I miss Blackadder

[Kato]

Much love for Blackadder. As soon as I learned that there was a DVD collection, I bought it and watched it several times.

I have to say though, I'm surprised that the fourth series seems to be so popular here. Powerful ending shot aside, it was the series that worked the least for me. It's still good, but for me the second and third series are the best. And the Christmas special. Oh lordy, that Christmas special is nearly perfect.

Hm... I always considered the first season weakest by far with little distinction between the others.. I might even put four above three.
But yes, the Christmas special is among the best Christmas specials there are.

[snowblizz]

I gues sone could say with S1 they are sorting themselves out and sorta finding thier footing.

I'd say the S2 is among the best because BA still has room to play out wonky schemes as a fairly aoutomonous palyer. In S3 the family fortunes have fallen (I hope you have all noticed that it's a gradual fall from S1, peaking with a short and ironci stint as king..., to S4) and he is only a servant to the Prince so is more removed from everything.

Also in S2 you have a strong showing from more actors, the one playing Elizabeth is a favourite, contrasted with S3 which is mostly BA, Baldrick and the Prince. I forget where Stephen Fry fitted in that one. But S2 shows the whole strong cast in most episodes IIRC.

Also I guess for many the setting of S3 is unfamiliar, most of us "get" Elizabethan England but 18th century England under the Hannoverians is much more diffuse. I know I for one had trouble the first time watching to grasp where and when they were.

S2 stands out the most in my mind too.

[factotum]

S1 had different writers to S2 onwards--while Richard Curtis was involved in all of them, his co-writer was Rowan Atkinson in S1 and Ben Elton for the others. That's probably why the dynamic completely changed from Blackadder being an idiot with a genius sidekick to him being the smart one while the sidekick was the idiot.

[Ninja_Prawn]

The other thing with Blackadder II is that it was shot on a much smaller budget than the others. Pretty much the whole series takes place in two rooms. It's tight and minimalistic. Great artists tend to shine on low budgets because it forces them to get creative, and there's less to distract from their acting, at least that's what I think.

[S@tanicoaldo]

I believe you guys will recognize this voice:

[Sinewmire]

If you've enjoyed Blackadder, then in addition to the above lists, I'd recomment Upstart Crow which stars David Mitchell as Shakespeare.

It really really seems like someone had said "A new sitcom, basically try and do Blackadder again."

It's not going to set the world on fire, and it seems a bit dated, but I'd heartily recommend it.

[Dynodragon]

If you've enjoyed Blackadder, then in addition to the above lists, I'd recomment Upstart Crow which stars David Mitchell as Shakespeare.

It really really seems like someone had said "A new sitcom, basically try and do Blackadder again."

It's not going to set the world on fire, and it seems a bit dated, but I'd heartily recommend it.

Upstart Crow is also written by Ben Elton, it’s the best thing he’s written in 20 years which unfortunately isn’t the high water mark it used to be.

David Mitchell plays himself as Shakespeare and somebody else, forget name, plays another character as an Elizabethian Ricky Gervais but it’s a lot better than this sentence implies.

1st season on Netflix UK.

[Avilan the Grey]

I really miss watching the old

Blackadder

series.

It taught this American most of the British history I know, and I found it far funnier than most every television ever broadcast.

If you haven't seen it I highly recommend viewing the second season to start, then the third, then the fourth, and then the subsequent "specials", and then get around to watching the first season some time after the Earth's oceans have dried out, the Sun has burned itself into a cinder, and one by one the stars shine no more leaving nothing but a cold, dark, and empty void (it just wasn't as good as the other seasons).

The first season did have Brian Blessed and Peter Cook in it though.

If anyone has seen the series and can recommend something similar please do so.

Thanks.

The first season is actually my second favorite. It's just different, not worse, really (Baldrick being the smart one etc).
My list goes: Second, First, Third, Fourth.
Though the final of the Fourth season is AMAZING and has earned tons of praise.

[Zea mays]

Ever seen the Treaty of Westphalia, 2D8HP? Just a quick skit, but very Black-adderish.

Also, because someone mentioned Black Books, I have to recommend The IT Crowd, a show that rides high on Richard Ayoade charm and brilliant comic instincts.

[Peelee]

Ever seen the Treaty of Westphalia, 2D8HP? Just a quick skit, but very Black-adderish.

Also, because someone mentioned Black Books, I have to recommend The IT Crowd, a show that rides high on Richard Ayoade charm and brilliant comic instincts.

A fire?

At Sea Parks?!?

