Blackadder

Original title: The Black Adder

TV Series
1982–1983
TV-PG
30m

IMDb RATING

8.0/10

42K

YOUR RATING

POPULARITY

Play trailer1:14

Dark Comedy Satire Sitcom Comedy

In the Middle Ages, Prince Edmund the Black Adder constantly schemes and endeavors to seize the crown from his father and brother.In the Middle Ages, Prince Edmund the Black Adder constantly schemes and endeavors to seize the crown from his father and brother.In the Middle Ages, Prince Edmund the Black Adder constantly schemes and endeavors to seize the crown from his father and brother.

See production info at IMDbPro

IMDb RATING

8.0/10

42K

YOUR RATING

POPULARITY

1,786

230

See production info at IMDbPro

Awards
- 1 win

Episodes7

Browse episodes

TopTop-rated 1 Season2 years

Trivia
Blackadder is based on Edmund, the antagonist of William Shakespeare's play "King Lear": a scheming illegitimate son of a king who plots to take the crown for himself.

Goofs
Blackadder is throughout the series referred to as the Duke of Edinburgh, a title that was first bestowed by King George I in 1726, on his grandson, Prince Frederick Lewis, in the Peerage of Great Britain. In the 1480s, the King of England had no jurisdiction over Scotland, where Edinburgh is. Giving Edmund an anachronistic, geographically useless title is a joke, as explained in the DVD special features.

Quotes
Opening tune singer: The sound of hoof beats 'cross the glade / Good folk, lock up your son and daughter / Beware the deadly flashing blade / Unless you want to end up shorter / Black Adder, Black Adder, he rides a pitch black steed / Black Adder, Black Adder, he's very bad indeed / Black: his gloves of finest mole / Black: his codpiece made of metal / His horse is blacker than a vole / His pot is blacker than his kettle / Black Adder, Black Adder, with many a cunning plan / Black Adder, Black Adder, you horrid little man.

Crazy credits
There is a statement in the closing credits: "With additional dialogue by William Shakespeare."

Connections
Featured in The Story of Bean (1997)

User reviews78

Review

Featured review

10/10

Why not Sir Rowan?

I love Rowan Atkinson. I think he's the best contemporary British comedian around. Rowan has a great talent especially playing Edmund Black Adder. Edmund, the Black Adder, begins the series in the Black Plague or Black Death. The second series is a lot better with Queen Elizabeth I played by the wonderful Miranda Richardson (I wondered what happened to her). This role was before her Oscar nominating role in Damage. She is hysterical as the Virgin Queen which I bet is the funniest Queen Elizabeth I in history. I love the costumes, the language. The series got better as it went along. I loved Hugh Laurie as the dumb prince. Tony Robinson as Baldrick always made me laugh. The Black Adder kept moving on until World War II. Don't you think it's time that Rowan Atkinson became knighted.