Blackadder - Episode Guide

Edmund accidentally kills King Richard III but, unexpectedly, the tragedy makes him a prince - so Edmund decides he now needs a more striking name for himself. But the mood of celebration is shattered when he realises the identity of the nobleman Lord Percy has agreed to shelter in the castle.

With the king away fighting in the Crusades, the arrival of Lord Dougal McAngus provides Edmund with an opportunity to seize power. But he really should have taken a closer look at those documents declaring brother Harry to be illegitimate...

Edmund is less than pleased when he's appointed to the dangerous post of Archbishop of Canterbury, but there's no wriggling out of the job. Can he avoid the sort of grisly fate that has befallen three previous incumbents?

The King wishes to form an alliance between England and Spain, and insists that Edmund marries the Infanta Maria Escalosa of Spain. Edmund is unimpressed by her lack of beauty.

The cruel witchsmeller pursuivant is sent to root out the source of an outbreak of witchcraft - and quickly lays the blame on Edmund, Lord Percy and Baldrick. If they can't prove their innocence, they'll be burned at the stake.

Edmund makes a pact with the six most evil men in the kingdom in a bid to seize power. However, he is thwarted by the arrival of his nemesis, who imprisons him in a dungeon with Mad Gerald. When he eventually gets free, Edmund sets his original plan in motion - but have his co-conspirators stayed loyal?

The Blackadder genes resurface in Elizabethan England in the guise of Edmund, great-great-grandson of the repulsive original. Blackadder is struck by Cupid's arrow when he takes on a new servant - a girl named Bob.

When Edmund is appointed lord high executioner, he moves a beheading forward from Wednesday to Monday, so he and his staff can enjoy some time off. But he didn't take into account the queen's tendency to change her mind.

To keep up with Sir Walter Raleigh, Edmund announces he will navigate the treacherous waters of the Cape of Good Hope.

Edmund is in trouble when he is visited by a debt-collecting bishop armed with a red-hot poker.

There are problems in the Blackadder household due to an embarrassing incident with a turnip, an ostrich feather and a puritanical fat aunt.

The evil Prince Ludwig kidnaps both Blackadder and Lord Melchett, and the Queen remembers Blackadder's earlier advice to have nothing to do with any ransom notes. Is our hero doomed, or does Baldrick have a cunning plan?

England, 1760-1815 - golden age of wealth, power and discovery. But not for E Blackadder Esq, butler to the Prince Regent. The new Prime Minister Pitt the Younger (aged 13 and 3/4) plans to bankrupt the Prince. As usual, Blackadder takes his master's side (and indeed his wallet).

Dr Samuel Johnson seeks the regent's support for his dictionary, but when it is used for firewood, Edmund must rewrite it.

Revolution sweeps France, and heads roll. Everyone in Britain is obsessed with the daring exploits of the dashing Scarlet Pimpernel as he risks his life to save French aristocrats from the guillotine. Everyone except Edmund Blackadder.

Edmund is challenged to rescue an aristocrat from the French revolutionaries. He hatches a plan to win the bet without putting himself in any danger - and promptly falls into the hands of the revolutionaries.

While the Prince Regent is attending a play, he survives an assassination attempt by anarchists. He is horrified to learn that he is unpopular and Blackadder suggests he improves his image by delivering a speech, so he hires the two actors they saw at the theatre to tutor him in public speaking.

Anarchists lurk in every cupboard and actors in every coffee house, but which pose a greater threat to the prince?

The regent is low on cash, so Edmund sets out to find him a bride with a big dowry. A certain Amy Hardwood seems to fit the bill - but is she connected with squirrel-hating highwayman Dick Turpin?

The prince is challenged to a duel by the fearsome Duke of Wellington. Edmund volunteers to take his place, hoping that his cousin MacAdder will step in for him.

Edmund cheats to win a competition to be named Official War Artist, thinking it's his ticket out of the trenches. So he's furious when his reward turns out to be going into no man's land to sketch the German positions.

Blackadder faces court-martial for eating a carrier pigeon. With the pigeon's owner, Melchett, as judge and Darling as prosecutor, Edmund's relying on George and Baldrick to save his skin.

The October Revolution in Moscow produces three appalling results: a ceasefire by Russia, an offensive by Germany, and a Charlie Chaplin impression by Baldrick.

Edmund, George and Baldrick join the Royal Flying Corps. However, Edmund and Baldrick are shot down soon afterwards and are taken prisoner by the Red Baron. George persuades dashing pilot Lord Flashheart to mount a rescue attempt, but when they hear what the Red Baron has planned for them, Blackadder and Baldrick are in no hurry to be saved.

Melchett orders Blackadder to unmask a spy working in the hospital where George is recovering from a bomb blast. Edmund sets to work, interrogating Darling, seducing a nurse and asking Baldrick to keep an eye on a patient with a pronounced German accent.

When Blackadder, George and Baldrick are told they are going over the top the next day, Blackadder decides to feign madness.

With his father away at the Crusades, Edmund comes up with a plan to prove his brother is illegitimate, thus making him Prince Regent. The Blackadder pilot was shot but never aired on terrestrial TV in the UK (although some scenes were shown in the 25th anniversary special Blackadder Rides Again). One notable difference in the pilot, as in many pilots, is the casting. Baldrick is played not by Tony Robinson, but by Philip Fox. Another significant difference is that the character of Prince Edmund presented in the pilot is much closer to the intelligent, conniving Blackadder of the later series than the sniveling, weak Edmund of the original series. Set in the year 1582, the script of the pilot is roughly the same as the episode "Born to be King", albeit with some different jokes, with some lines appearing in other episodes of the series.

