Blackadder

1983 • BBC

4.9

609 reviews

Rating

Eligible

Season 2 episodes (6)

1 Bells

1/8/86

Blackadder finds his new manservant, Bob, curiously pleasant company. So much so, that he almost kisses him. Afraid for his position at court, Blackadder searches for a 'cure', until Bob conveniently reveals that she is in fact a girl called Kate. As their romance blossoms they set a date to be married, but then the swashbuckling Lord Flashheart appears.

2 Head

1/15/86

The Queen appoints Blackadder as the new Lord High Executioner - a job in which no-one survives more than a week. Blackadder starts badly by executing a chap called Farrow two days early, so as to give him and the rest of the team half the week off. The problem is that the widow (sorry, wife) wants to see her husband one last time, and then the Queen annoyingly decides to pardon Farrow altogether.

3 Potato

1/22/86

Sir Walter Raleigh is home from his epic voyage to the new world, with tales of adventure and discovery that greatly impress the Queen. Goaded on by Sir Walter, and with the Queen promising to marry him if he succeeds, Blackadder vows to sail around the Cape of Good Hope, a journey so dangerous that it spells almost certain death.

4 Money

2/5/86

Blackadder owes £1000 to the Bank of the Black Monks of St. Herod. If he doesn't repay it by evensong, the baby-eating Bishop of Bath and Wells will brutally murder him with the aid of a poker. The boys try various money-making schemes, but sadly all their efforts are in vain. Then at the eleventh hour, Blackadder hatches a plan so cunning you could brush your teeth with it.

5 Beer

2/12/86

During an argument about who is best at holding their liquor, Blackadder challenges Melchett to a rowdy drinking competition at his house. Unfortunately, his aunt and uncle Lord and Lady Whiteadder have invited themselves over for dinner to discuss his inheritance. Blackadder gets hideously sozzled and manages to insult everyone. Only the magic power of beer can save him.

6 Chains

2/19/86

When Blackadder and Melchett are kidnapped by the evil Prince Ludwig, the Queen is given an impossible choice. She can only pay the ransom on one of them, but which one? She decides to spend the money on a big party instead. The boys eventually manage to buy their freedom by giving Ludwig some vital information that will enable him to assassinate the Queen.

About this show

Rowan Atkinson stars as the dastardly Edmund Blackadder in this acclaimed historical comedy. From the castles of medieval England to the trenches of World War One, the scheming Blackadder and his smelly servant, Baldrick, seriously lower the tone wherever they go. Many great men have played a part in shaping Britain's noble heritage. But Edmund Blackadder is not one of them. From coward to cad and back again, Blackadder brings his cunning plans and serpentine banter to British history through the ages.

Ratings and reviews

4.9

609 reviews

Tim Wells

April 16, 2017

One of the best TV Sitcoms ever made, with Blackadder II Blackadder Goes Fourth being the best two of the four series. Ranging from War of the Roses to WW1 the collection of four series looks at the 'forgotten' period between Richard III and Henry VII, life in the Elizabethan court, what went on Prince George's palace during George III's life and life in the trenches of World War 1, not to mention a brief visit to Victorian London where Edmund encounters a Christmas spirit.

Ben Delplanque

September 19, 2020

Based in history but ironically doesn't age. Fantastic characters, brilliantly scripted and acted. The first series is very different from the rest but is definitely still worth a watch: the humour is there but the character dynamic is quite different. I still like it a lot. Be sure to make time for Blackadder's Christmas Carol as well as that is utterly brilliant though not sold on Playstore I see...

Nat Gibbs

June 21, 2015

The best satire in the British tradition arguably of the latter twentieth century I have found anywhere in the world. Of course everyone has a slightly, to very different appreciation, but to those in the know, it's bordering, if not genius.

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