''Blackadder the Third'' is the third series of the

BBC The British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) is a British public service broadcaster headquartered at Broadcasting House in London, England. Originally established in 1922 as the British Broadcasting Company, it evolved into its current sta ...

sitcom ''

Blackadder ''Blackadder'' is a series of four Period piece, period British sitcoms - ''The Black Adder'', ''Blackadder II'', ''Blackadder the Third'' and ''Blackadder Goes Forth'' - plus several one-off instalments, which originally aired on BBC1 from 19 ...

'', written by

Richard Curtis Richard Whalley Anthony Curtis (born 8 November 1956) is a British screenwriter, producer and director. One of Britain's most successful comedy screenwriters, he is known for romantic comedy-drama films, including ''Four Weddings and a Funeral' ...

and

Ben Elton Benjamin Charles Elton is a British comedian, actor, author, playwright, lyricist and director. One of the major figures in the alternative comedy movement of the 1980s, his early stand-up style was Left-wing politics, left-wing political satire ...

, which aired on BBC1 from 17 September to 22 October 1987. The series is set during the

Georgian Era The Georgian era was a period in British history from 1714 to , named after the House of Hanover, Hanoverian kings George I of Great Britain, George I, George II of Great Britain, George II, George III and George IV. The definition of the Geor ...

, and sees the principal character, Mr. E. Blackadder, serve as butler to the

Prince Regent A prince regent or princess regent is a prince or princess who, due to their position in the line of succession, rules a monarchy as regent in the stead of a monarch, e.g., as a result of the sovereign's incapacity (minority or illness) or ab ...

and have to contend with, or cash in on, the

fad A fad, trend, or craze is any form of collective behavior that develops within a culture, a generation, or social group in which a group of people enthusiastically follow an impulse for a short time period. Fads are objects or behaviors tha ...

s of the age embraced by his master. The successor to '' Blackadder II'', the series reduced the number of principal characters again compared with the previous series, but instead included a number of significant cameo roles by well-known comic actors.Lewisohn, Mark
''Blackadder the Third''
at the former BBC Guide to Comedy. Retrieved 3 June 2007 The programme won a

BAFTA The British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA, ) is an independent trade association and charity that supports, develops, and promotes the arts of film, television and video games in the United Kingdom. In addition to its annual awa ...

award for Best Comedy Series in 1988 and received three further nominations. A fourth and final series, '' Blackadder Goes Forth'', aired in 1989.

Plot

''Blackadder the Third'' is vaguely set in the late 18th and early 19th century period known as the

Regency In a monarchy, a regent () is a person appointed to govern a state because the actual monarch is a minor, absent, incapacitated or unable to discharge their powers and duties, or the throne is vacant and a new monarch has not yet been dete ...

, although it is not possible to precisely date any episode as the historical events and persons depicted and referenced are (perhaps intentionally)

anachronistic An anachronism (from the Greek , 'against' and , 'time') is a chronological inconsistency in some arrangement, especially a juxtaposition of people, events, objects, language terms and customs from different time periods. The most common typ ...

. For example, the formal Regency (during which King George III was incapacitated due to poor mental health and his son, George, Prince of Wales, served as regent) was in place between 1811 and 1820, and the series repeatedly refers to George as "

". However, the second episode depicts

Samuel Johnson Samuel Johnson ( – 13 December 1784), often called Dr Johnson, was an English writer who made lasting contributions as a poet, playwright, essayist, moralist, literary critic, sermonist, biographer, editor, and lexicographer. The ''Oxford ...

(who died in 1784) working on his groundbreaking dictionary (which was published in 1755). Likewise, the final episode is set just before the

Battle of Trafalgar The Battle of Trafalgar was a naval engagement that took place on 21 October 1805 between the Royal Navy and a combined fleet of the French Navy, French and Spanish Navy, Spanish navies during the War of the Third Coalition. As part of Na ...

(1805), but refers to George as Prince Regent, depicts George III as suffering from mental illness, and refers to Arthur Wellesley, who was not created "Viscount Wellington" until 1809, as "Wellington". In the series, E. Blackadder Esquire ( Rowan Atkinson) is the head butler to the

Prince of Wales Prince of Wales (, ; ) is a title traditionally given to the male heir apparent to the History of the English monarchy, English, and later, the British throne. The title originated with the Welsh rulers of Kingdom of Gwynedd, Gwynedd who, from ...

