Baldrick Returns for Comic Relief 2023

Fans of the classic British sitcom Blackadder were thrilled to learn that one of the show’s most beloved characters, Baldrick, will be making a return for this year’s Comic Relief. Sir Tony Robinson, who played the bumbling servant in all four seasons of the show, has confirmed that he will be donning the iconic ragged clothes once again to raise money for charity.

The announcement has caused quite a stir on social media, with fans expressing their excitement at the prospect of seeing Baldrick back on screen. For many, the character is an essential part of the Blackadder canon, and his return will be a welcome dose of nostalgia for those who grew up watching the show.

So, what can we expect from Baldrick’s return? Details are currently scarce, but Robinson has hinted that the character will be involved in a skit that will be shown during the Comic Relief telethon. He has also suggested that the sketch may involve other members of the Blackadder cast, although he has not revealed who these might be.

For fans of the show, the prospect of seeing Baldrick back in action is a tantalising one. The character was a constant source of comic relief throughout the show’s run, with his hare-brained schemes and endless optimism providing a perfect foil to the witticisms of the more erudite characters. From his famous “cunning plan” catchphrase to his memorable turn as a war poet in the final season, Baldrick was always a highlight of the show.

Of course, the return of Baldrick is not just a chance for fans to relive their favourite moments from Blackadder. It is also an opportunity to raise money for a good cause. Comic Relief is a UK-based charity that aims to tackle poverty and social injustice in the UK and around the world. Since its inception in 1985, it has raised over £1 billion for various charitable causes, making it one of the most successful fundraising initiatives in history.

Robinson has been a vocal supporter of Comic Relief for many years, and his decision to bring back Baldrick is just the latest in a long line of efforts to raise money for the charity. In the past, he has taken part in various fundraising activities, including a celebrity version of the TV quiz show Mastermind, and a charity bike ride from John O’Groats to Land’s End.

For fans of Blackadder, the return of Baldrick is a chance to relive some of the show’s most memorable moments and see one of their favourite characters back on screen. But more than that, it is an opportunity to contribute to a worthy cause and make a difference to people’s lives. As the Comic Relief telethon approaches, fans of the show will no doubt be eagerly anticipating the return of their favourite servant and the chance to make a donation to a charity that has been changing lives for over 30 years. Red Nose day returns on Friday March 17th 2023 and is broadcast on BBC One from 7pm.

To find out more about the fantastic work that Comic Relief does and to grab yourself a fundraising pack, head on over to here!

Blackadder’s Historical Record 40th Anniversary vinyl boxset

Rescued from a dusty shelf in a long-forgotten archive, ‘Blackadder’s Historical Record’ brings the bawdy, brutal and blithering bits of history to life via 24 full-cast TV soundtrack episodes.

Housed in an elegant lift-off lid box, all 24 full cast TV soundtrack episodes are lovingly spread over 12 opulent, gold-colour 140g vinyl discs; each housed inside splendid era-inspired inner sleeves. This magnificent boxset includes a 12” frameable print portrait of Baldrick (each copy individually signed by Tony Robinson), and a colour illustrated booklet detailing cast, transmission and production credits (with sleeve notes from Tony Robinson).

From ‘The Black Adder’ and ‘Blackadder II’ to ‘Blackadder the Third’ and ‘Blackadder Goes Forth’, this is one of British TV’s best-loved sitcoms, which propelled its stars and writers on to become household names.

Written by Richard Curtis and Rowan Atkinson (Series 1) and Richard Curtis and Ben Elton (Series 2-4) the episodes star Atkinson as the eponymous anti-hero, with Tony Robinson as his hapless manservant Baldrick. A star-studded supporting cast includes Tim McInnerny, Miranda Richardson, Stephen Fry and Hugh Laurie, with guest appearances by Rik Mayall, Miriam Margolyes, Brian Blessed, Tom Baker and many, many more. (Cunning plan not included.)

