{"id":793,"date":"2011-10-23T12:19:53","date_gmt":"2011-10-23T11:19:53","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.blackadderhall.com\/?page_id=793"},"modified":"2011-10-23T12:19:53","modified_gmt":"2011-10-23T11:19:53","slug":"britains-best-sitcom","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/www.blackadderhall.com\/?page_id=793","title":{"rendered":"Britain&#8217;s Best Sitcom"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignright size-full wp-image-797\" title=\"kitchenadder_final\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.blackadderhall.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/10\/kitchenadder_final.jpg?resize=242%2C372&#038;ssl=1\" alt=\"\" width=\"242\" height=\"372\" \/>Back in 2004, the BBC broadcast a series that wanted to find &#8216;Britain&#8217;s Best Sitcom&#8217;. The British public voted by phone and text during 2003 to decide on what was the best sitcom. With the results in, the top 10 were produced and a celebrity advocate of a sitcom was chosen to put their case to the public to ultimately decide on what would be the greatest sitcom.<\/p>\n<p>John Sergeant states why &#8216;Blackadder&#8217; is his favourite sitcom.<\/p>\n<p><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-794\" title=\"sergeant\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.blackadderhall.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/10\/sergeant.jpg?resize=408%2C201&#038;ssl=1\" alt=\"John Sergeant\" width=\"408\" height=\"201\" \/>&#8220;The original programme was grandiose, confused and expensive, but with a newly slashed budget and Ben Elton on board, &#8216;Blackadder&#8217; became a &#8216;traditional&#8217; sitcom performed on wobbly sets in front of adoring live audiences&#8221;.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;Forget cosy middle class families, jokes about mini-cabs or sofas, &#8216;Blackadder&#8217; was comedy on a grand scale. It was big and bold and boasted the cleverest use of the English language in any sitcom&#8221;.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;Thanks to Richard Curtis (classy literate references and clever plots) and Ben Elton (energy and knob gags), the scripts were stunning to start with, but by the time Stephen Fry, Hugh Laurie, Tony Robinson and several others had made their contributions they truly sparkled&#8221;.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;Britain&#8217;s top comedy export Rowan Atkinson turned Edmund Blackadder into the ultimate anti-hero. Cynical, witty and forever scheming, he was a late 20th century man trapped in a world of ignorant idiots. His only defence, a stock of the most brilliant and bizarre put-downs ever uttered&#8221;.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;The butt of many of these was Baldrick, surely the nation&#8217;s favourite underdog. He started out quite clever but completed &#8216;a downward curve to imbecility&#8217;, famous for his hopeless &#8216;cunning plans&#8217;, pitiful poetry\u2026 and turnips&#8221;.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;It&#8217;s the best thing since sliced potato&#8221;.<\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<p>Now, for your enjoyment, you can watch the whole episode below.<\/p>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" src=\"http:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/KwgFjrfXqYc?hl=en&amp;fs=1\" frameborder=\"0\" width=\"425\" height=\"349\"><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" src=\"http:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/Gy2LtwECCtY?hl=en&amp;fs=1\" frameborder=\"0\" width=\"425\" height=\"349\"><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" src=\"http:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/iuAI_r47Mms?hl=en&amp;fs=1\" frameborder=\"0\" width=\"425\" height=\"349\"><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" src=\"http:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/a9bohHLkLFo?hl=en&amp;fs=1\" frameborder=\"0\" width=\"425\" height=\"349\"><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" width=\"425\" height=\"349\" src=\"http:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/KXVVWXzhm3c?hl=en&#038;fs=1\" frameborder=\"0\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" width=\"425\" height=\"349\" src=\"http:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/vhqenw_GHpw?hl=en&#038;fs=1\" frameborder=\"0\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<p>So, where did Blackadder come in the top ten? &#8230;. It came second with 282,106 votes, beaten by <em>Only Fools &#038; Horses<\/em> who amassed 342,246 votes.