"Money" is the fourth episode of the BBC sitcom ''

Blackadder II ''Blackadder II'' is the second series of the BBC sitcom ''Blackadder'', written by Richard Curtis and Ben Elton, which aired from 9 January 1986 to 20 February 1986. The series is set in England during the reign of Queen Elizabeth I (1558–16 ...

'', the second series of ''

Blackadder ''Blackadder'' is a series of four period British sitcoms, plus several one-off instalments, which originally aired on BBC One from 1983 to 1989. All television episodes starred Rowan Atkinson as the antihero Edmund Blackadder and Tony R ...

'', which was set in

Elizabethan England The Elizabethan era is the epoch in the Tudor period of the history of England England became inhabited more than 800,000 years ago, as the discovery of stone tools and footprints at Happisburgh in Norfolk have indicated.; "Earliest ...

from 1558 to 1603.

Plot

is visited by the baby-eating

Bishop of Bath and Wells The Bishop of Bath and Wells heads the Church of England Diocese of Bath and Wells in the Province of Canterbury in England. The present diocese covers the overwhelmingly greater part of the (ceremonial) county of Somerset and a small area of D ...

, who reminds him that he owes £1,000 to the Bank of the Black Monks. The Bishop threatens to sodomise Blackadder with a hot poker if he does not repay the money. Lord Percy offers his savings to Blackadder, but Blackadder has already long since found Percy's hiding place and spent his money, as well as Baldrick's. Blackadder has only £85 to his name, which he loses to the Queen following a bet she had about him with Melchett. Blackadder tries selling Baldrick into prostitution, but makes only a sixpence from a sailor named Arthur, which the Queen also takes. Percy then tries to produce gold using

alchemy Alchemy (from Arabic: ''al-kīmiyā''; from Ancient Greek: χυμεία, ''khumeía'') is an ancient branch of natural philosophy, a philosophical and protoscientific tradition that was historically practiced in China, India, the Muslim world ...

, but only manages to produce a mysterious green substance. Deciding to sell his house, Blackadder bullies a couple into paying him £1,100, but is again tricked out of this by the Queen. Blackadder is then visited again by the Bishop, who prepares to carry out his threat for Blackadder not paying his debts. Before he does so, the Bishop drinks some wine offered to him by Baldrick, which Blackadder has drugged, and falls unconscious. The Bishop is later woken up by Blackadder, who reveals a painting made of the Bishop in a highly-compromising position with another figure. He uses this to successfully blackmail the Bishop into writing off the debt and giving Blackadder enough money to buy back his house. The Bishop is impressed by the treachery and asks Blackadder who the other figure is, at which point Blackadder reveals Lord Percy.

Cast

Rowan Atkinson Rowan Sebastian Atkinson (born 6 January 1955) is an English actor, comedian and writer. He played the title roles on the sitcoms ''Blackadder'' (1983–1989) and '' Mr. Bean'' (1990–1995), and the film series '' Johnny English'' (2003–20 ...

as Lord Edmund Blackadder * Tim McInnerny as

Lord Percy Percy This article lists the characters in the four series and three special episodes of the British sitcom ''Blackadder''. ''Blackadder'' was notable for featuring actors playing many repeating characters across different eras of history, with Rowa ...

Tony Robinson Sir Anthony Robinson (born 15 August 1946) is an English actor, author, broadcaster, comedian, presenter, and political activist. He played Baldrick in the BBC television series ''Blackadder'' and has presented several historical documentarie ...

as Baldrick *

Miranda Richardson Miranda Jane Richardson (born 3 March 1958) is an English actress. She made her film debut playing Ruth Ellis in '' Dance with a Stranger'' (1985) and went on to receive Academy Award nominations for '' Damage'' (1992) and '' Tom & Viv'' (1994). ...

Queen Elizabeth I Elizabeth I (7 September 153324 March 1603) was Queen of England and Ireland from 17 November 1558 until her death in 1603. Elizabeth was the last of the five House of Tudor monarchs and is sometimes referred to as the "Virgin Queen". Eli ...

Stephen Fry Stephen John Fry (born 24 August 1957) is an English actor, broadcaster, comedian, director and writer. He first came to prominence in the 1980s as one half of the comic double act Fry and Laurie, alongside Hugh Laurie, with the two starrin ...

as Lord Melchett * Patsy Byrne as

Nursie This article lists the characters in the four series and three special episodes of the British sitcom ''Blackadder''. ''Blackadder'' was notable for featuring actors playing many repeating characters across different eras of history, with Rowa ...

* Ronald Lacey as the Bishop of Bath and Wells * Cassie Stuart as Molly * Lesley Nicol as Mrs. Pants * John Pierce Jones as Arthur the Sailor * Tony Aitken as the Mad Beggar *

Philip Pope Philip R. J. Pope is a British composer and actor. He is best known for role as Tony Angelino in Only Fools And Horses. He was educated at Downside School and New College, Oxford. Performer Pope appeared in the Oxford Revue in Edinburgh Festiv ...

as Leonardo Acropolis * Piers Ibbotson as the Messenger * Barry Craine as Mr. Pants

Legacy

''Bishop of Bath and Wells' Lingering torment of Blackadder''
from the Telegraph (7 Dec 2008)

References

External links

* * {{Blackadder Blackadder episodes 1986 British television episodes Television shows written by Ben Elton Cultural depictions of Elizabeth I Television shows written by Richard Curtis