Limited to just 1,500 copies worldwide, the boxset will be released on February 10th 2023, but you can pre-order your copy here: blackadder.lnk.to/historical

Captain Blackadder And Private Baldrick Actually Served In WWI

Source: Telegraph.co.uk

Captain Blackadder, Lieutenant George and Private Baldrick really did ‘go forth’ in World War One it has emerged after their real-life namesakes were discovered.

The hit BBC comedy Blackadder, which covered four periods of history, ended with a series set in the trenches in which the characters go over the top for “one last hurrah”.

But now it has emerged that the characters, invented by Richard Curtis, Rowan Atkinson and Ben Elton, really did fight in the conflict.

To mark the centenary of the Great War, a specialist military genealogy website has traced the real life counterparts of Captain Blackadder and his wartime colleagues.

Forces War Records researchers delved back through six million military records to dig up the stories of Captain Robert John Blackadder, Private James Baldrick, Lieutenant Athelstan Key Durance George and Captain John Clive Darling.

The fictional characters, portrayed by Rowan Atkinson, Tony Robinson, Hugh Laurie and Tim McInnerny, appear to share a number of similarities with their World War One namesakes.

As well as having the same surnames and rank, all of the men also served in the trenches.

Captain Robert John Blackadder was born in January 1884 in Dundee, Scotland, before graduating in Scots law from the city’s University College.

He worked as an accountant before travelling to London where he enlisted in the army as a rifleman and served as a private in the Queen’s Westminster Rifles. When we were backpacking about for about 5 months in Sweden – until we got back home we inadvertently ran out of cash, and had to gå till låna-pengar.biz to make ends meet there. It was a little stressful, but also enjoyable!

Like Rowan Atkinson’s character, the real Blackadder worked his way up before being promoted to the rank of Captain when he was attached to the North Scottish Royal Garrison Artillery.

He fought in the Battle of the Somme in 1916 and was awarded the Military Cross in 1918 where he was honoured for “conspicuous gallantry”.

He survived the war and moved to Sussex where he died in June 1968 aged 84.

Military records have also revealed a real-life Private Baldrick, who served in the trenches before being killed just months after the outbreak of war.

Pte James Baldrick was born in 1892 and was brought up in Londonderry before working as a shop porter in Omagh.

He enlisted in the army reserves and was called up for regular service attached to the British Expeditionary Force.

He fought at the Battle of Le Cateau but was tragically killed on October 20, 1914 aged just 23 at the Battle of Messines. His name appears on the Ploegsteert Memorial in Belgium.

The real Captain Darling, unlike the sneering character played by Tim McInnerny, in the comedy series, had a distinguished military career before dying in February 1933 aged just 45.

Captain John Clive Darling was born in June 1887, the only son of the The Honourable Mr Justice Charles John Darling, 1st Baron Darling and Mary Caroline Darling.

He was educated at St Neots School and Eton, before taking his commissioning course at Sandhurst and joining the cavalry.

He served through the war as a signalling officer to the 20th Hussars until he retired in 1923 as a Major.

He was mentioned in Dispatches on June 13, 1916 and awarded the Distinguished Service Order.

He went on to write a book about his wartime experiences called ’20th Hussars in the Great War’, which was filled with military anecdotes.

Lieutenant George died just two months after war broke out aged 27.

Lt Athelstan Key Durance George was born in March 1887 in Brixton, London and was a direct descendant of Sir William Bloet who fought with William the Conqueror.

He began studying medicine at Cambridge University where he excelled at rowing and fencing before dropping out and joining the army.

He joined the King’s Liverpool Regiment in 1907 and his Colonel described him as the best ‘subaltern’ or second lieutenant he had ever had.

In August 1914 he left for the Western Front after passing an aviation course and fought in the Battles of Mons, Le Cateau and Marne where he was killed on September 9, 1914.

Dominic Hayhoe, chief executive of Forces War Records, said: “We were uploading new information onto our database when we came across a Captain Blackadder.

“As fans of the television show, we wondered if we could find the military records of the other fictional characters’ namesakes.

“So we challenged our team of professional researchers and military experts, who are all based in the UK so are familiar with the Blackadder series, to find them, which they did.

“The only person we haven’t been able to track down so far from World War One is a General Melchett.