[Avilan the Grey]

Most British classic sitcoms are very dissimilar to each other.
I personally think that the greatest sitcom of all times, all 12 episodes of it, is Fawlty Towers.

[Misereor]

If you haven't seen it I highly recommend viewing the second season to start, then the third, then the fourth, and then the subsequent "specials", and then get around to watching the first season some time after the Earth's oceans have dried out, the Sun has burned itself into a cinder, and one by one the stars shine no more leaving nothing but a cold, dark, and empty void (it just wasn't as good as the other seasons).

The first season did have it's moments from time to time, once the series got up and running.

"It's a new play. I call it Death of the Scotsman... erm... Pharaoh..."
- Blackadder to Scottish Nobleman.

"The last Bishop of Canterbury was regrettably, accidentally killed when he was hit by a falling Gargoyle whilst swimming off the coast of Dover."
- Blackadder on being named the new Bishop of Canterbury.

"Unfortunately your horse died during interrogation, but he left a signed confession. *holds up paper with bloody hoofprint*"
- The Witchsmeller Pursuivant

[Avilan the Grey]

The first season did have it's moments from time to time, once the series got up and running.

"It's a new play. I call it Death of the Scotsman... erm... Pharaoh..."
- Blackadder to Scottish Nobleman.

"The last Bishop of Canterbury was regrettably, accidentally killed when he was hit by a falling Gargoyle whilst swimming off the coast of Dover."
- Blackadder on being named the new Bishop of Canterbury.

"Unfortunately your horse died during interrogation, but he left a signed confession. *holds up paper with bloody hoofprint*"
- The Witchsmeller Pursuivant

"My Love My Love...!"

[An Enemy Spy]

Most British classic sitcoms are very dissimilar to each other.

They're about as similar as two very dissimilar things in a pod.

[Velaryon]

Related to Blackadder, has anyone else seen this announcement from Stephen Fry?



For those who can't/don't want to watch, he had prostate cancer, had his prostate removed, and his apparently cancer-free. Thankfully.

[Peelee]

For those who can't/don't want to watch, he had prostate cancer, had his prostate removed, and his apparently cancer-free. Thankfully.

HOORAY! He's one of those people that I refuse to believe will die.

[factotum]

He's only 60, that's quite young to have prostate cancer so bad you have to have it removed? (Most people get prostate cancer so late that they die of old age before the cancer can kill them).

[Peelee]

He's only 60, that's quite young to have prostate cancer so bad you have to have it removed? (Most people get prostate cancer so late that they die of old age before the cancer can kill them).

Wait what? They start screening for prostate cancer at 40, and I thought it was due to the extreme lethality of it (as in, low survival rate over five years). Is it not as bad as I've feared?

[Leewei]

My dad is a prostate cancer survivor. This form of cancer is common enough that there's a robot (the DaVinci) designed for prostate removal.

[Ninja_Prawn]

They start screening for prostate cancer at 40, and I thought it was due to...

I thought it was just because men are usually unwilling to go to the doctor on their own initiative, which causes things like this to go untreated for years. Screening programmes are a way to eliminate that factor.

[factotum]

Wait what? They start screening for prostate cancer at 40, and I thought it was due to the extreme lethality of it (as in, low survival rate over five years). Is it not as bad as I've feared?

Some forms of it are pretty lethal, yes, but the main reason the five-year survival rate for prostate cancer is so low is because it usually develops so late in life that people die *with* the disease rather than *from* it. In any case, my main observation was that 60 is a relatively young age to have severe prostate cancer.

[Durkoala]

I have no idea how true this is, but I remember hearing rumours about a planned series about Blackadder and co as a band in the 1970s. Baldrick was the drummer, 'Bald Rick'. I would have loved to have seen that be made.

[Ninja_Prawn]

I have no idea how true this is, but I remember hearing rumours about a planned series about Blackadder and co as a band in the 1970s. Baldrick was the drummer, 'Bald Rick'. I would have loved to have seen that be made.

I heard that too, though as I recall it was more of a "we joked about doing a '70s Blackadder one time, but we knew they'd never let us do a fifth series" than "this was planned but shelved".

[2D8HP]

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Thanks to you all for the great suggestions!

They're much appreciated.

Ever seen the Treaty of Westphalia, 2D8HP? Just a quick skit, but very Black-adderish.

No I never saw that before your post.

Thanks!

[TheTeaMustFlow]

I do love Blackadder, but I have to admit a slight grudge towards it over the damage it's done to perceptions of history in this country. Particularly regarding WW1 and the 'Lions led by Donkeys' myth.