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Back in 2004, the BBC broadcast a series that wanted to find &#8216;Britain&#8217;s Best Sitcom&#8217;. The British public voted by phone and text during 2003 to decide on what was the best sitcom. With the results in, the top 10 were produced and a celebrity advocate of a sitcom was chosen to put their case [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"parent":360,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","template":"sidebar-page.php","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-793","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry","post"],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/P54TBn-cN","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":804,"url":"https:\/\/www.blackadderhall.com\/?page_id=804","url_meta":{"origin":793,"position":0},"title":"Blackadder Rides Again","author":"admin","date":"23 October 2011","format":false,"excerpt":"To mark the 25th anniversary since the first transmission of Blackadder in 1983, the iconic cast of the much-loved sitcom appeared together in a documentary for the first time. Originally broadcast on Christmas day on BBC1 in 2008, the show included an exclusive in-depth interview with Edmund Blackadder himself, Rowan\u2026","rel":"","context":"Similar post","block_context":{"text":"Similar post","link":""},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":358,"url":"https:\/\/www.blackadderhall.com\/?page_id=358","url_meta":{"origin":793,"position":1},"title":"Blackadder II &#8211; Timewarp","author":"admin","date":"14 October 2011","format":false,"excerpt":"After the first season of The Black Adder, the BBC cancelled the show. But that was not the end, and the faster, sexier, funnier - cheaper! - Black-Adder II became one of the BBC's most popular sitcoms. Andrew Pixley braves the spindly killer fish to investigate. In 1999, writer Richard\u2026","rel":"","context":"Similar post","block_context":{"text":"Similar post","link":""},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":332,"url":"https:\/\/www.blackadderhall.com\/?page_id=332","url_meta":{"origin":793,"position":2},"title":"Tony Robinson","author":"admin","date":"12 October 2011","format":false,"excerpt":"Black to the Future - Interview with Tony Robinson This article was originally published in the January edition of Skyview, the SKY TV subscribers magazine in the UK. Blackadder returns to celebrate the millennium in a new film, showing at Skyscape. Alex Hunt talks to Tony Robinson, who found fame\u2026","rel":"","context":"Similar post","block_context":{"text":"Similar post","link":""},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":594,"url":"https:\/\/www.blackadderhall.com\/?page_id=594","url_meta":{"origin":793,"position":3},"title":"The Whole Rotten Saga","author":"admin","date":"14 October 2011","format":false,"excerpt":"Exclusive to UKTV, this documentary looks back at the hilarious historical saga of Blackadder, the enduring comic creation of Rowan Atkinson and Richard Curtis now celebrating its 25th anniversary. The programme charts the behind-the-scenes story of the show, from early development to its rise as one of Britain's best loved\u2026","rel":"","context":"Similar post","block_context":{"text":"Similar post","link":""},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":355,"url":"https:\/\/www.blackadderhall.com\/?page_id=355","url_meta":{"origin":793,"position":4},"title":"Blackadder Goes Forth","author":"admin","date":"13 October 2011","format":false,"excerpt":"From the Times (London) October 22, 1989 Blackadder supreme as he reaches the final frontier PATRICK STODDARD on the end of an era for a comic invention We are gathered here today to bid a slightly premature farewell to Edmund Blackadder, who is not very much longer for this world.\u2026","rel":"","context":"Similar post","block_context":{"text":"Similar post","link":""},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":258,"url":"https:\/\/www.blackadderhall.com\/?page_id=258","url_meta":{"origin":793,"position":5},"title":"The Shakespeare Sketch","author":"admin","date":"12 October 2011","format":false,"excerpt":"Please note that this is not officially a Blackadder special; this has been confirmed by the show's creators. But I like to keep it on here as the main character (not Shakey) is very Blackaddery in nature. This sketch was performed on stage for an AIDS benefit concert directed by\u2026","rel":"","context":"Similar post","block_context":{"text":"Similar post","link":""},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]}],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.blackadderhall.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages\/793","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.blackadderhall.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.blackadderhall.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.blackadderhall.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.blackadderhall.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=793"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.blackadderhall.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages\/793\/revisions"}],"up":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.blackadderhall.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages\/360"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.blackadderhall.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=793"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}