this season and, realistically, that means for good". It was over.'
The BBC executives who pulled the plug could hardly be blamed for their decision. The first series, broadcast in 1983, had been a disaster. Ratings were terrible and the reviews were worse. Unfortunately, Elton and Curtis had written most of the second series when the plug was pulled. The show's situation was, as Edmund Blackadder would say, 'the stickiest situation since Sticky the stick insect got stuck on a sticky bun'. But Blackadder's producer, John Lloyd, pulled the team together to mount a survival bid.
Lloyd knew a big problem with the first series had been its expense, as it had been shot on location, like a lavish costume drama. 'There was a mad weekend, with Ben, Richard and I sitting at typewriters, cutting costumes, cutting filming, cutting anything at all expensive,' Lloyd remembers. 'We went back to the BBC two days later and said, "This is the cheapest sitcom on telly. Can we have another chance?"' The powers-that-be said yes, and it went on to become one of the greatest sitcoms in British TV history - a fact celebrated by Blackadder Rides Again, a special one-off BBC documentary marking the show's 25th anniversary.
Rowan Atkinson played the title role brilliantly. But the supporting cast were equally popular. Tony Robinson played Baldrick, Blackadder's filthy servant whose idiocy was matched by his optimism. And alongside him for the second series, Blackadder II, there was Tim McInnerny as the idiot Lord Percy, Stephen Fry as Lord Melchett, Miranda Richardson as Queen Elizabeth I and Rik Mayall as Lord Flashheart, a bombastic, lady-killer swordsman. 'I was surprised when they asked me to do the role,' Mayall recalls. 'I said I would as long as I got more laughs than Rowan.'
That competitive edge was never far away during the making of Blackadder. It was made, after all, by a group of massively talented but unashamedly cocky young men. 'There were some rather large egos involved,' says Hugh Laurie, who played the Prince Regent in series three. 'I happen to be perfect. But everyone else was a big-headed twerp.' Laurie is now one of the world's best-paid TV actors as the star of US series House. But his former costars haven't done too badly either. Atkinson starred in Bean, Mr Bean's Holiday and Johnny English, films that have amassed more than £400 million at the box office.
Curtis has a string of huge movie hits to his name, including Four Weddings And A Funeral. Elton has written a string of bestselling novels and stage musicals. And Fry is, well, the biggest brain in Britain. No wonder tempers could get frayed when they sat down to thrash out each week's script. 'Everyone stood up for themselves and their characters,' Laurie says. 'Let's just say, it was very free and creative.' But the endless arguments had a big pay-off, helping to turn simple lines into comic gems.
Blackadder's trademark, ridiculous similes - such as 'He's madder than mad Jack McMad, winner of this year's Mr Madness competition' - came as often from rehearsals as the original scripts. The last series, set in the World War I trenches, captures the insanity and sacrifice of the war. 'I just remember feeling my character's impending doom,' Atkinson says, recalling the final episode. 'It was the first time, as an actor, I'd felt the predicament of my character. I was going to die at the end of the week.'
And, this time, Blackadder would not come back. Various settings for a fifth series were mentioned. Curtis suggested a 1960s Blackadder, with Edmund as the manager of a pop group. Atkinson and Fry both fancied a Colditz-style prisoner-of-war Blackadder. Lloyd wanted to go back to Neanderthal times. But none of the ideas was good enough to tempt the cast and writers away from their assaults on global stardom. 'Perhaps it's best to leave these things as a memory,' Fry says.
Blackadder Rides Again is on BBC1 on Christmas Day at 10.30pm.
Blackadder's codpiece for sale Blackadder fans all over the world are clamouring to get their hands on Rowan Atkinson's iconic codpiece.
20 May 2010
telegraph.co.uk
The black leather male accessory worn by Edmund, Lord Blackadder throughout the comedy's second series, set during the reign of Queen Elizabeth I -- 1558-1603 -- is to be sold at auction this weekend.
Codpieces were an essential part of the well-dressed Elizabethan man's wardrobe, allowing him to urinate without removing his trousers. Blackadder's was the butt of repeated jokes featuring dogsbody Baldrick, played by Tony Robinson, the Queen, played by Miranda Richardson, and Lord Chamberlain Lord Melchett, Stephen Fry, in the 1986 series.
It is expected to fetch thousands of pounds at Cameo Auctioneers' sale of TV and Film Costumes, to be held in Midgham, Berkshire, on Sunday. Saleroom manager Glenn Norcliffe said it had already attracted interest from as far as America and Australia.
He said: "Blackadder was massive in the eighties and Edmund's black leather codpiece from Blackadder II is probably the most iconic costume item in the entire series. Everyone who was around in the eighties and had a TV set will recognise this codpiece, and fans everywhere will want to get their hands on it because it is a unique piece of television history. We have had lots of interest from collectors in the UK, but also from around the world -- we've had bids from America and Australia, which amazes me. It just goes to show how popular Blackadder was, and still is today. We've put an estimate of £1,000 on it, but the truth is it could go through the roof."
A codpiece -- from Middle English cod, meaning "scrotum" -- was a covering flap or pouch that attached to the front of the crotch of men's trousers and usually accentuated the genital area. It was held closed by string ties, buttons, or other methods and was an important item of European clothing in the 15th and 16th centuries.
Other Blackadder II items which feature in the sale include a period costume complete with codpiece worn by Tim McInnerny as Lord Percy and another black leather codpiece used by Hugh Laurie as Prince Ludwig in the final episode. Also up for grabs will be an elaborate leather belt with a leather and cloth pouch used by Rowan Atkinson as Blackadder in the series; a blue Elizabethan style dress worn by Patsy Byrne in the series as Nursie and an Elizabethan head piece also worn by Byrne.
Also for sale in the auction will be the MacLeod Tartan Kilt used by Christopher Lambert in the 1986 film classic Highlander. Another popular item is expected to be the black military uniform worn by Robert Carlisle as Reynard in the 1999 James Bond film The World is Not Enough.
While fans of Monty Python and the Holy Grail can bid for several helmets worn in the 1975 film. They include helmets worn by knights in the Knights of the Round table song at Camelot. Mr Norcliffe said: "It is impossible to estimate the sale value of these items as they are all so unique. A sale like this appeals to the avid collector and also to Joe Public who is fascinated by items worn by the stars."
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