Blackadder - The Complete Collection [DVD]

I'll start off this review by saying that "Blackadder" is, in my opinion, easily one of the best British comedy TV shows in existence, and I think many would agree with me on that one. There isn't really a bad thing that I have to say about this: it has a pretty decent cast, great acting, loveable characters and endless laughs. Rowan Atkinson did a marvellous job playing the role of the several Blackadders and I have to award credit to the other great actors as well, such as Tony Robinson, Hugh Laurie, Stephen Fry, Tim McInnerny, Miranda Richardson and Brian Blessed; they ALL did a fantastic job in their roles. Other great actors also guest starred in various episodes, including Miriam Margolyes, Jim Broadbent, Robbie Coltrane and the late Rik Mayall (R.I.P, Rik. You were and still are a British comedy legend)."Blackadder" takes place in different historical time periods, revolving around the lives of the Edmund Blackadders (Atkinson) and the Baldricks (Robinson); from the first series onwards, the lives of their descendants are eternally intertwined, along with (occasionally) the descendants of Lord Percy (McInnerny) and Prince George (Laurie); series 1 and 2 for Percy and series 3 onwards for George. The great thing is that in each series, the characters are completely identical to their counterparts from the previous series (although their characters differ in the first series); effectively, actors like Rowan Atkinson and Tony Robinson reprise their roles, except that you know that they are not playing the same characters they played in the previous series; there is no differentiation between their new roles and their previous.This box set is perfect for any Blackadder fan to own, because not only does it contain all four series, but it also contains the bonus episodes as well, although this doesn't include the unaired pilot episode. I've seen that episode on Youtube and I don't think it's anything to get excited about. In fact, the first series' second episode serves as a remake of that episode, as well as a vast improvement of it.Now, onto my reviews of each series.THE BLACK ADDERThe first series was initially broadcast in 1983 and written by Richard Curtis and Rowan Atkinson. It takes place in the late fifteenth century and it takes place during the reign of the fictional King Richard IV (played by Brian Blessed), during a secret historical era.This series starts off with the narrator explaining that Henry Tudor (more commonly known as King Henry VII) re-wrote history and falsely claimed to have defeated his predecessor, King Richard III and won the Battle of Bosworth Field on the 22 August, 1485 (which he did in reality).In this series, King Richard III is killed by Lord Edmund (Henry Tudor is assumed to have committed the murder) and the diseased king is succeeded by his nephew, Edmund's father, Richard, earning Edmund the title of Duke of Edinburgh. It is then we he has a change of wardrobe, including a silly haircut. It is also then that he adopts the name of the Black Adder, although his initial choice was the Black Vegetable; Baldrick suggests the Black Adder title.In this series, Edmund spends time with his servants, Bladrick and Lord Percy, in his ambition to claim his father's throne and become king, and he is prepared to do anything to do it.The first series is often regarded as the worst of the lot by fans and although I agree, I do enjoy watching this series as well. Of course, the most memorable characters are the three protagonists and King Richard IV. I thought they were all great. In this series, Edmund is a snivelling buffoon that speaks and behaves eccentrically. Rowan Atkinson did a terrific job in this role, even constantly putting on the face of an abnormal person whenever he was on-screen.Baldrick is rather clever in this series, often giving Edmund some advice, and I feel that him being intelligent works well, bearing in mind that he is Edmund's servant. Percy on the other hand, is very dim-witted and easily the least intelligent of the three. Then you have King Richard IV, who seems to despise Edmund, constantly getting his name wrong - when he remembers his existence - calling him names like Edna, Oswin and "the slimy one". He clearly loves his older son, Harry (Robert East), much more than Edmund.My favourite episode has easily got to be "The Witchsmeller Pursuivant", in which Edmund is accused of being a witch by the episode's titular character (after calling him "Old Big Nose") and put on an unfair trial, purposely taking information out of context and connecting it with other meaningless date. Edmund's cat for example, which is named Bubbles, the witchsmeller decides is short for Beelzebbles.Overall, not the best Blackadder series, but I'd say that it's pretty good on it's own and worth a watch.BLACKADDER IIThe second series (broadcast in 1986) is arguably the best series of Blackadder and a vast improvement of the original. Although Richard Curtis returned as one of the writers, Rowan Atkinson was replaced by Ben Elton as the second writer. The second series takes place sometime in the Elizabethan era.This series saw permanent changes of two of the protagonists. Blackadder was changed from a snivelling, idiotic buffoon into a charming, witty, sarcastic individual, with a lot more intelligence and sophistication than his counterpart. His basic