The Blackadder Podcast – Details, episodes & analysis

After four series and three specials we’ve come to the end of our Blackadder odyssey. In this podcast Gerry and Iain look back at the best the show had to offer and consider how well it stands up 30 years on.

 
Blackadder is presently available on Netflix (which rotates Seasons 1 & 2 with 3 & 4 on a regular basis) and a remastered set of the whole series is available on DVD around the world (Region 1) (Region 2).

The post The Last Podcast – Episode 28 first appeared on Blackadder Podcast.

General Hospital was the fifth episode of Blackadder Goes Forth and features a budding relationship between Blackadder and a nurse at the local hospital. In this podcast Gerry and Iain consider ways to spot a spy and – perhaps more importantly – ways not to.

This episode featured a crowd-pleasing return for a Blackadder legend as Miranda Richardson showed up and stole the show as Nurse Mary, the object of poor George’s infatuation and a satisfying foil for Edmund. Bill Wallis also appeared as a secret agent who had spent a little longer under cover than might have been good for him.

Blackadder Goes Forth was written by Ben Elton and by Richard Curtis and all six episodes were directed by Richard Boden, who made his series debut in the previous year’s Blackadder’s Christmas Carol. Once again, John Lloyd produced the series and Howard Goodall was responsible for the music, with the title track performed by The Band of the 3rd Battalion The Royal Anglian Regiment (The Pompadour) with bandmaster Tim Parkinson.

General Hospital was released in 1989. It is 30 minutes long and originally aired on the BBC. Blackadder Goes Forth is presently available on Netflix and a remastered set of the whole series is available on DVD around the world (Region 1) (Region 2).

The post General Hospital – Episode 19 first appeared on Blackadder Podcast.

Private Plane was the fourth episode of Blackadder Goes Forth and features a cunning effort to escape the front lines by signing up en masse for the Air Corps. In this podcast Gerry and Iain consider good uses of a final twenty minutes, give or take a few seconds.

Besides a brief return for Gabrielle Glaister as Bob, the audience was spoiled in this episode by appearances from both Adrian Edmondson (Baron von Richthoven) and his long-term comedy collaborator Rik Mayall, reprising his Flashheart character for a new generation.

Blackadder Goes Forth was written by Ben Elton and by Richard Curtis and all six episodes were directed by Richard Boden, who made his series debut in the previous year’s Blackadder’s Christmas Carol. Once again, John Lloyd produced the series and Howard Goodall was responsible for the music, with the title track performed by The Band of the 3rd Battalion The Royal Anglian Regiment (The Pompadour) with bandmaster Tim Parkinson.

Private Plane was released in 1989. It is 30 minutes long and originally aired on the BBC. Blackadder Goes Forth is presently available on Netflix and a remastered set of the whole series is available on DVD around the world (Region 1) (Region 2).

The post Private Plane – Episode 18 first appeared on Blackadder Podcast.

Blackadder’s Christmas Carol was a special festive episode of the show and features three of literature’s most memorable spirits combined as one and a monarch with the common touch. In this podcast Gerry and Iain consider whether Jo Rowling took significant influence from this episode when she created a popular member of her Harry Potter ensemble.

Alongside the series regulars this special featured returning guests Robbie Coltrane, Miranda Richardson, Miriam Margolyes and Jim Broadbent (who we have of course still to encounter on the podcast). The show is a twist on the classic Dickens Christmas Carol tale as Mr Blackadder – the nicest man in the world – is visited by three spectres rolled into one.

Blackadder’s Christmas Carol was written by Ben Elton and by Richard Curtis and directed by Richard Boden, his first stint in the chair ahead of Blackadder Goes Forth. Once again, John Lloyd produced the special and Howard Goodall was responsible for the music.

Blackadder’s Christmas Carol was released in 1988. It is 42 minutes long and originally aired on the BBC. Blackadder’s Christmas Carol is presently available on Netflix and a remastered set of the whole series is available on DVD around the world (Region 1) (Region 2).

The post Blackadder’s Christmas Carol – Episode 17 first appeared on Blackadder Podcast.

Major Star was the third episode of Blackadder Goes Forth and features a cabaret extravaganza and a surprising proposal of marriage. In this podcast Gerry and Iain consider the ethics of using live moustache substitutes.

Alongside the series regulars this episode featured a welcome guest appearance from Gabrielle Glaister, who of course portrayed Kate/Bob in the Blackadder II episode Bells (which we covered in Episode 1 of the podcast).

Blackadder Goes Forth was written by Ben Elton and by Richard Curtis and all six episodes were directed by Richard Boden, who made his series debut in the previous year’s Blackadder’s Christmas Carol. Once again, John Lloyd produced the series and Howard Goodall was responsible for the music, with the title track performed by The Band of the 3rd Battalion The Royal Anglian Regiment (The Pompadour) with bandmaster Tim Parkinson.

Major Star was released in 1989. It is 30 minutes long and originally aired on the BBC. Blackadder Goes Forth is presently available on Netflix and a remastered set of the whole series is available on DVD around the world (Region 1) (Region 2).

The post Major Star – Episode 16 first appeared on Blackadder Podcast.

Corporal Punishment was the second episode of Blackadder Goes Forth and features an impulsive decision that Blackadder soon comes to regret. In this podcast Gerry and Iain consider justice, beloved pets and amateur lawyering.