Blackadder: The Cavalier Years is a 15-minute one-off edition of Blackadder set during the English Civil War, shown as part of the first Comic Relief Red Nose Day on BBC1, broadcast on Friday 5 February 1988.

Seasonal comedy special. Christmas Eve, 1850. Ebenezer Blackadder is a decent, kind, generous human being - until he gets a glimpse of his loathsome ancestors.

This non-canonical sketch was performed on stage at the Sadlers Wells Theatre on 18 September 1989. It was written for and performed at an AIDS benefit concert directed by Stephen Fry, and features Rowan Atkinson as a Blackadder-esque character chatting with Hugh Laurie as "Bill" Shakespeare, talking about cutting various sections of Hamlet – in particular the "To be or not to be" soliloquy. Ultimately, Blackadder talks Shakespeare down from an over-long speech to the familiar 'snappy' phrase. The sketch was available on video as part of Hysteria 2 – The Second Coming, released by Palace Video on 21 May 1990

A short sketch performed at the Prince of Wales' 50th Birthday Gala. It featured Rowan Atkinson as Lord Blackadder and Stephen Fry as King Charles II, and was televised on ITV (in the UK) on 14 November 1998.

One-off edition of the historical comedy made for showing in the Millennium Dome. A new 21st century Blackadder, with his servant Baldrick in tow, tumbles through the past in a time machine, with disastrous consequences.

A short monologue performed at the Dominion Theatre for the Royal Variety Performance 2000. It features Rowan Atkinson as the modern-day Lord Edmund Blackadder of Her Royal Highness's regiment of Shirkers. The sketch was written and introduced by Ben Elton, who was the compère of the evening.

Sir Osmond Darling-Blackadder, Keeper of the Queen's Lawnsprinkler, talks of his extreme displeasure in the then upcoming Queen's Jubilee (2002).  The "Party at the Palace" concert is reluctantly announced on the BBC by Sir Osmond Darling-Blackadder, Keeper of the Royal Lawn Sprinklers, and while he does not appear in connection with the actual concert, he makes a few brief appearances in The "Jubilee Girl" to provide a humouristic note.  The "Jubilee Girl" was a BBC special about the making of the Party at the Palace, a concert held on the grounds of Buckingham Palace for Queen Elizabeth II's Golden Jubilee. 

Follow the hilarious journey of Baldrick as he takes you behind the scenes of the classic British sitcom, "Blackadder." In this video diary, Tony Robinson, who plays the iconic character, takes you on a journey through the making of the show. From the early stages of screenwriting to the final days of filming, experience the humor and fun of this legendary series. With interviews from the cast and crew, as well as never-before-seen footage, this video diary is a must-see for all fans of "Blackadder" and British comedy. Don't miss out on the chance to see Baldrick's cunning plan in action!

A countdown of the top 40 "Blackadder" moments chosen by cast and crew members, celebrity fans and 15 genuine Blackadders.

To mark the 25th anniversary since the first transmission of Blackadder in 1983, the iconic cast of the much-loved sitcom appear together in a documentary for the first time. The show includes an exclusive in-depth interview with Edmund Blackadder himself, Rowan Atkinson - the first time he has agreed to be interviewed about his experience making the show.

Rowan Atkinson and the cast of the legendary comedy series Blackadder are back for a one-off documentary special this Christmas on BBC One. Blackadder Rides Again features the iconic cast in a documentary to mark 25 years since the original BBC transmission of the much-loved sitcom, first broadcast in 1983. Blackadder Rides Again includes the first-ever in-depth interview with Edmund Blackadder himself, Rowan Atkinson, about his personal experience of being involved in the sitcom and its phenomenal success. Set to join Rowan are the core cast and writing team who have gone on to become some of the greatest names in entertainment, both in the UK and US. These include: Stephen Fry, Hugh Laurie, Richard Curtis, Ben Elton, Miranda Richardson, Tim McInnerny and Tony Robinson. A 60 minute documentary produced by the BBC and broadcast on 25 December 2008, to celebrate the 25th anniversary of the show. It featured interviews with all of the major cast members and other contributors, including Rowan Atkinson, Stephen Fry, Hugh Laurie, Richard Curtis, Ben Elton, Miranda Richardson, Tim McInnerny and Tony Robinson. Rather than relying on 'talking head' interviews and clips from the show, the documentary included several pieces of rare, and even unseen material (behind the scenes clips, cut scenes from Series 1 etc.). It also reunited certain cast and crew members with their costumes, visited cast members on their current ventures, or took them to the original filming locations.

HRH Prince William receives home-schooling advice from General Melchett's (Blackadder) Grandson before the Cambridges and Stephen Fry join in the weekly clap for carers. 

 

Sir Tony Robinson goes on a quest to discover the truth behind the Blackadder origin story. Tony's journey takes him back in time to find out where Blackadder really began, and to uncover the story of the never-before-broadcast Blackadder pilot episode. The climax of the programme will be a special screening of the never-before-broadcast pilot.

Looking back at the making of the entire Blackadder series to commemorate the 40th anniversary, featuring contributions from Blackadder's biggest fans including Jack Whitehall, Darren Harriott, Sarah Hadland, Ardal O'Hanlon and Nina Wadia.