personality traits remained the same: cruel, selfish and sociopathic. Baldrick changed from a clever character to dim-witted character, with an IQ score that is far below average; Percy's character was unchained.The rest of the original cast didn't return, although some actors that guest-stared did. This series saw great actors join the show. Miranda Richardson was brilliant as Queen Elizabeth I (or Queenie). Stephen Fry joined the cast as Lord Melchett and the late Patsy Byrne was great as the dim-witted Nursie, or Bernard, which she reveals as her true name in the first episode.In this series, Blackadder is courtier to Queenie and the series follows his attempts to win her favour and avoid having his "head cut off". Lord Melchett is his rival and in turn, aims to please the queen, as well as to outdo Blackadder.The second series is easily better than the first and it is my personal favourite, although I like this one MARGINALLY more than its two sequel series. I feel that the character changes made them, and the show, more likeable. Although I do like the clever Baldrick from the first series, I like the stupid Baldrick quite a bit more. Tony Robinson was great as Baldrick.My favourite episode is "Bells", in which Blackadder falls in love with his new man servant, Bob, who is secretly a woman named Kate dressed as a boy. The whole episode is brilliant, with many classic moments, such as Blackadder's visitation to the Old Crone and of course, Lord Flashheart's grand opening; Rik Mayall was brilliant in the role.BLACKADDER THE THIRDThe third series was broadcast in 1987 and takes place either in the late eighteenth or early nineteenth century. For fear of being a typecast, Tim McInnerny didn't return as Lord Percy, although he guest starred as French aristocrat, Topper, in one episode. Stephen Fry and Miranda Richardson didn't return either, although, like McInnerny, they each guest star in an episode. Hugh Laurie joined the cast as Prince George (or the Prince Regent), replacing Percy in some sense; both characters are very stupid. Actress Helen Atkinson-Wood joined the cast in a supporting role as Mrs Miggins; this was her only series.Blackadder (known as Mr E. Blackadder in this series) serves as the butler for Prince George, still with Baldrick in his service. In this series, he takes advantage of the Prince Regent's stupidity, pretending to be his friend and a helpful butler, whilst really (and crystal-clearly) abusing his position and mocking George for personal gain.My favourite episode is easily "Nob and Nobility" in which Blackadder's attempt to deceive two French Aristocrats into thinking he's gone to France and rescued a third aristocrat from the clutches of the evil revolutionary lands him (ironically) into the clutches of an evil revolutionist (played terrifically by Chris Barrie). Nigel Planer also guests stars as French aristocrat, Smedley.Although this series is not QUITE as good as the second (at least in my opinion) this series is very good and one I never get bored of.BLACKADDER GOES FORTHThe fourth series was broadcast in 1989 and takes place in the trenches during the First World War. Both Tim McInnerny and Stephen Fry return in this series, playing full-time roles. Although the latter returned as Melchett, McInnerny, still due to his fear of being a typecast, returns as a new character, Captain Kevin Darling, who is the opposite of Lord Percy; whilst Percy was very stupid and admired Blackadder, Captain Darling is an intelligent man who cannot stand Blackadder and sees him for who he is. Unfortunately for him, Captain Melchett fails to see this, although Captain Darling does try on more than one occasion to convince him.This series shows Captain Blackadder in the trenches, alongside Private Baldrick and Lieutenant George, disobeying orders (unless it's something he benefits from) and trying to worm his way out of the trenches.My favourite episode has got to be "Corporal Punishment" in which Blackadder is court-martialed for shooting Melchett's carrier pigeon, Speckled Jim.I liked the return of Melchett and I liked the new character, Captain Darling, as well as the way they easily used his funny name for humour. That scene in "Major Star" in which Melchett is rehearsing what he wishes to say to the "woman" he loves, which involves the usage of the word, "darling" and unsurprisingly confuses Captain Darling is a good example. It also makes me laugh because Melchett gets impatient with Captain Darling, despite the obvious reason, he clearly fails to see. It's also funny when Captain Darling finally realizes that Melchett wasn't talking to him, but that is only when Melchett tells him what he was doing."Honestly, Darling, you really are the most graceless, dim-witted bumpkin I ever met.""I don't think you should say THAT to her."Overall, in my opinion, this series isn't AS good as the second and third series in my opinion, but it is just about as enjoyable.THE BONUS EPISODESI will try and be brief on this one. The first bonus episode, "Blackadder: The Cavalier Years" was broadcast in 1988 for Comic Relief's Red Nose Day and it is a very short episode, with a duration of 15 minutes, as opposed to its usual half-hour duration. I've only seen this episode twice and although I like this episode, it's not one of my personal favourites; perhaps due to the short duration. Again, this WAS done for Comic Relief, so