Talk:Blackadder

Improving this article
Given its popularity, it's something of a disappointment that the main Blackadder page is such a mess at present. I'm therefore proposing to start sorting this out in the next few days. However, because it'll be quite a big task (I suspect almost a complete rewrite), I was wondering if anybody else is willing to help out?

The main point that need addressing is the almost complete lack of any background information about the series - production details, series origins, etc. At the moment, the article is almost entirely comprised of lists of character connections and trivia. As a result, don't be alarmed if large chunks of text suddenly disappear, they may be being refactored into another article or compiled in a separate section. Bob talk 22:08, 14 July 2010 (UTC)

I am a massive fan of the Blackadder series, so will post whatever I find.. Retrochild1979 (talk) 00:09, 9 June 2011 (UTC)

Name
I read somewhere that a BBC manager surnamed Blackadder was difficult in some way, and the series was named after him as a tease. There is or was a Clan Blackadder in Scotland, but it seems to be a rare name. Something on the choice of name should be included.86.42.195.95 (talk) 12:37, 14 October 2010 (UTC)
 * I think I've heard this story before, but I'm disinclined to believe this, as the original character name wasn't the surname "Blackadder" but a self-styled ephitet "The Black Adder". Bob talk 16:28, 14 October 2010 (UTC)

Your claim does not mean "The Black Adder" did not come from either of the Blackadders the person who started this section mentioned. (Anonymous) —Preceding unsigned comment added by 124.180.205.145 (talk) 06:30, 23 December 2010 (UTC)

Ben Elton has denied that Blackadder was named after this person, who was actually a doctor at the BBC (Blackadder Rides Again: documentary). This documentary interviews Richard Curtis in which he explains how the character/series got it's name. — Preceding unsigned comment added by Retrochild1979 (talk • contribs) 00:07, 9 June 2011 (UTC)

What did Richard Curtis claim was the origin of the name? It seems far more likely that it was simply lifted from Arthur Griffiths' detective novel The Passenger from Calais which features a Lord Blackadder (http://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/16339/pg16339.txt) 77.234.88.22 (talk) 21:42, 21 March 2012 (UTC)

My point being, namely, that the above novelette is jampacked with bungling nincompoops. 'Inspiration enuf, milud, crammed within its pages. 92.249.209.25 (talk) 21:32, 23 March 2012 (UTC)

Rowan Atkinson spent some time at the Queen's College, Oxford and at that time there were two Blackadders associated with the College and Rowan would have known at least one. Mr Blackadder was the Senior Common Room servant, who served them at the High Table in the evening, and his wife ran a residential hostel for students. I understand that he denies taking the name from them. --Bduke (talk) 02:56, 23 March 2022 (UTC)

1775 + Chelmsford 123
Having seen the US pilot "1775", I can honestly say it doesn't really resemble Blackadder all that much. I have therefore removed the one reference (in the chronological overview). There are similarities so I thought it best to simply included it under the header "Shows inspired by Blackadder" because that is what it is. I added Chelmsford 123 to that list because that is just as close to Blackadder as 1775 is. Spiny Norman (talk) 11:49, 18 November 2010 (UTC)

Writers
I've made a small edit in the first section - the boxset I have credits the writers of series 1 and 4 as Curtis & Atkinson, and series 2 and 3 as Curtis and Elton. F_DL 20:18, 26 November 2010 —Preceding unsigned comment added by Freaky dragonlady (talk • contribs)

Specials and sources
There is some unclearness about the lesser known specials, i.e. the ones that aren't included on any DVD. I have my doubts if 'Royal Gardner' and 'Jubilee girl' are 2 different sketches, as I only ever found the former despite years of searching for the unreleased stuff. But 'Children in Need (with Terry Wogan)' is a real sketch (and not the same as Cavalier Years, Narnette). It's never been released, but it can be found on youtube AND is mentioned in J.F. Roberts' book (as am I), therefore it exists. According to the wiki guidelines that means it should NOT be deleted, although it COULD do with a reference. But then for good measure references ought to be added for all of the specials. Within such a small list of items, it would be inconsistent to take any action for 1 item and not the others. Spiny Norman (talk) 00:08, 12 December 2012 (UTC)
 * If it is mentioned in Mr Roberts book than it should take all of a minute to cite it properly. The WP:BURDEN is on you to properly cite anything that you wish to add and WP:OTHERSTUFFEXISTS is not an excuse for not properly citing your entry. A "cn" tag will be added and if you cannot provide a proper ref the mention can be removed afterwords. MarnetteD | Talk 01:11, 12 December 2012 (UTC)
 * But I do not wish to add anything, you deleted it citing the wrong reason, and now you seem reluctant to let go of this one item of many. But 'other stuff exists' is about articles, not single items inside a list inside an article. It doesn't work on that micro level because we must also attempt some consistency. In other words, we should apply the same standard to (at the very least) the list instead of picking on 1 of its items rather randomly. Imagine if I went back and added 'CN' at every item or statement I could find. Technically I would be correct to do so, but the article would become unsupportable, unreadable, and I could easily mark a lot of valid information for deletion that way. Deletion isn't your only option, WP:Don't demolish the house while it's still being built, you can add the reference too, after all, you think it needs editing. — Preceding unsigned comment added by Spiny Norman (talk • contribs) 08:38, 12 December 2012 (UTC)
 * For the sake of consistency I've added references for all the additional appearances that aren't apparent. I still doubt if that list was the place to do that, after all, the 'BA episodes' page deals with the specials too. It's also slightly disappointing to see a regular, and apparently otherwise appreciated, user focus on deleting and accusing. (Ironically, some time ago on this same page when I tried to delete "1775" the exact opposite happened, and a regular user demanded proof it did NOT belong...) Spiny Norman (talk) 19:04, 12 December 2012 (UTC)

