Blackadder II
Blackadder II is the second series of the BBC sitcom Blackadder, a historical comedy programme that aired on BBC One from 9 January to 20 February 1986, consisting of six episodes.[1] Set in Elizabethan England, the series centres on the scheming Lord Edmund Blackadder, great-great-grandson of the original Black Adder, who serves in the court of a capricious Queen Elizabeth I while pursuing personal gain through cunning plots and verbal wit.[2] Accompanied by his dim-witted servant Baldrick and the naive Lord Percy Percy, Blackadder navigates dangers from puritanical relatives, financial woes, and royal whimsy across episodes titled "Bells", "Head", "Potato", "Money", "Beer", and "Chains".[3] Written by Richard Curtis and Ben Elton, the series marked a significant improvement over the first season's mixed reception, adopting a single historical era and studio-based production to enhance its satirical edge and character dynamics.[4] Directed by Mandie Fletcher and produced by John Lloyd, it features a core cast including Rowan Atkinson as Blackadder, Tony Robinson as Baldrick, Miranda Richardson as the Queen, Tim McInnerny as Percy, and Stephen Fry as Lord Melchett, with notable guest appearances by Hugh Laurie, Rik Mayall, and Miriam Margolyes.[2] The programme's sharp dialogue and anachronistic humour earned critical acclaim, contributing to the franchise's enduring popularity, with the full Blackadder series later ranked second in a 2004 BBC poll of Britain's best sitcoms.[5] It also received a 1988 CableACE Award for Comedy Series.[5]Overview
Premise
Blackadder II is the second installment in the Blackadder series of historical sitcoms, transporting the narrative from the medieval setting of the first series, The Black Adder, which was placed in 1485 during the fictional reign of Richard IV following the Wars of the Roses, to the Renaissance era of Elizabethan England (1558–1603).[6] The series satirizes the Tudor court's social hierarchies, political intrigue, and historical events through a lens of anachronistic humor and exaggerated character archetypes.[2] At the heart of the premise is Lord Edmund Blackadder, the bastard great-great-grandson of the original Black Adder, reimagined as a sharp-witted, greedy, and cowardly anti-hero serving in Queen Elizabeth I's court.[2] As a Tudor courtier, Blackadder employs cunning schemes and verbal dexterity to curry favor with the volatile monarch—affectionately dubbed "Queenie"—while striving to avoid execution or banishment for perceived slights.[7] Blackadder's ambitions are frequently thwarted by the incompetence of his companions: his dim-witted manservant Baldrick, whose "cunning plans" are notoriously inept, and the foppish Lord Percy Percy, whose naivety amplifies mishaps.[8] Compounding these challenges is his rivalry with the obsequious Lord Melchett, the Queen's chief advisor, whose sycophancy secures his position but fuels Blackadder's manipulative countermeasures.[8] This core dynamic underscores the series' framework of backfiring plots, highlighting themes of survival through intellect in a treacherous historical milieu.[7]Themes and style
Blackadder II employs satire to portray Elizabethan history, focusing on court intrigue and the absurdities of royal power dynamics, including mockery of Puritanism and exploratory ventures associated with figures like Walter Raleigh.[2] The series highlights themes of class disparity and ambition within the Tudor court, where the protagonist's schemes underscore the folly and incompetence of the nobility. Blackadder's pervasive cynicism serves as a counterpoint to the era's often romanticized depictions of grandeur and heroism, emphasizing survival through manipulation rather than chivalric ideals.[2] Stylistically, the series blends verbal wit with physical comedy, featuring sharp one-liners, exaggerated character behaviors, and situational farce to drive the humor.[2] Anachronistic language infuses the dialogue, enabling modern ironic commentary on historical pretensions and enhancing the satirical edge. Recurring motifs, such as Blackadder's cutting insults and Baldrick's ill-conceived "cunning plans," provide structural consistency, amplifying the verbal irony central to the comedy.[2] This approach marks an evolution from the first series, adopting a faster pace and tighter integration of slapstick with linguistic acrobatics under co-writer Ben Elton's influence.[4]Cast and characters
Main cast
Rowan Atkinson portrays Lord Edmund Blackadder, the scheming and sarcastic courtier serving under Queen Elizabeth I, whose sharp wit and survival instincts drive him to navigate treacherous Tudor politics through elaborate deceptions and self-preservation tactics.[9] Atkinson's performance emphasizes Blackadder's egotistical and ruthless nature, blending cowardice with cunning to outmaneuver rivals while avoiding execution.[2] Tony Robinson plays Baldrick, Blackadder's dim-witted and filthy servant whose "cunning plans" are notoriously flawed and simplistic, often revolving around turnips or other absurd schemes.[2] In Blackadder II, Baldrick evolves from the relatively sharper character in the first series into a progressively more idiotic foil, amplifying the contrast with Blackadder's intelligence and heightening comedic exasperation.[10] Robinson's portrayal highlights Baldrick's outsider status and unwavering loyalty despite his intellectual decline across the series.