bearing that in mind, I feel they did a pretty good job with this one. This episode takes place in the mid-seventeenth century and it shows Blackadder trying to save King Charles I (played by Stephen Fry) from execution."Blackadder's Christmas Carol", broadcast in the same year, is easily my favourite of the bonus episodes. It has a lengthy duration of around 40 minutes and it is one I watch around Christmas every year without fail. As the title already says, this is based on the classic novel by Charles Dickens, only Ebenezer Blackadder (yes, that's his first name) changes from a kind and caring (and very weak man) into a horrid man, and easily the nastiest man in London. The concept of this episode is pure genius. Of course, it would have been ideal for Blackadder to change from nasty to kind, but I like the other way round better, because it's funnier. What I love about this episode is that he turns nasty to those who were taking advantage of his generosity the whole time. This is another thing about this episode I like: in the real world, when you are kind and generous, people DO take advantage, most unfortunately. Totally love this episode.The final episode, "Blackadder: Back & Forth" was broadcast at the turn of the millennium. In this episode, Blackadder's New Year prank to dupe his guests into thinking he has invented a time machine goes wrong when he finds that he ironically DOES have a time machine. Due to Baldrick (the builder) using fruit slots instead of numbers to show them when they are, they find themselves struggling to get back to their own time, visiting several historical time periods in their wake. They also solve the mystery of what wiped out the dinosaurs. I won't say what it was, but it WASN'T a meteorite.This episode serves as a good conclusion to the terrific TV show. The only thing about this episode I don't like is that it doesn't feature a laughter soundtrack, although this wasn't broadcast in front of an audience.Well, this wraps up my review on the Blackadder collection. It's a GREAT TV show, filled with many funny moments that never fail to make me laugh; regardless of how often I watch this, I still laugh at these moments. This is a box set I'd highly recommend for all those who love British comedy.

Blackadder is an absolute classic!From the moment I hit play, I was hooked. Rowan Atkinson's wit and sarcasm as Blackadder had me in stitches, and the supporting cast is pure comedic gold.What's awesome is how timeless the humor is. Whether you're into historical satire or just appreciate clever writing, Blackadder delivers laughs by the bucketload.And with all four series and the special episodes bundled together in this DVD collection, you've got hours of hilarity at your fingertips. It's perfect for binge-watching with friends or enjoying a laugh-filled night in.Trust me, if you're in need of some top-notch comedy, Blackadder - The Complete Collection is a must-have. Don't miss out on the laughs – grab your copy today!

Blacckadder is one of the Britains finest ever comedies. The comic genius that is Rowan Atikinson as Edmund Blackadder, outstandingly supported throughout by the brilliant Tony Robinson (before his "Time Team" days) as his ever suffering side kick Baldrick, and by Tim McInnerny, Steven Fry and Hugh Laurie, among others.The first series is set in the 1490s when, apparently, the history books were incorrectly written and Richard III wasn't defeated at the battle of Bosworth Field by Henry Tudor, but was succeeded on the throne of England by his brother Richard IV (Brian Blessed) after being beheaded at the battle of Bosworth Field by his clutz of a nephew, Prince Edmund Plantagenet, who later (after briefly considering calling himself "The Black Vegetable") re-names himself "The Black Adder". A legend is born.Series 2 - move forward 80 years or so to Elizabethan times and the great grandson of Edmund Plantagenet - it's in the lyrics of the closing song on the episode "Head", for anyone who hadn't noticed it already "His great grandfather was a king, although for only 30 seconds". Now demoted to Lord rather than a Prince of the relm, Blackadder is the much more sharp, cunning and altogether nasty character we came to love. Baldrick is now the stupid one and that's the way it ought to be and, in deed, stayed.Series 3 - Now in the late 1700s to early 1800s in the time of the Prince Regent, Edmund is demoted again to being the butler to Prince George (brilliantly played by Hugh Laurie). Baldrick is still his ever suffering dogsbody, whose immortal words "I have a cunning plan" are the bain of Blackadders life.Series 4 - It's now world war one and Blackadder is demoted still further to a captain in the army trenches, with Baldrick and George as his comrades and Melchet as his barmey General.The series just got better and better as it went on and the ending was perfect when they went over the top. At the end of last episode, as the final scene is shown, there's no theme tune or credits, it simply cuts to a picture of poppy fields. The way this is done is so moving, and a perfect ending to a brilliant series.The full four series, along with all the specials, like "Blackadders Christmas Carol" and sketches that were done for Comic Relief, make one brilliant collection. If you don't already own any of the Blackadder series, then this is definitely the one to buy and well worth every penny.