Hoax "Blackadder Returns" announcement
Just putting this here by way of pre-emption: a Twitter account purporting to be Rowan Atkinson has been announcing a new Blackadder show for February 2013. It's been retweeted heavily, but the account is NOT verified as Rowan Atkinson and it's been reported elsewhere as a fake: http://tellyspotting.org/2012/08/06/fyi-rowan-atkinson-is-not-on-twitter/ so WP:RS should be applied to any attempt to add that claim here. --GenericBob (talk) 01:27, 23 December 2012 (UTC)

Created by
Should Ben Elton be listed here? He did help 'create' three of the four series, right? WinderA (talk) 19:21, 7 March 2014 (UTC)
 * Good point, it would perhaps be better if the "created by" thing went and was replaced by "written by", since John Lloyd was pretty instrumental in the whole thing as well. Bob talk 20:56, 7 March 2014 (UTC)

External links modified
Hello fellow Wikipedians,

I have just added archive links to 3 one external links on Blackadder. Please take a moment to review my edit. If necessary, add after the link to keep me from modifying it. Alternatively, you can add to keep me off the page altogether. I made the following changes:
 * Added archive https://web.archive.org/20110927024255/http://www.blackadderhall.com/library/richard_interview.html to http://www.blackadderhall.com/library/richard_interview.html
 * Added archive https://web.archive.org/20120212201250/http://www.alnwickcastle.com/television.php to http://www.alnwickcastle.com/television.php
 * Added archive https://web.archive.org/20110927024303/http://www.blackadderhall.com/library/skyview.html to http://www.blackadderhall.com/library/skyview.html

When you have finished reviewing my changes, please set the checked parameter below to true to let others know.

Cheers. —cyberbot II  Talk to my owner :Online 16:03, 25 August 2015 (UTC)

'Podcast' section
Having a Podcast section in the article, especially under the 'Future' section, makes it appear as if it's an official podcast continuing Blackadder. But the podcast doesn't appear to have anything to do with BBC or the series creators. It might be useful info to include elsewhere in the article, under "In popular culture" or "Legacy" or "Fan work", but it doesn't belong where it is currently, and possibly doesn't belong in the article at all.

SundaraRaman (talk) 10:42, 7 November 2017 (UTC)


 * Good catch . Please feel free to move the podcast item as you see fit. Thanks for your post. MarnetteD&#124;Talk 15:32, 7 November 2017 (UTC)

Jem Roberts
Jem Roberts wrote a book on Blackadder.

Have we referenced him throughout?

--StellaMuzak — Preceding unsigned comment added by StellarMuzak (talk • contribs) 14:39, 28 April 2019 (UTC)

Date of regency
This article says that "Black Adder the Third" was set in the late eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries and then says this was a period known as "the regency". My understanding is that the Regency was between 1811 and 1820, and so was only in the nineteenth century. Vorbee (talk) 17:17, 10 June 2019 (UTC)
 * From Regency era: The term Regency (or Regency era) can refer to various stretches of time; some are longer than the decade of the formal Regency which lasted from 1811 to 1820. The period from 1795 to 1837, which includes the latter part of the reign of George III and the reigns of his sons George IV and William IV, is sometimes regarded as the Regency era, characterised by distinctive trends in British architecture, literature, fashions, politics, and culture. It ended in 1837 when Queen Victoria succeeded William IV. DonQuixote (talk) 17:41, 10 June 2019 (UTC)
 * The Black Adder (Season 1) gives a specific year for each of its episodes, even though it is an alternate history series. Blackadder the Third (Season 3) does not, and it uses anachronisms much more often.


 * Dish and Dishonesty depicts the then-recently appointed Prime Minister William Pitt the Younger, who Blackadder keeps insulting about his age. And the plot in part depends on an impending war with Napoleon. The historical Pitt did become the youngest Prime Minister in British history (only 24-years-old), but he was appointed in 1783. Napoleon did not rise to power until the Coup of 18 Brumaire (1799).
 * In Ink and Incapability, Blackadder is somehow meeting with Samuel Johnson (d. 1784), Samuel Taylor Coleridge (b. 1772), Lord Byron (b. 1788), and Percy Bysshe Shelley (b. 1792). Johnson died decades before the regency proper, and he was not a contemporary with either Byron or Shelley.
 * Nob and Nobility in part depicts the French Revolution in its Reign of Terror phase (1793-1794). And the plot involves Blackadder assassinating The Scarlet Pimpernel.
 * Amy and Amiability concerns the Prince Regent seeking a wife, because he desperately needs a dowry. And Caroline of Brunswick is mentioned as a prospective bride. George IV and Caroline married each other in 1795, years before he became a regent.
 * Duel and Duality depicts Arthur Wellesley, 1st Duke of Wellington taking a leave from the Peninsular War (1808-1814) to pursue a revenge scheme against the Prince Regent. Yet, Horatio Nelson, 1st Viscount Nelson (d. 1805) is still alive, and Blackadder is depicted orchestrating the British victory at the Battle of Trafalgar (1805). And a subplot in the same episode concerns information on portraits, gained by an apparently still living Thomas Gainsborough (d. 1788). Dimadick (talk) 19:31, 10 June 2019 (UTC)

Statement on the Lost Pilot show that the main actors had fallen out
As one explanation of why no new series. I can’t find a source. Doug Weller talk 20:33, 16 June 2023 (UTC)

added a cite but it's from the Daily Mail
the quote from Stephen Fry "perhaps it's best to leave these things..." really does seem to be from The Daily Mail. I felt dirty inserting it but that seems to be the original source. Someone more involved than I can decide whether to take the whole quote out or leave it in, icky origins and all. Thanks AthenaBear (talk) 19:59, 9 February 2024 (UTC)