( Hugh Laurie), who is a spoiled, foppish idiot. Despite Edmund's respected intelligence and abilities, he has no personal fortune to speak of. On the other hand, given the ease with which he is able to manipulate the prince, he is generally financially comfortable. According to Edmund he has been serving the Prince Regent all of his life, ever since the prince was breastfed (when he had to show the prince which part of his mother was "serving the drinks"). Baldrick ( Tony Robinson) remains similar to his '' Blackadder II'' predecessor, and although his "cunning plans" cease to be even remotely intelligent (except in the last episode), he is the most aware of political, religious and social events. As Blackadder himself is now a servant, Baldrick is labelled as Blackadder's " dogsbody". In this series, Baldrick often displays a more belligerent attitude towards his master, even referring to him once as a "lazy, big-nosed, rubber-faced bastard" or deliberately comparing his face to his Scottish cousin, MacAdder, who Blackadder openly believes to be ugly. Blackadder often affectionately calls him "Balders" (and Baldrick sometimes calls Blackadder "Mr. B."). There are three main sets: the prince's quarters, which are opulently decorated; the below-stairs kitchen hangout of Blackadder and Baldrick, which is dark and squalid (though very large and with a very high ceiling); and finally Mrs. Miggins' coffeehouse. Mrs. Miggins' pie shop was a never-seen

running gag A running gag, or running joke, is a literary device that takes the form of an amusing joke or a comical reference and appears repeatedly throughout a work of literature or other form of storytelling. Though they are similar, catchphrases are no ...

in ''Blackadder II''; a descendant of hers is now finally shown, played by Helen Atkinson-Wood. The plots feature

rotten borough A rotten or pocket borough, also known as a nomination borough or proprietorial borough, was a parliamentary borough or Electoral district, constituency in Kingdom of England, England, Kingdom of Great Britain, Great Britain, or the United Kin ...

s, Dr.

(played by

Robbie Coltrane Anthony Robert McMillan (30 March 195014 October 2022), known professionally as Robbie Coltrane, was a Scottish actor. He gained worldwide recognition in the 2000s for playing Rubeus Hagrid in the ''Harry Potter'' film series. He was appointe ...

), the French Revolution (featuring Chris Barrie as a revolutionary) and the Scarlet Pimpernel, over-the-top theatrical actors, squirrel-hating female highwaymen, the practice of settling quarrels with a

duel A duel is an arranged engagement in combat between two people with matched weapons. During the 17th and 18th centuries (and earlier), duels were mostly single combats fought with swords (the rapier and later the small sword), but beginning in ...

, and the discussion of tactics with the Duke of Wellington (played by

Stephen Fry Sir Stephen John Fry (born 24 August 1957) is an English actor, broadcaster, comedian, director, narrator and writer. He came to prominence as a member of the comic act Fry and Laurie alongside Hugh Laurie, with the two starring in ''A Bit of ...

). The last episode features Rowan Atkinson as Blackadder's Scottish cousin MacAdder, supposedly a fierce swordsman. This leads to a dialogue in which Atkinson is acting both parts. After this episode, Blackadder finds fortune and ends up permanently posing as the Prince Regent after the real prince, disguised as Blackadder, dies after being fatally shot in the chest by the Duke of Wellington.

Episodes

The series aired for six episodes broadcast on Thursdays at 9:30 pm on

BBC1 BBC One is a British free-to-air public broadcast television channel owned and operated by the BBC. It is the corporation's oldest and Flagship (broadcasting), flagship channel, and is known for broadcasting mainstream programming, which includ ...

. The titles of the episodes are always a noun paired with another, derived from an adjective beginning with the same letters, in the manner of the

Jane Austen Jane Austen ( ; 16 December 1775 – 18 July 1817) was an English novelist known primarily for #List of works, her six novels, which implicitly interpret, critique, and comment on the English landed gentry at the end of the 18th century ...

novels, ''

Sense and Sensibility ''Sense and Sensibility'' ( working title; ''Elinor and Marianne'') is the first novel by the English author Jane Austen, published in 1811. It was published anonymously: ''By A Lady'' appears on the title page where the author's name might h ...

'' and '' Pride and Prejudice''. On the first broadcast, fifth episode "Amy and Amiability" was billed in the ''

Radio Times ''Radio Times'' is a British weekly listings magazine devoted to television and radio programme schedules, with other features such as interviews, film reviews and lifestyle items. Founded in September 1923 by John Reith, then general manage ...

'' under its working title of "Cape and Capability".

Cast

* Rowan Atkinson as

Edmund Blackadder Edmund Blackadder is the single name given to a collection of fictional characters who appear in the BBC mock-historical comedy series ''Blackadder'', each played by Rowan Atkinson. Although each series is set within a different period of Britis ...

* Tony Robinson as Baldrick * Hugh Laurie as George, Prince Regent * Helen Atkinson-Wood as Mrs Miggins Although this series reduced the size of the show's cast, the programme featured guest appearances in each episode. Tim McInnerny decided not to continue playing the character of Lord Percy for fear of being typecast, although he appeared in a guest role as Lord Topper in episode three.

and Miranda Richardson, who had played major parts in '' Blackadder II'', also appeared in guest roles as the Duke of Wellington and a disguised highwayman, respectively. Fry and McInnerny would return as regular performers for the fourth series of ''Blackadder''. Other notable guest stars included Denis Lill as Sir Tolbert Buxomley MP,

as Dr. Samuel Johnson, and Hugh Paddick and Kenneth Connor as stage actors Keanrick and Mossop, respectively.