Alongside the series regulars this episode featured guest appearances from Jeremy Hardy as Blackadder’s jailer Corporal Perkins and Stephen Frost, Lee Cornes, Paul Mark Elliott and Jeremy Gittins as Corporal Jones and Privates Fraser, Robinson and Tipplewick respectively – Edmund’s jovial firing squad.

Blackadder Goes Forth was written by Ben Elton and by Richard Curtis and all six episodes were directed by Richard Boden, who made his series debut in the previous year’s Blackadder’s Christmas Carol. Once again, John Lloyd produced the series and Howard Goodall was responsible for the music, with the title track performed by The Band of the 3rd Battalion The Royal Anglian Regiment (The Pompadour) with bandmaster Tim Parkinson.

Corporal Punishment was released in 1989. It is 30 minutes long and originally aired on the BBC. Blackadder Goes Forth is presently available on Netflix and a remastered set of the whole series is available on DVD around the world (Region 1) (Region 2).

The post Corporal Punishment – Episode 15 first appeared on Blackadder Podcast.

Captain Cook was the first episode of Blackadder Goes Forth and features an artistic plan designed to allow Blackadder to leave the trenches of World War I’s Western Front. In this podcast Gerry and Iain consider opportunism, art and fine dining.

A new series meant a traditional cast reshuffle as Tim McInerney and Stephen Fry resumed regular participation (as Captain Darling and General Melchett respectively). Hugh Lawrie remained in a regular role, now as Lieutenant The Honourable George Colthurst St. Barleigh (George), while Rowan Atkinson and Tony Robinson reprised their usual roles as the latest incarnations of Blackadder and Baldrick.

Blackadder Goes Forth was written by Ben Elton and by Richard Curtis and all six episodes were directed by Richard Boden, who made his series debut in the previous year’s Blackadder’s Christmas Carol. Once again, John Lloyd produced the series and Howard Goodall was responsible for the music, with the title track performed by The Band of the 3rd Battalion The Royal Anglian Regiment (The Pompadour) with bandmaster Tim Parkinson.

Captain Cook was released in 1989. It is 30 minutes long and originally aired on the BBC. Blackadder Goes Forth is presently available on Netflix and a remastered set of the whole series is available on DVD around the world (Region 1) (Region 2).

The post Captain Cook – Episode 14 first appeared on Blackadder Podcast.

The Cavalier Years was a Comic Relief special aired in 1988 after the conclusion of Blackadder the Third. The special features a tense moment in history for the Cavaliers as their monarch, Charles I, faces execution. In this podcast Gerry and Iain consider honour, valour and finding original ways to enter employment.

The special featured series regulars Rowan Atkinson and Tony Robinson, along with Stephen Fry and Warren Clarke who are both well known to Blackadder fans at this stage.

Blackadder: The Cavalier Years was written by Ben Elton and by Richard Curtis and directed by Mandie Fletcher. John Lloyd produced the special and Howard Goodall was again responsible for the music.

The Cavalier Years was released in 1987. It is 15 minutes long and originally aired on the BBC. Blackadder: The Cavalier Years is sadly not available on Netflix, but a remastered set of the whole series is available on DVD around the world (Region 1) (Region 2).

The post Blackadder: The Cavalier Years – Episode 13 first appeared on Blackadder Podcast.

Duel and Duality was the final episode of Blackadder the Third and features a dramatic showdown when the Duke of Wellington discovers George has been getting a little too friendly with his nieces. In this podcast Gerry and Iain consider family honour and the consequences of role-reversal.

In the penultimate episode of Blackadder the Third there was only one major guest – the returning Stephen Fry as the Duke of Wellington. Gertan Klauber made a brief cameo as King George III, the Prince Regent’s father, towards the end of the episode.

Blackadder the Third was written by Ben Elton and by Richard Curtis and all six episodes were directed by the returning Mandie Fletcher. Once again, John Lloyd produced the series and Howard Goodall was responsible for the music.

Duel and Duality was released in 1987. It is 30 minutes long and originally aired on the BBC. Blackadder the Third is sadly not available on Netflix, but a remastered set of the whole series is available on DVD around the world (Region 1) (Region 2).

The post Duel and Duality – Episode 12 first appeared on Blackadder Podcast.

Amy and Amiability was the fifth episode of Blackadder the Third and features a prospect of romance for the lovelorn Prince Regent. In this podcast Gerry and Iain consider the pitfalls of falling in love with a highwayman.

In the penultimate episode of Blackadder the Third there were again two principal guests – the effervescent Miranda Richardson as Amy Hardwood and Warren Clarke as her father. Roger Avon and Barbara Horne appeared briefly as the Duke of Cheapside and his amorous daughter.

Blackadder the Third was written by the said Ben Elton and by Richard Curtis and all six episodes were directed by the returning Mandie Fletcher. Once again, John Lloyd produced the series and Howard Goodall was responsible for the music.

Amy and Amiability was released in 1987. It is 30 minutes long and originally aired on the BBC. Blackadder the Third is sadly not available on Netflix, but a remastered set of the whole series is available on DVD around the world (Region 1) (Region 2).

The post Amy and Amiability – Episode 11 first appeared on Blackadder Podcast.