“But according to the military records we have, he makes an appearance in World War Two.”

Blackadder actress Patsy Byrne (Nursie (aka Bernard)) dies aged 80

Another day passes and we lose another fantastic Blackadder actor.

It has been reported that Patsy Byrne, Nursie (or Bernard) in Blackadder II and Blackadder’s Christmas Carol has passed away at the age of 80.

According to reports Byrne passed away on June 17 at Denville Hall – a retirement home for actors – in Hillingdon, London.

The actress, who was born in Ashford, Kent, notched up a string of TV and theatre roles in the early part of her acting career.

However she is best remembered for her Blackadder role – with the clueless but loyal Nursie (whose real name was actually Bernard), becoming one of the most loved characters of the 1986 series.

She was certainly one of my favourite characters of the series; with some great lines from Mr Curtis and Mr Elton.

RIP Bernard.

Here’s one of my favourite lines from Nursie.

Rik Mayall dies aged 56

It is with great sadness and a very heavy heart to report that comedian, actor and comedy legend Rik Mayall passed away today on June the 9th 2014; he was 56.

The news was announced earlier by his management team, Brunskill, who said: “We are deeply saddened to announce the death of Rik Mayall who passed away this morning.

“We will be issuing a further statement in the fullness of time.”

He died at home in London. The Metropolitan Police said the death was not believed to be suspicious.

They said they were called to reports of a sudden death of a man in his 50s at 13:19 BST on Monday, in Barnes in south west London.

London Ambulance Service said “a man, aged in his 50s, was pronounced dead at the scene”.

Best known to Blackadder fans as Flashheart in two series, Rik also portrayed the character Mad Gerald in series one and Robin Hood in Blackadder Back & Forth.

Blackadder producer John Lloyd told the BBC: “It’s really a dreadful piece of news.”

“He was the most extraordinarily good actor as well as being an amazing stand-up comics. Apart from being great company, he was a great professional,” said Lloyd

His manager Roger Davidson said: “It is a terrible shock. All we know at this stage is that Rik died at home.

“He touched many lives, and always for the better.”

He played the obnoxious, poetry-writing anarchist Rick in The Young Ones alongside his friend Adrian Edmondson. The duo later went on to star in the sitcom Bottom.

Edmondson added: “There were times when Rik and I were writing together when we almost died laughing.

They were some of the most carefree stupid days I ever had, and I feel privileged to have shared them with him.

“And now he’s died for real. Without me. Selfish bastard.”

Mayall is survived by his wife Barbara Robbins, who he married in 1985, and their three children Rosie, Sidney and Bonnie.

I’ll update the post as and when news arrives.

For now, here’s Flashy being, well Flashy!

RIP Rik – thanks for the laughs.

Baldrick “Blackadder cast won’t reunite”

In a recent interview with London’s Evening Standard newspaper, Sir Tony Robinson has given the clearest indication yet that the Blackadder gang will not be following in the footsteps of the recently reuniting Monty Python team for a new outing.

Sir Tony Robinson claimed “we don’t need the money as much as they do. We don’t have to pay for that amount of alimony or rehab so I’m not sure we have the same motivation,”

The former Time Team host was speaking after making his return to the West End stage after 16 years to star as narrator Kenneth Grahame in the Royal Opera House’s production of The Wind in the Willows at the Duchess Theatre.

source: Evening Standard.

Rowan takes the comedy proud crown

A new survey by British broadband supplier Plusnet has revealed that 44% of us Brits are most proud of Mr. Blackadder himself Rowan Atkinson (when polled against other great British comedic greats).

When asked to name the comedian they were most proud of, Rowan came out tops, followed by Python John Cleese with over a third of the votes.

Although news of Monty Python’s return after a 39 year break is music to many comedy fans’ ears, new research from home phone and broadband provider, Plusnet, reveals it is Blackadder star Rowan Atkinson who springs to mind when it comes to acts to be proud of.

Despite sell-out tours and multi million selling DVDs, big names in modern comedy do not rate as highly as their more established counterparts, with Ricky Gervais receiving just 16% of the vote, missing out on the top five by a clear 10%.

