Keywords:
	Historical setting Sarcasm Biting wit

STARRING:
Rowan Atkinson -	Edmund Blackadder
Tony Robinson -	Baldrick
Tim McInnery -	Percy, Captain Darling
Miranda Richardson -	Queen Elizabeth I
Stephen Fry -	Lord Melchett , General Melchett
Patsy Byrne -	Nursey
Hugh Laurie -	Prince George, Lt. George
Helen Atkinson-Wood -	Mrs Miggins

Season

1 2 3 4 Specials

Transmitted:	Jun 1983- Nov 1989	Seasons:	4
Overall Rating:		Last Updated:	6th January 2010

Wonderfully vicious comedy following Edmund Blackadder through the ages, a selfish, arrogant misanthrope who lies, cheats and plots to increase either his social standing, his wealth or, in the case of the final series, his chances of survival. Supported by an amazing ensemble of British comedy talent, this is quite simply one of the finest comedies of all time. Series two is set in the time of Queen Elizabeth I, marvellously played as a petulant child by Miranda Richardson, and Edmund tries every trick in the book to raise his standing in the royal court. Baldrick is his long suffering underling throughout the shows run, constantly landing himself in trouble with his impatient master. Series three is set in the time of The Prince Regent, and four finds us in the first world war. A true comedy gem, I have to confess that I have only seen series 1 once, and therefore cannot rate it. Special thanks to my good mate Si for giving me his ratings for those episodes which you can see below. The final episode ever transmitted, the Millennium Special Blackadder Back and Forth, is a blot on an otherwise excellent series, as it is truly awful, but that aside, a must see show for all.

The Black Adder	Season Rating:
Pilot	No synopsis available	Not seen
The Foretelling	No synopsis available
Born to Be King	No synopsis available
The Archbishop	No synopsis available
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The Queen of Spain's Beard	No synopsis available
Witchsmeller Pursuivant	No synopsis available
The Black Seal	No synopsis available
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Blackadder II	Season Rating:
Bells	"Jane 'Bury Me in a Y-Shaped Coffin' Harrington?" Blackadder is truly alarmed when he finds himself falling in love with his man servant.
Head	"We live in an age where illness and deformity are commonplace and yet, Ploppy, you are without a doubt the most repulsive individual I have ever met." When Blackadder becomes Lord high Executioner, he runs into a spot of bother by executing someone The Queen has just pardoned.
Potato	"They'll be eating them next." Walter Raleigh returns from his great exploration and rubs Blackadder up the wrong way with all his boasting so, to improve his own standing with The Queen, he plans an epic voyage of his own.
Money	"Needs must when the devil vomits into your kettle." Blackadder goes into financial meltdown when The Baby Eating Bishop of Bath & Wells comes to collect a debt.
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Beer	"Cold is God's way of telling us to burn more Catholics" Lord Melchett challenges Blackadder to a drinking competition. Trouble is, the puritanical in-laws are due the same night and he desperately wants to get his hands on their inheritance.
Chains	"As private parts to the gods are we, they play with us for their sport." Prince Ludwig, master of disguise, kidnaps Blackadder & Melchett.
Blackadder the Third	Season Rating:
Dish and Dishonesty	"Give the likes of Baldrick the vote and we'll be back to cavorting druids, death by stoning and dung for dinner." Baldrick stands for office to ensure Pitt the Younger doesn't win, so that The Prince Regent is saved from bankruptcy.
Ink and Incapability	"Baldrick, believe me, eternity in the company of Beelzebub and all his hellish instruments of death will be a picnic compared to five minutes with me and this pencil if we can't replace this dictionary." Dr. Johnson visits The Prince, and Baldrick accidentally burns the only copy of his legendary dictionary.
Nob and Nobility	"You see the ancient Greeks, your Highness, wrote in legend of a terrible container in which all the evils of the world were trapped. How prophetic they were. All they got wrong was the name. They called it 'Pandora's Box', when of course they meant 'Baldrick's Trousers'." Blackadder becomes increasingly irritated by the idolising of The Scarlet Pimpernel.
Sense and Senility	"They do say, Mrs M, that verbal insults hurt more than physical pain. They are, of course, wrong, as you will soon discover when I stick this toasting fork into your head." When The Prince takes an interest in acting, Blackadder's patience is stretched to breaking point by two actors he hires to teach him the trade.
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Amy and Amiability	"I'm a gay bachelor, Blackadder. I'm a roarer, a rogerer, a gorger and a puker!" The Prince is desperate for a wife. A rich one, as he is out of cash.
Duel and Duality	"Baldrick, does it have to be this way? Our valued friendship ending with me cutting you up into strips and telling the prince that you walked over a very sharp cattle grid in an extremely heavy hat?" The Duke of Wellington discovers his daughters were defiled by The Prince, and decides to offer him a duel.
Blackadder Goes Forth	Season Rating:
Captain Cook	"When I was at school, education could go hang. As long as a boy could hit a six, sing the school song very loud and take hot crumpet from behind without blubbing." In a bid to escape the trenches and certain death, Blackadder claims to be a fine artist and is duly promoted to Official War Artist.
Corporal Punishment	"My head... oh, my head... feels like the time I was initiated into the Silly Buggers Society at Cambridge." When fresh orders arrive by carrier pigeon, Blackadder decides the only thing to do is eat the damned thing.
Major Star	"Personally I thought you were the least convincing female impressionist since Tarzan went through Jane's handbag and ate her lipstick." George takes to the stage as a drag act and, briefly, becomes a star, attracting the attentions of General Melchett, who doesn't realise he's a man.
Private Plane	"George, who is using the family brain cell at the moment?" Blackadder and Co. join The Royal Flying Corp. Trouble is, the classes are taught by Lord Flashheart.
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General Hospital	Melchett: "If you come back with the information, Captain Darling will pump you thoroughly in the debriefing room." Blackadder: "Not while I've got my strength, he won't." Blackadder is sent into a hospital to unearth a suspected Nazi spy.
Goodbyeee	"Strangely Brown." Poignant farewell to the series which magnificently manages to capture the true horror of trench warfare without ever losing its sense of humour. Possibly the shows finest (half) hour.
Specials
The Cavalier Years	"I won't have a friendly face to sit on this side of Boulogne!" Oliver Cromwell is on the warpath, searching for anyone disloyal to the King. That's bad news for Blackadder.
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A Blackadder's Christmas Carol	"Bad guys have all the fun." Blackadder goes all Ebenezer Scrooge as he sees the error of his ways when the Ghost of Christmas pays him a visit and shows him what lies in store.
Blackadder Back & Forth	Painfully bad millennium edition which should never have occurred, truth be told. Blackadder inadvertently travels through time in a time machine built by Baldrick. Truly awful.