Music and titles

The opening theme is this time a

minuet A minuet (; also spelled menuet) is a social dance of French origin for two people, usually written in time. The English word was adapted from the Italian ''minuetto'' and the French ''menuet''. The term also describes the musical form tha ...

played on a

harpsichord A harpsichord is a musical instrument played by means of a musical keyboard, keyboard. Depressing a key raises its back end within the instrument, which in turn raises a mechanism with a small plectrum made from quill or plastic that plucks one ...

oboe The oboe ( ) is a type of double-reed woodwind instrument. Oboes are usually made of wood, but may also be made of synthetic materials, such as plastic, resin, or hybrid composites. The most common type of oboe, the soprano oboe pitched in C, ...

and cello over close-ups of Blackadder searching a bookcase. The credits and title appear on the books' spines, and each has a condition and script to match each character, for example Baldrick's is plain and in poor condition. Other amusing interspersed titles include ''From

Black Death The Black Death was a bubonic plague pandemic that occurred in Europe from 1346 to 1353. It was one of the list of epidemics, most fatal pandemics in human history; as many as people perished, perhaps 50% of Europe's 14th century population. ...

to Blackadder'', ''The Blackobite Rebellion of 1745'', '' The Encyclopædia Blackaddica'' and ''Landscape Gardening'' by Capability Brownadder. Hidden inside a hollow book, he finds a romance novel (complete with

cover art Cover art is a type of artwork presented as an illustration or photograph on the outside of a published product, such as a book (often on a dust jacket), magazine, newspaper ( tabloid), comic book, video game ( box art), music album ( album ar ...

) bearing the title of the particular episode. The

closing credits Closing credits, aka end credits or end titles, are a list of the cast and crew of a particular motion picture, television show, or video game. While opening credits appear at the beginning of a work, closing credits appear close to or at th ...

are presented in the style of a theatre programme from a Regency-era play, and with an

accordion Accordions (from 19th-century German language, German ', from '—"musical chord, concord of sounds") are a family of box-shaped musical instruments of the bellows-driven free reed aerophone type (producing sound as air flows past a Reed (mou ...

closing theme that samples the melody of the original theme.

Awards

The programme won a

award for Best Comedy Series in 1988. It was also nominated for three more awards; Rowan Atkinson for "Best Light Entertainment Performance", Antony Thorpe for "Best Design" and Victoria Pocock for "Best Make Up". The four series of ''

'' were voted second in the BBC's '' Britain's Best Sitcom'' in 2004.

Media releases

''Blackadder The Third'' is available on

BBC Worldwide BBC Worldwide Ltd. was the wholly owned commercial subsidiary of the BBC, formed out of a restructuring of its predecessor BBC Enterprises in January 1995. The company monetised BBC brands, selling BBC and other British programming for broadcas ...

-distributed DVD and VHS video as an individual series or as part of a boxset with the other series of ''Blackadder''. A

BBC Radio Collection AudioGO (formerly BBC Audiobooks) was a British publisher of audiobooks and a range of spoken word and large-print titles. It was majority owned by AudioGO Ltd, and minority owned by BBC Worldwide. It was formed in 2010, when AudioGO purchased ...

audio version created from the TV soundtrack is available on cassette and CD. All four seasons and the Christmas special are available on

iTunes iTunes is a media player, media library, and mobile device management (MDM) utility developed by Apple. It is used to purchase, play, download and organize digital multimedia on personal computers running the macOS and Windows operating s ...

. The complete scripts of the four television series were released in 1998 as ''Blackadder: The Whole Damn Dynasty 1485–1917'', and by Penguin Books in 2009.

VHS releases

* In February 1989, BBC Enterprises Ltd released all six episodes of ''Blackadder the Third'' on two videos. They were re-released on 7 September 1992 as a double VHS, and on 2 October 1995 as a single video.

DVD releases

LaserDisc release

''Blackadder The Third'' was released on a double

LaserDisc LaserDisc (LD) is a home video format and the first commercial optical disc storage medium. It was developed by Philips, Pioneer Corporation, Pioneer, and the movie studio MCA Inc., MCA. The format was initially marketed in the United State ...

set by Encore Entertainment in May 1997., the episodes spread over three of the four sides.

References

External links

*
''Blackadder the Third''
at the former BBC Guide to Comedy (archive)
''Blackadder the Third''
at the new BBC Comedy Guide {{Use dmy dates, date=March 2020 1980s British sitcoms 1987 British television series debuts 1987 British television series endings 1980s British black comedy television series Alternate history television series BBC black comedy television shows BBC television sitcoms Blackadder British parody television series Cultural depictions of George III Cultural depictions of George IV Cultural depictions of Arthur Wellesley, 1st Duke of Wellington Cultural depictions of William Pitt the Younger British English-language television shows Regency era Television shows set in London Television series set in the 18th century Television series set in the 19th century Television series set in the 1810s Works about Samuel Johnson