The news comes as Plusnet looks at British traits the public is most proud of, with 68% saying they take most pride in the British sense of humour. This rates significantly higher with men than women, with 42% of men saying they feel very proud of our wit compared to 32% of women.

The top five comedians Brits are most proud of are:

1. Rowan Atkinson (44%)
2. John Cleese (39%)
3. Stephen Fry (39%)
4. Billy Connelly (34%)
5. Hugh Laurie (26%)

Nick Rawlings, Commercial Director at Plusnet commented, “We know how popular streaming and downloading classic content is, and with today’s technology offering so many different ways of enjoying our favourite comedians, it is no surprise that the nation’s funny-men can divide opinion. It is interesting to see that the entertainers we’re most proud of are of a certain vintage, proving that the newest generation still have a thing or two to learn!

“Plusnet is proud to offer great value home phone and broadband packages, allowing our customers to stream their favourite comedies today, regardless of how vintage the clips may be.”

It’s A Royal Knockout – Rowan Atkinson clips

Blackadder fan Ryan Hall has done a sterling job cutting together all of Rowan’s (Lord Knock) bits from the weird royalty-does-silly-gameshow-to-make-themselves-appear-normal TV special called ‘It’s A Royal Knockout’. Although Rowan is credited as Lord Knock, he is quite clearly channeling Lord Blackadder..

Enjoy!

Cheers for the video Ryan.

Blackadder at 30: how the cunning plan worked

Source: Telegraph

‘The Black Adder’ began on June 15, 30 years ago. Despite a chaotic start, it became a hit. The rest, says Dominic Cavendish, is history.

“It was a great lesson in vanity and egotism,” says veteran producerJohn Lloyd, looking back on The Black Adder, the first series of what became simply Blackadder. June 15, 2013, brings the 30th anniversary of the first episode’s broadcast on BBC One. History, the fabric of which Blackadder draws from, however tongue-in-cheekily, has started to weave the show into its own tapestry.

And yet it’s worth remembering how narrowly Blackadder avoided being trampled underfoot in the onward march of televisual endeavour. Lloyd – one of Britain’s most successful producers of comedy on radio andtelevision, responsible for Spitting Image and QI, among much else – has previously admitted to the angst, setbacks and accidental saving graces that went into the programme’s DNA.

Yet when I catch up with him, he’s more than usually emphatic about how deficient those early episodes were: “Richard [Curtis], Rowan [Atkinson] and I had come off Not the Nine O’Clock News, which was a triumph – we’d won two Baftas for the last series,” he recalls. “We were young, we thought ‘We’re brilliant, we can do anything,’ and we bit off more than we could chew.”

In the documentary trip down memory lane conducted to mark the 25th anniversary, Blackadder Rides Again, Atkinson and Lloyd retrod their steps around Alnwick Castle, Northumberland – the location for the first series’ mock-authentic version of late-medieval history, in which Brian Blessed’s Richard, Duke of York, father to Atkinson’s Edmund (“The Black Adder”), gained the English throne at the Battle of Bosworth.

Filming was a logistical nightmare and Lloyd shudders at the memory. “I was standing there in the freezing cold, looking at the dogs and the horses, surrounded by snow, thinking ‘What on Earth have we done?’ Richard and I used to stay up all night writing the scripts. We weren’t ready.”

The big joke about The Black Adder back at Television Centre was that it was the show that looked like a million dollars – and cost a million pounds (these being the days when the pound had clout). “It took months to edit,” Lloyd says. “I think one of the actors died, we took so long to edit it. We had to do retakes the whole time.” Although a second series was commissioned – despite mixed reviews – the arrival of Michael Grade as BBC One controller in 1984 spelt the bloody axe. He took one look at the cost and the ratings (not great), and cancelled the show.

The cavalry had arrived, though, in the shape of Ben Elton – nephew, it’s worth noting, of the venerated Tudor historian GR Elton. Taking over as joint scriptwriter, his whizzo idea was to get out of the boggy, lice-ridden misery of the Middle Ages and cut a sexier, punkier dash in the Elizabethan era.

