Blackadder

1983 • BBC
4.9
609 reviews
Eligible
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Season 1 episodes (6)

1 The Foretelling
14/6/83
Season-only
Edmund, the mostly forgotten son of Richard Duke of York, oversleeps and arrives late for the Battle of Bosworth. After accidently cutting off the head of Richard III and saving the life of the opposition leader Henry Tudor, he finds himself installed as the Duke of Edinburgh. In a bid to be taken more seriously, he changes his name to The Black Adder, and a legend is born.
2 Born to be King
21/6/83
Season-only
The supreme commander of the King's army, Lord Dougal McAngus, arrives home early from the crusades and is awarded Blackadder's Scottish lands as a reward for his bravery in battle. Enraged, Blackadder hatches a plot for revenge, but soon changes his mind when McAngus offers him documents showing that Harry is illegitimate.
3 The Archbishop
28/6/83
Season-only
The King has murdered three successive Archbishops of Canterbury so Blackadder is understandably terrified when he is the next appointment. Determined not to be the next prelate to be brutally slain in a freak accident, he brilliantly persuades a rich nobleman to donate all his lands to the King and not the Church. However, the King accidentally orders Blackadder's murder anyway.
4 The Queen of Spain's Beard
5/7/83
Season-only
It is a time of wars and political upheaval, and the King decides to make an alliance between England and Spain by marrying Blackadder to the Spanish Infanta. Blackadder is keen to end his appalling run of luck with women, that is until he meets the Infanta. His schemes to thwart the marriage all fail, until news comes of a new alliance between France and Switzerland.
5 Witchsmeller Pursuivant
12/7/83
Season-only
It is a time of plague and omens in the kingdom. In this atmosphere of paranoia, the Witchsmeller Pursuivant is called to court, to sniff out the chief witch and bring an end to the country's bad luck. Inconveniently, the Witchsmeller decides that Edmund is the Chief Witch, and that Percy and Baldrick have something a bit witchy about them, too.
6 The Black Seal
19/7/83
Season-only
Blackadder decides that he can wait no longer to seize his destiny. He sets out to recruit the six most evil men in the Kingdom - The Black Seal - to help him take control of the country. His plans are thwarted by the arrival of his oldest enemy: the Hawk. This implacable foe throws Edmund into a dungeon and goes off to take over the kingdom himself.

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
Lord Paul Richard Butler
19 December 2015
One of BBC's best comedy shows I bought Blackadder because the price at the moment is great £12.99 why not buy the complete collection series1 - 4 and enjoy Blackadder
Luke Lawley
19 June 2019
its £20 on iTunes. wait until this is in offer and it will be cheaper than iTunes. "The Black Adder" (season one) underrated in my opinion. all classic.
Tim Wells
16 April 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.