Blackadder

The pilot of Blackadder - then called "The Black Adder" - arose out of John Lloyd and Rowan Atkinson's idea to work on a historical sitcom, conceived while they were shooting "Not The Nine O'Clock News". They turned to two other people pivotal to that show for collaboration; director Geoff Posner and writer Richard Curtis.

Made in 1982 and never shown on television, it was successful enough to gain the series commission. In it, Baldrick was played by actor Philip Fox rather than Tony Robinson as he was thereafter, and Rowan Atkinson plays "Prince Edmund". Large chunks of the script were used for the episode "Born to be King" in Series 1, albeit with the additional writing of Ben Elton, replacing Rowan as Richard Curtis's co-writer.

Blackadder

Blackadder

Read all about Blackadder on the BBC Website here, featuring interviews with the cast and downloadable wallpaper

Click here for the Blackadder DVD...