Blackadder Exclusive: The Whole Rotten Saga

As Blackadder: The Whole Rotten Saga will remind you, for over 400 years the house of Blackadder has ridden pillion with some of history’s greatest names. Throughout the centuries, Edmund Blackadder was often the power behind the throne, and the driving force during times of turmoil, but his positions of power were gained for one thing and one thing only – for his own greater wealth and personal standing. Travelling with him through the times was his trusty sidekick, Baldrick, and a small army of familiar, recurring characters – Melchett, George, Percy, Darling and even Lord Flashheart, to name but five. Thanks to these adventures, Blackadder became one of British comedy’s best-loved and most-quoted characters.

Blackadder: The Whole Rotten Saga tells the story of how Edmund Blackadder came into being, how the character changed over the four series, how the stellar cast was assembled, and the real inspirations behind Baldrick’s cunning plans. The show gathers together the cast and crew to provide a complete picture of the origins and evolution of the Blackadder dynasty. It even has a brand-new Blackadder theme tune, composed by the series’ original theme tune writer. How's that for an extra treat for Edmund fans?

Those sharing their Blackadder knowledge include writer and creator Richard Curtis, writer Ben Elton, Stephen Fry, Hugh Laurie, Tony ‘Baldrick’ Robinson, Tim McInnerny, Miranda Richardson, Miriam Margolyes, Patsy Byrne, Brian Blessed, producers John Lloyd and Howard Goodall, and directors Mandie Fletcher and Richard Boden. Never before has such a comprehensive re-telling of the Blackadder story been assembled, and you'd be thicker than a whale omelette not to enjoy their revelations and reminiscences.

Like many of the greatest sitcoms, Blackadder had a rocky start. The first series, shot on location with a big fat budget, was such an epic endeavour that the BBC were reluctant to allow a second run to be made. The budget was eventually slashed, more conventional sitcom-style sets created, and what resulted was the very different Blackadder II. Years before the phrase was invented, this was a virtual "reboot", transforming Edmund from a snivelling, clumsy coward into a suave schemer doomed to putting up with the idiocies of everyone around him. Baldrick had a rather less auspicious metamorphosis, unfortunately, going from wise sidekick to someone, in Blackadder's words, with "the mental agility of a rabbit dropping".

And so it came to pass that Blackadder was clutched to the heaving bosom of a grateful nation as one of the very finest sitcoms of the 80s (despite stiff competition from Terry and June). Blackadder the Third was another triumph, plunging us into the court of the idiotic Prince Regent (played with foppish brilliance by Hugh Laurie, back before he grew stubble and went all dark and serious for House).

And then of course there was Blackadder Goes Forth, arguably the greatest part of the Whole Rotten Saga, which plonked our long-suffering hero in the mire of World War One and gave us the most poignant and darkly hilarious wartime satire since Catch-22. Although there was one thing more horrific than no man's land, and that was Baldrick's coffee.

Add to that the one-off specials, Blackadder's Christmas Carol and Blackadder Back & Forth, and you have the greatest historical epic ever to be committed to our television screens. Who needs Schama and Starkey when you've got the Whole Rotten Saga?