It was a decision that, at a stroke, unlocked the show’s full potential for rapier wit, silly costumes, light-of-touch satire and richly detailed characterisation built around the intricacies and hypocrisies of class and power. One frantic weekend spent lopping off anything in the scripts that would require more than a minimal budget, one concerted plea for a reprieve, and the rest is the stuff of golden memories, reissued DVDs and repeats until doomsday.

Blackadder II begat Blackadder the Third – set in the Regency period – which begat Blackadder Goes Forth, bringing things from the mire and gore of the Middle Ages to the mud and blood of the First World War trenches. Lavish location shoots had given way to a studio set-up, with the scripts all the tighter and better for it. Having started out trying to subvert the traditional sitcom, the team – the talent of which no subsequent generation has yet matched – produced comedy’s answer to a cathedral, robust and built to last.

In explaining Blackadder’s enduring power, aside from the fashion-proof nature of its historical settings, we should point to its unique combination of guile and guilelessness, of perfectionism and on-the-fly invention. In artistic terms, it’s Edmund and Baldrick rolled into one.

In a neat final twist of behind-the-scenes irony, the most hallowed moment of the series came about by accident rather than design. The haunting last scene of the final series shows Blackadder and his not so merry men – Tony Robinson’s hangdog Private Baldrick, Hugh Laurie’s asinine but suddenly anxious Lieutenant George and Tim McInnerny’s ever-twitchy Captain Darling – getting felled by machine-gun fire as they go over the top.

Time itself seems to slow to a standstill – and past laughter turns into a silent act of remembrance punctuated only by birdsong. Having begun on a parodic Shakespearean note in the very first episode – with a rewrite of Richard III, performed by Peter Cook – the magnum opus arrives at a place as poignant as anything in the Histories.

The series’s knowing send-up of a simplistic Ladybird view of English history grows organically into a humble indictment, in grim monochrome fading into the blood-red of a poppy field, of the supposedly educated few whose idiocy led to such senseless slaughter.

Those closing moments were the result of happenstance. The final take was a rushed, botched job, with no time or inclination for another go. It was only in the editing suite that the possibilities of snatching artistic victory from the jaws of a deadly shambles dawned. Having started out biting off more than they could chew, they reached the apotheosis of “less is more”.

“Suddenly we were all standing there in awe,” Lloyd remembers. “My only contribution was to say ‘We’ve touched something here. Quite by accident we’ve done something extraordinary. It would be impertinent to put credits on this. We will take them off.’” And that’s what they did.

Arise Sir…. Baldrick?

In what can only be described as the most cunning of all the cunning plans ever devised, and on today, the 30th anniversary of The Black Adder being shown on the tellybox, Blackadder star Tony Robinson has been knighted in the Queen’s recent birthday honours list. And that’s not all; in a cruel twist of irony (a bit like goldy but less err, gold), Baldrick’s long-suffering master, Blackadder (played most effectively by the British actor Rowan Atkinson) has ONLY been awarded a CBE – oh the shame of it.

Awarded in recognition of his public and political service, Sir Tony Robinson said “I’ll use my new title with abandon to highlight the causes I believe in, particularly the importance of culture, the arts and heritage in our society, and the plight of the infirm elderly and their carers,” said the former host of C4’s Time Team, which was axed last year.

“I also pledge that from this day on I’ll slaughter all unruly dragons, and rescue any damsels in distress who request my help,” he joked.

He also said that he was “thrilled, flattered and a little gob-smacked” at the recognition.”

While slightly less noble, but no less thrilling or deserved, Rowan has been awarded the CBE (Commander of the British Empire) for services to drama and charity. Of this, Rowan said the CBE came as a “genuine surprise” and a “great honour”.

Speaking exclusively to Blackadder Hall via his translator, Blackadder creator Richard (where’s MY bloody knighthood) Curtis said “Congratulations to sir Sodoff Baldrick. And commiserations to Lord Blackadder on his puzzling demotion.”

It’s all rather exciting and I offer my utmost congratulations to them both.

As Prince George would say “Huzzah!”