The brainchild of Richard Curtis, Ben Elton, and star Rowan Atkinson, Blackadder encompasses four series, each set in a different era. Rowan Atkinson’s Edmund Blackadder, is a cynical opportunist only concerned about himself. Blackadder is transplanted from era to era, along with his family, friends, and acquaintances, putting them square in the middle of some of England’s biggest historical events. Blackadder Remastered: The Ultimate Edition, spread across six discs, this collection includes everything produced under the Blackadder banner, along with some nifty bonus features. With the holiday season fast approaching, this is the kind of set that will likely find its way on to the wish lists of many television fans.
Black Adder 1
Set in August of 1845, on the eve of the Battle of Bosworth Field, which for the purposes of this series was won by Richard III. Unfortunately for Richard, he was inadvertently beheaded by his great-nephew Edmund, Duke of Edinburgh (Atkinson), making Edmund’s boisterous father the new King Richard IV (Brian Blessed). Edmund is constantly seeking the attention and adulation of his father, but the older man barely seems to know he exists.
It’s easy to see why some fans of Blackadder regard this as the series weakest. Atkinson plays the character as a bit of a winy wimp, instead of the schemer he later became. Here, he looks like the product of linear lineage, with a quick wit, but no skills. He’s constantly at odds with his brother Harry, Prince of Wales (Robert East), or other envied titlists, with the misguided aide of Lord Percy Percy (Tim McInnerny) and Baldrick (Tony Robinson), a servant, who only gets dumber and trashier as the show switches timelines.
Blackadder II
Blackadder II is when the show really found its footing; likely die in part to the unique writing style of Ben Elton, which began in the second series. Set during the he Elizabethan era (1558–1603), Blackadder is the great-grandson of the original Blackadder, and is now a member of the London aristocracy. Thankfully though, he’s far more intelligent and lost the whiny quality that was present during the first series.
The best addition is Miranda Richardson, playing a very immature Queen Elizabeth I, and Stephen Fry as her advisor, Lord Melchett. Richardson does brilliant work here, playing the character as bordering between childishness and complete lunacy. If you’ve never seen, Blackadder, you might want to start with II, as that series will give you a sense of the rapid style of comedy that makes the series pure genius.
Blackadder the Third
It’s the Regency period now, and Edmund now serves as a butler to the Prince of Wales (Hugh Laurie), a man who can only be described as a spoiled idiot. Miranda Richardson and Stephen Fry have small cameos throughout, and Helen Atkinson-Wood plays Mrs. Miggins, who runs a local hangout. My favorite episode titled, Ink and Incapability is the second of the series, and has Blackadder antagonizing Dr. Samuel Johnson (Robbie Coltrane) for writing his dictionary. He invents words to discourage him, and has to constantly evade him, fearing Baldrick used the man’s lifework to fuel a fire. Other stories involve the Scarlet Pimpernel, the French Revolution and the Duke of Wellington.
Blackadder Goes Fourth
Set during World War I, Blackadder finds himself a member of the British armed forces, hunkered down in the trenches. Poor Edmund has fallen in rank to that of an Army Captain, whose only goal is to avoid being killed. The optimistically vapid Lieutenant George (Hugh Laurie), is proud to serve his country. They are also joined by “Private” Baldrick who is referred to as the “world’s worst cook.”
This series is likely best remembered for its final episode, which is surprisingly emotional; especially the final scene, which sees the main characters (Blackadder, Baldrick, George, and Darling), charging forward into no-man’s land to face their uncertain destiny. There’s no final joke to break the somber mood. It just ends.
With the exception of the special program Blackadder: Back & Forth and the extra features on disc six, which are all in 1.78:1 widescreen, the dimensions of the four seasons of the main series are in a standard 1.33:1 broadcast ratio.
The first season looks somewhat faded, even remastered, lacking much vibrant color. As the seasons progress, so do the hues liven up, although you’ll notice some instances of color flares, particularly noticeable in shots where people are wearing armour. Definition varies, from very soft to reasonably sharp. By the time of the fourth season, Blackadder Goes Forth, the color has become deeper and the object delineation more precise.
The Dolby Digital 2.0 monaural sound in the first three is fine, but nothing particularly memorable. When we come to the fourth season, we get two-channel stereo, which sounds livelier.
Blackadder Remastered: The Ultimate Edition comes with a slew of special features:
The first four discs contain the four seasons, with six episodes per disc. In addition, the four season discs contain “Footnotes to History,” text information on the real history of the times, and audio commentaries on select episodes from star Rowan Atkinson and producer John Lloyd, writers Ben Elton and Richard Curtis, and co-stars Tony Robinson and Tim McInnerny. There are English captions for the hearing impaired.
On disc five we get four special programs, starring most of the old cast. Blackadder’s Christmas Carol (1988) is a forty-three minute special with Atkinson playing Ebenezer Blackadder in a variation on the Dickens’ tale; Blackadder: Back & Forth (1999) is a thirty-three minute special billed as the final chapter in the Blackadder saga, the gang is seen in the 1999 present; Blackadder: The Cavalier Years (1988) is a fifteen-minute special from 1988’s Comic Relief ; and “Baldrick’s Video Diary” is a thirty-minute behind-the-scenes peek with actor Tony Robinson.
On disc six we get the 2008 documentary Blackadder Rides Again, sixty minutes; the featurette “Costumes Revisited,” ten minutes with Miranda Richardson, Patsy Byrne, Tony Robinson, and Tim McInnerny; and extended interviews with Rowan Atkinson, Hugh Laurie, Richard Curtis and Ben Elton, Tony Robinson, and Stephen Fry.