[11] Tim McInnerny stars as Lord Percy Percy, Blackadder's naive and aristocratic companion, characterized by his wide-eyed enthusiasm for pseudosciences like alchemy, where his experiments famously yield disastrous results such as "green" instead of gold.[2] Percy's bumbling loyalty and social awkwardness make him an unwitting accomplice in Blackadder's plots, often exacerbating situations through his obliviousness.[12] Stephen Fry embodies Lord Melchett, the volatile and bombastic Lord Chamberlain who serves as a key advisor to the Queen and a frequent antagonist to Blackadder, employing exaggerated physical gestures and a booming, modulated voice to convey his unpredictable temperament.[2] Fry's performance underscores Melchett's rivalry for royal favor, marked by sudden mood swings and a penchant for dramatic outbursts like his signature "baah!" exclamations.[13] Miranda Richardson depicts Queen Elizabeth I as a petulant and capricious monarch, whose childish whims and explosive temper blend historical exaggeration with comedic volatility, demanding constant entertainment while wielding absolute power to execute at will.[14] Richardson balances the Queen's historical stature with over-the-top histrionics, portraying her as an overgrown adolescent who parties, plays games, and shifts from affection to rage unpredictably.[2] Patsy Byrne appears as Nursie, the Queen's eccentric and doting attendant, whose repetitive, rambling dialogue often embarrasses Elizabeth by recounting embarrassing childhood anecdotes or nonsensical ramblings.[2] Byrne's portrayal captures Nursie's affectionate yet oblivious nature through childlike exclamations and malapropisms, such as mistaking names or events in her stories, adding warmth and absurdity to the court dynamic.Recurring and guest characters
In Blackadder II, recurring characters beyond the core ensemble provide pivotal support through episodic appearances that amplify the series' satirical edge. Hugh Laurie appears in two episodes, first as the boisterous, inebriated nobleman Simon Partridge in "Beer," where his over-the-top antics contribute to the chaos of a night of revelry, and later as the cunning Prince Ludwig the Indestructible in "Chains," a master of disguise whose machinations underscore themes of treachery and deception within the Tudor court.[15][16] These dual roles showcase Laurie's versatility in portraying exaggerated aristocratic foils that interact dynamically with Lord Blackadder's schemes, enhancing the humor through physical comedy and verbal sparring.[17][18] Guest appearances in the series often feature prominent British actors in one-off roles that satirize historical or archetypal figures, injecting absurdity into the Elizabethan setting. Tom Baker delivers a memorable performance as Captain Redbeard Rum in "Potato," portraying a deranged seafarer whose tall tales and erratic behavior propel the episode's mockery of exploration and agricultural innovation, such as the introduction of the potato to England.[19] His eccentric delivery, marked by booming monologues and physical exaggeration, heightens the satirical commentary on colonial ambition and pseudoscience.[20] Similarly, in "Bells," John Grillo plays Dr. Leech, a quack physician whose dubious medical practices involving leeches fuel the episode's farcical exploration of identity and gender disguise, adding layers of grotesque humor to Blackadder's predicaments.[21] Grillo's portrayal emphasizes the era's pseudomedical follies, interacting with the main cast to drive the body-related comedy without resolving into realism.[22] Other notable guests further exemplify the series' approach to episodic uniqueness, blending historical parody with character-driven wit. Rik Mayall's explosive turn as the bombastic Lord Flashheart in "Bells" injects high-energy bravado that disrupts the court's decorum, serving as a hyperbolic contrast to the scheming protagonists.[21] In "Money," Ronald Lacey appears as the lecherous and tyrannical Bishop of Bath and Wells, whose corrupt ecclesiastical authority satirizes religious hypocrisy and financial intrigue.[23] These roles, along with others like Simon Jones as the opportunistic explorer Sir Walter Raleigh in "Potato," highlight a casting pattern where real or invented historical figures are reimagined through comedic exaggeration, often portraying them as flawed, self-serving opportunists to critique power structures.[20][24] This strategy allows guest characters to briefly but impactfully collide with the main ensemble, amplifying the show's blend of anachronistic wit and Tudor-era lampoonery.Episodes
Episode list
Blackadder II comprises six episodes, each running approximately 30 minutes, all directed by Mandie Fletcher and written by Ben Elton and Richard Curtis. The series originally aired weekly on Thursdays at 9:30 pm on BBC One, beginning on 9 January 1986 and concluding on 20 February 1986.| No. | Title | Directed by | Written by | Original air date | Runtime |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Bells | Mandie Fletcher | Ben Elton & Richard Curtis | 9 January 1986 | 30 min [25] [21] |
| 2 | Head | Mandie Fletcher | Ben Elton & Richard Curtis | 16 January 1986 | 30 min [26] [27] [28] |
| 3 | Potato | Mandie Fletcher | Ben Elton & Richard Curtis | 23 January 1986 | 30 min [29] |
| 4 | Money | Mandie Fletcher | Ben Elton & Richard Curtis | 6 February 1986 | 30 min [30] [23] [24] |
| 5 | Beer | Mandie Fletcher | Ben Elton & Richard Curtis | 13 February 1986 | 30 min [31] |
| 6 | Chains | Mandie Fletcher | Ben Elton & Richard Curtis | 20 February 1986 | 30 min [32] [16] |