The episodes in this series were originally shown on BBC1 on Wednesday evenings, 21:25 – 22:00. Note: The "Ultimate Edition" DVD retains the broadcast order, which switched the second and fourth episodes as "Born to Be King" was not ready for transmission, despite on-screen dates continuing to identify the true order as "Born to Be King", "The Archbishop", "The Queen of Spain's Beard"[1]
The episodes in this series were originally shown on BBC1 on Thursday evenings, 21:30 – 22:00. The episode titles are single word references to the theme of the episode: a wedding, executions, voyages of exploration, debt, drinking alcohol, and imprisonment, respectively.
The episodes in this series were originally shown on BBC1 on Thursday evenings, 21:30 – 22:00. The episode titles are, with exception of the final episode, puns on military ranks.
As the new millennium dawns, Blackadder tries to con his friends out of £30,000 with a fake time machine which, thanks to Baldrick, unexpectedly works up to a point.
Additional appearances
Blackadder and Baldrick, or one of them, have also appeared frequently as guests in other shows or live shows, often for charity.
Woman's Hour is a show on BBC Radio 4 consisting of reports, interviews and debates aimed at women, and also includes short serials during the last quarter of the show. On one instance of the show, in 1988, Blackadder and Baldrick show up, travel back in time and talk to Shakespeare and others. The purpose of the "invasion" was to raise money for Children in Need.[12]
"Children in Need"
Richard Curtis & Ben Elton
Friday 18 November 1988 (Friday 18 November 1988)
Terry Wogan interviews Blackadder and Baldrick, both of which appear and behave as they are in series 3, with Blackadder insulting both Baldrick and Terry Wogan. This special cameo was done during a TV appeal for Children in Need.[13]
"Clown Court"
Richard Curtis
1988 (1988)
Clown Court was an item on Noel's Saturday Roadshow in which Noel Edmonds presented blooper compilations in a mock court setting. Tony Robinson appeared as Baldrick, who stands accused of a number of bloopers from the third series, and is sentenced to death.[14]
"Cooking with Baldrick on Blue Peter"
Unknown
9 March 1989 (1989-03-09)
Baldrick shares a recipe on a Blue Peter special. This short cameo was included on the bluray edition of Blackadder in 2023.
"Baldrick on Smellovision (CBBC Comic Relief 1991)"
TBD
1991 (1991)
Featured in this clip were Tony Robinson as Baldrick, Presenter Andy Peters and a puppet called the Samiad from a 1991 children's show.[15]
"Blackadder and the King's Birthday"
Ben Elton
14 November 1998 (1998-11-14)
A short sketch performed at the Prince of Wales' 50th Birthday Gala. It featured Rowan Atkinson as Lord Blackadder and Stephen Fry as King Charles II. Baldrick is mentioned as being Lord Blackadder's servant, but does not appear. The live-on-stage sketch was televised on ITV (in the UK) on 14 November 1998.[16]
"Blackadder: The Army Years"
Ben Elton
19 October 2000 (2000-10-19)
A short monologue performed at the Dominion Theatre for the Royal Variety Performance 2000. It features Rowan Atkinson as the modern-day Lord Edmund Blackadder of Her Royal Highness's regiment of Shirkers, offering a proposal to restore England's glory by invading France. The sketch was written and introduced by Ben Elton, who was the compère of the evening.[17]
"The Jubilee Girl"
Richard Curtis
29 December 2002 (2002-12-29)
The Jubilee Girl was a BBC special about the making of the Party at the Palace, a concert held on the grounds of Buckingham Palace for Queen Elizabeth II's Golden Jubilee. The concert had been reluctantly announced on the BBC by Sir Osmond Darling-Blackadder, Keeper of the Royal Lawn Sprinklers, and while he does not appear in connection with the actual concert, he makes a few brief appearances in The Jubilee Girl to provide a humouristic note.[18]
"The Banking Crisis"
Ben Elton
28 September 2012 (2012-09-28)
A new Blackadder sketch about the banking crisis, performed at a special charity gala event "We Are Most Amused" in aid of the Prince’s Trust. Sir Edmund Blackadder is the chief executive of the Melchett, Melchett & Darling bank, who brings his gardener Sodoff Baldrick to an enquiry.[19]
"Red Nose Day 2023"
Richard Curtis & Tony Robinson
17 March 2023 (2023-03-17)
Baldrick returns alone to read “Balderella” about himself and Edmund Blackadder (absent) for the 2023 BBC Red Nose Day.
Retrospectives and documentaries
Title
Original air date
"Baldrick's diary: a Blackadder in the making"
31 December 1999 (1999-12-31)
A featurette on the shooting of Back & Forth, in the form a video diary narrated by Baldrick. It includes several deleted scenes from the movie.
"Blackadder Exclusive: The Whole Rotten Saga"
8 October 2008 (2008-10-08)
A 90-minute documentary produced by Tiger Aspect for UKTV Gold.[20]
It featured interviews with most of the major cast members and other contributors, including Stephen Fry, Hugh Laurie, Richard Curtis, Ben Elton, Miranda Richardson, Tim McInnerny and Tony Robinson and was narrated by comedian David Mitchell. Rowan Atkinson did not appear except in archival footage.[21] It was followed by another hour with a compilation called 'Most Cunning Moments' where celebrities and invited guests vote on their favourite scenes.[22]
"Blackadder Rides Again"
25 December 2008 (2008-12-25)
A 60-minute documentary produced by Tiger Aspect for the BBC and broadcast on 25 December 2008, to celebrate the 25th anniversary of the show. It featured interviews with all of the major cast members and other contributors, including Rowan Atkinson, Stephen Fry, Hugh Laurie, Richard Curtis, Ben Elton, Miranda Richardson, Tim McInnerny and Tony Robinson.[23] Rather than relying on 'talking head' interviews and clips from the show, the documentary included several pieces of rare, and even unseen material (behind the scenes clips, cut scenes from Series 1 etc.). It also reunited certain cast and crew members with their costumes, visited cast members on their current ventures, or took them to the original filming locations.