In 1989, Blackadder Goes Forth culminated with a chorus of shrill whistles and an ashen-faced platoon of soldiers going over the top. As finales for comedies go, it was memorable, deeply moving and will likely never be bettered. But that hasn’t stopped Tony Robinson from dropping some heavy hints that Rowan Atkinson’s other Mr B might return to our screens. While promoting his new show Time Crashers – where celebs tackle dirty work worthy of Baldrick – Robinson implied promising discussions had taken place among the key Blackadder talent. If Edmund’s family tree did sprout again, here are five settings where the fifth Blackadder might thrive.
AD999, England
In Blackadder the Third, Edmund nurtured petty schemes while in the service of a prince, so why not party like it’s 999? Specifically, during the reign of Ethelred the Unready, who already sounds like a classic Blackadder character. Ethelred ascended to the throne in 978 after the murky assassination of his elder brother Edward, and historians suggest his wobbly rule was the result of being surrounded by dodgy advisers. A simpering 10th-century Blacke Aedder hovering at his majesty’s side would fit right in, while constant skirmishes with the Danes would open the door for casting lots of familiar Scandi-noir faces. Throw in the kingdom-wide risk of plague – a different sort of millennium bug – and this could be a particularly pungent prequel.
1969, Tennessee
Stay in the UK and you could resurrect Blackadder in the 1950s, 60s or 70s, plotting and backstabbing against a backdrop of unprecedented social upheaval. But to genuinely get all shook up, why not transplant him to the US, unexpectedly placing him in the service of a very different sort of king? By 1969, Elvis Presley was as impetuous, mercurial and puffed-up as any entitled monarch, and it would be fun to contrast Edmund’s habitual iciness with the gregarious Memphis Mafia in the extravagant kingdom of Graceland. Cast Stephen Fry as a blazing Colonel Tom Parker, deeply suspicious of the King’s new Limey advisor hired on a whim, and have dogsbody Baldrick constantly muttering “Don’t be cruel.” That sounds all right, mama.
AD500, Albion
The first, generally unloved series of The Black Adder played fast and loose with history, suggesting Richard III won the Battle of Bosworth Field. So why not steer further into the alternate timeline angle and see how Blackadder might fare in Camelot, jostling for elbow room at the mythical Round Table? Pricking the heroic egos of Lancelot and Galahad would suit Edmund’s sardonic skillset, and operating in an era of magic would stretch his self-centred ingenuity to the limit. With a cycle of King Arthur movies on the way from Guy Ritchie, a sarcastic skewering of the various legends might be just what we need.
AD60, Essex
Since Tony Robinson seems to be the driving force behind the push for a new series, why not make him the showrunner? After 20 years digging up denarius coins on Time Team, he surely knows more than most about the Roman occupation of England. So in the fine tradition of I, Claudius, Up Pompeii! and Plebs, stick Atkinson in a toga and cast him as a frustrated Roman commander far from home, tormented by the intellectual and hygienic failings of his dim-bulb Brit slave Baldrick. Set the action in the Roman settlement of Camulodunum – Colchester, so lots of scope for Towie digs – and cast Miranda Richardson as Boudicca, the fearsome Welsh warrior queen who catches Blackadderius’s eye while trying to aggressively poke it out.
2016, Washington DC
Robinson has intimated that Hugh Laurie’s inflated post-House fee might torpedo any hope of his return to Blackadder. If that is a genuine stumbling block, why not hitch the entire wagon to Laurie at his current home of HBO, where he plays craftily creditable candidate Tom James on Veep. As Tom’s political career gathers even more momentum in Veep season five, we could meet his cold-blooded English fixer and whiffy, unkempt bagman, political operators with seemingly several lifetimes of experience when it comes to coups and power plays, ready to fight dirty in Washington to keep their candidate clean. In US politics, you always need a cunning plan.
Where in history would you like to see Blackadder turn up? Let us know in the comments below.
