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The Blackadder

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Just wondering if anyone was is a fan of this glorious show.
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I am a huge fan. I especially like the second series. The fourth is also excellent. The third is pretty good too, but the first not so good.

War does not make one great.

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"As cunning as a fox who has got a master degree on cunningness on Oxford University?"

I've seen a few episodes of 1 and 2, and read the script for the final episode of blackadder 4.
“Voice or no voice, the people can always be brought to the bidding of the leaders. That is easy. All you have to do is tell them they are being attacked and denounce the pacifists for lack of patriotism and exposing the country to danger. It works the same in any country.” — Nazi Reich Marshal Hermann Goering
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"The path of my life is strewn with cow-pats from the devil's own satanic herd!!"
"She's got a tongue like an electric eel and she likes the taste of a man's tonsils."
"A chat with you and death loses its sting."
"As capacious as an elephants scrotum, and about as difficult to get your hands on."
"Don't call me 'aunt'! For aunts are relatives & relatives are evidence of sex! And sex is hardly a fitting subject for the dinner table!"
"the devil farts in my face once more."
"Oh, God! God! What on earth was I drinking last night? My head feels like there's a Frenchman living in it!"#


You need to go out and buy/borrow/steal/download them RIGHT NOW!!!

War does not make one great.

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I prefer other two Rowan Atkinson series. Mr Bean, and Thin Blue Line.
“Voice or no voice, the people can always be brought to the bidding of the leaders. That is easy. All you have to do is tell them they are being attacked and denounce the pacifists for lack of patriotism and exposing the country to danger. It works the same in any country.” — Nazi Reich Marshal Hermann Goering
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Both good but not, I feel, up to the heady heights of Balckadder's wit.

War does not make one great.

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the best line in the last episodes i watched


"the dictionary is the most pointless book to come outs since that book about learning french was translated into french"
"He is like a monkey that has been dressed in a suit and strategecilly shaved"
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Has anyone attempted a preservation of the Blackadder 'Specials' and Sketches that have not been released on DVD/BBC Audio?

According to the now defunct www.blackadderhall.com the list of unreleased Blackadder bits is as follows:

The Army Years
This monologue was performed at the Dominion Theatre, London for the Royal Variety Performance 2000. Ben Elton, as compere of the Royal Variety Performance introduced the sketch.

The King's Birthday
This short sketch was performed at HRH Prince Charles' 50th Birthday Gala. It was televised on ITV (in the UK) on 14 November 1998.

The Pilot Episode
The pilot episode that's never been broadcast in the UK. Slightly different cast.

The Shakespeare Sketch
This sketch was performed on stage for an AIDS benefit concert directed by Stephen Fry on September 18, 1989. Currently on Youtube

The Women's Hour Invasion
This extensive script was part of a Children In Need Special way back in 1988. The Woman's Hour studio is invaded by Blackadder and Baldrick. n.b. Woman's Hour is a Radio programme in the UK.

The Royal Gardener
Rowan Atkinson created a new reincarnation of Blackadder for a TV advert promoting the Queen's jubilee concert. The new character, Sir Osmond Darling-Blackadder, is keeper of Her Majesty's lawn sprinkler.


Sadly I don't have any of these but they are out there somewhere.

Scripts for these are floating around on a few websites so you can at least read what you are missing.



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yes as the founder of this thread i am wondering the same thing, i practically jumped when i saw that i had written the first post
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The search facility throws up all manner of delights.

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Brilliant series! One of my favorites. Had them all on VHS back in the 90’s and nearly finished marathoning the “Remastered” DVD box set.

What still annoys me is why they cut this line out of Blackadder’s Christmas Carol;

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kisDnOevbw8

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Only noticed that yesterday!

Has anyone tried to reinsert that deleted line from Blackadder’s Christmas Carol from any off-air recordings? I think the only uncut release was the original Region 1 DVD released around 2001 but no PAL release (DVD or VHS) has the uncut version. GOLD tend to broadcast the uncut version and the UK Netflix also had it last time I checked.

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And you noticed yesterday, over one year later?

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TV’s Frink said:

And you noticed yesterday, over one year later?

I did. I must have not noticed the initial reply afterwards and only decided to revisit this thread a few days ago.

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I’ve just done a restoration of Blackadder’s Christmas Carol reinserting the “nail up the dog” line from the 2001 Region 1 DVD into the 2009 UK Remastered DVD. After a bit of colour correction and frame-adjusting, it came out rather well.

If anyone wants to see it, PM me.

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Love Blackadder! watched it years ago on tv when it was out. Just went to visit the WW1 sites in France and Belgium Vimy Ridge Passandale Brooding Soldier… makes me want to watch it again. The ending of that series was perfect.

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Blackadder II is currently being repeated on BBC1. I know there are plenty of other ways to watch the show now but it’s nice to see it on his home channel again.

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 (Edited)

Watched half of Blackadder II and all of the first,
and I find The Black Adder way better than the cheap sitcom it progressed into.
Will give 3 and 4 a shot but it’s not looking promising from youtube clips I’ve seen.

The Black Adder has better production value, wittier and blacker humor, a more unique dynamic with the main trio,
the best supporting cast (Brian Blessed in particular), and Rowan Atkinson is just funnier as a bumbling
fop than he is a cunning sociopath.

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uridon said:

Watched half of Blackadder II and all of the first,
and I find The Black Adder way better than the cheap sitcom it progressed into.
Will give 3 and 4 a shot but it’s not looking promising from youtube clips I’ve seen.

The Black Adder has better production value, wittier and blacker humor, a more unique dynamic with the main trio,
the best supporting cast (Brian Blessed in particular), and Rowan Atkinson is just funnier as a bumbling
fop than he is a cunning sociopath.

“The Black Adder” is my least favourite series but is still very good, for reasons you’ve mentioned. When my family started collecting Blackadder on VHS in the mid-1990’s, we started with Blackadder Goes Forth then worked our way back. No particular reason for it, it just worked out that way and I knew that things were going to be very different when it came to Series 1. Unlike you, I much prefer the sitcom format of the later series with Blackadder II being my favourite but I can appreciate why someone who started of with Series 1 and loved it to then feel underwhelmed with the following series’. Prince Edmund from The Black Adder felt to me like Mr. Bean playing the character rather than Rowan Atkinson but I think it worked well for this Series. Brian Blessed is fantastic in that series and steals the show whenever he’s on screen. Series 1 had much more of a story arc than the latter series’ and like you say, a much better production and wonderfully shot. I also loved how they satirised the Middle Ages but sometimes the Series and tone can get pretty grim for a sitcom. They had to do away with all that in order to get a second series commissioned though but personally I think it was was all the better for it.

I hope you enjoy the rest of the series though, and if you don’t, you’ll have at least enjoyed Series 1.

Blackadder Hall is a great site and includes some deleted scenes/rare footage as well;
http://www.blackadderhall.com/?page_id=581