Surely, every Brit over the age of about 20, thinks fondly upon the various incarnations of the BBC comedy series, Blackadder. It was a series that lasted only four years (a blip when you consider the long run of some other shows) and made only around 24 episodes, yet it's influence extends far and wide; even friends in Europe and the States have seen and fallen in love with it.
For those of you that are not familiar with the show, each season was set in a different historic period, reincarnating the same characters in slightly different guises. The first season, "The Black Adder", was set at the end of the Medieval period. The second season, "Blackadder II", was set during the reign of Queen Elizabeth I. The third season, "Blackadder The Third", was set during the Regency period. And the final, and most accomplished season, "Blackadder Goes Forth", was set during the first world war. Each outing followed the misadventures of Edmund Blackadder, whose personal fortune waned as his wit and intelligence increased through history. He was always accompanied by his loveable, yet dimwitted man-servant/crony, Baldrick, whose lack of personal hygiene was commensurate with his lack of intelligence. Plaguing our leading man was usually a person of elevated but undeserved rank or position. Hugh Laurie's Prince Regent was particularly memorable to me, as was Miranda Richardson's Queen Elizabeth I (fondly referred to as Queenie), who had a propensity to strop like a five year old at the drop of a hat.
It is somewhat difficult to explain the charm of these characters or the spell that the series cast, but charming and spellbinding it was, as well as being somehow quintessentially British. It was as thought provoking as it was side-splittingly funny and the final episode of the final series stills calls forth a tear with its poignancy.
So why write about this now? Well, if Internet rumour is to be believed (and it often isn't) a fifth season may be on the way. Rowan Atkinson himself has been reported to have said that "Generally speaking, Blackadder seemed to work best when there was a sort of claustrophobic world and a hierarchy. So if you can think of any situations in which they are dominant – then I think there is a possibility of a fifth series." (Mail Online, 1st October 2011)
So as I head off to bed tonight, I am hoping that this particular Internet rumour might pan out and we might be rewarded with a fifth series set sometime between the end of the first world war and the present day (or even the future?) Personally, I could see Blackadder stalking London's streets in the 80s, but there is so much fun to be had with the past. Rumour has it that Tony Robinson would like to make "The Blackadder Five" set in the 60s and following the misfortunes of a five piece rock band of the same name. Presumably Blackadder would be the unfortunate frontman of the group while Robinson's 'Bald Rick' would be the unhygienic and slow-witted drummer.
In any event, I think it might be time to get out the Blackadder DVD boxset and get watching again.
For those of you that are not familiar with the show, each season was set in a different historic period, reincarnating the same characters in slightly different guises. The first season, "The Black Adder", was set at the end of the Medieval period. The second season, "Blackadder II", was set during the reign of Queen Elizabeth I. The third season, "Blackadder The Third", was set during the Regency period. And the final, and most accomplished season, "Blackadder Goes Forth", was set during the first world war. Each outing followed the misadventures of Edmund Blackadder, whose personal fortune waned as his wit and intelligence increased through history. He was always accompanied by his loveable, yet dimwitted man-servant/crony, Baldrick, whose lack of personal hygiene was commensurate with his lack of intelligence. Plaguing our leading man was usually a person of elevated but undeserved rank or position. Hugh Laurie's Prince Regent was particularly memorable to me, as was Miranda Richardson's Queen Elizabeth I (fondly referred to as Queenie), who had a propensity to strop like a five year old at the drop of a hat.
It is somewhat difficult to explain the charm of these characters or the spell that the series cast, but charming and spellbinding it was, as well as being somehow quintessentially British. It was as thought provoking as it was side-splittingly funny and the final episode of the final series stills calls forth a tear with its poignancy.
So why write about this now? Well, if Internet rumour is to be believed (and it often isn't) a fifth season may be on the way. Rowan Atkinson himself has been reported to have said that "Generally speaking, Blackadder seemed to work best when there was a sort of claustrophobic world and a hierarchy. So if you can think of any situations in which they are dominant – then I think there is a possibility of a fifth series." (Mail Online, 1st October 2011)
So as I head off to bed tonight, I am hoping that this particular Internet rumour might pan out and we might be rewarded with a fifth series set sometime between the end of the first world war and the present day (or even the future?) Personally, I could see Blackadder stalking London's streets in the 80s, but there is so much fun to be had with the past. Rumour has it that Tony Robinson would like to make "The Blackadder Five" set in the 60s and following the misfortunes of a five piece rock band of the same name. Presumably Blackadder would be the unfortunate frontman of the group while Robinson's 'Bald Rick' would be the unhygienic and slow-witted drummer.
In any event, I think it might be time to get out the Blackadder DVD boxset and get watching again.
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