For many people under 35, their most vivid glimpses of Britain's illustrious history have been through the Blackadder chronicles which brightened television screens from 1983 to 1989. Their constantly reborn protagonist, Edmund Blackadder, flounced through a bloody Middle Ages, a campy Elizabethan court, even camper Regency revels, and the rat-infested trenches of the Great War, armed with only his repulsive servant Baldrick, and a fine line in complex insults ("you would bore the leggings off a village idiot"; "he's got a brain the size of a weasel's wedding tackle").
Now you can brush up your Blackadder with a fine collection of the complete scripts, interspersed with useful titbits on medieval torture instruments, the menu in Mrs Miggins' coffee house, and the Prince Regent's laundry list. Bereft of their familiar faces and voices, television comedy scripts often fall flat--and Blackadder without the rubber-faced consonant-spitting of its hero Rowan Atkinson is surely unthinkable. But here the Blackadder oeuvre, penned by Richard Curtis and various collaborators, stands up wonderfully.
Curtis's bizarre, surreal take on English history takes up where 1066 and All That left off, wickedly skewering venerable historical personages, and hilariously literalising the classic clichés of textbook history (marvel again at the Puritan Whiteadders sitting on spikes so they won't enjoy their dinner). Classily produced, and with royalties going to the entertainment charity fund, Comic Relief, this is one TV tie-in well worth getting. --Alan Stewart
Customer Reviews:
Avg. Customer Rating: 5.0 / 5.0
Priceless work One of the best TV shows ever, with lines as funny as watching Celine Dion being tarred and feathered by music lovers. If you want to see how great comedy is scripted, or just want a laugh or an ideal toilet book, then buy this.
The Whole Damn Dynasty This book is a must have for any Blackadder fan. The Individuality of this classic sitcom, immortalised in this one fantastic book, including All the Episodes, and other interesting anecdotes (e.g. Baldrick's Family Tree, a page from Dr Johnson's Dictionary, and many pictures to name but a few). Buy it!
Brilliant - humour and history The annals of Edmund Blackadder's life, along with his sidekick Baldrick, are collected in one volume in this collection. Disappointingly, none of the special episodes such as the excellent Blackadder Back and Forth are included, however, the scripts which are there are still well worth a look at. In order to appreciate the book properly, I feel that a familiarity with the television version is required as it can, at times, take some effort to see the episodes translated into action. Similarly, a number... more info
Not your typical dynasty... The authors Richard Curtis and Ben Elton are well known to BBC audiences for their comedic masterwork, having been severally and individually part of the Vicar of Dibley, Mr. Bean, The Young Ones, The Man from Auntie. Rowan Atkinson, the lead actor in this series, also collaborated as writer and actor in other features such as Mr. Bean and the Thin Blue Line. John Lloyd was the producer who helped bring this series to life.
The Blackadder series, begun in the 1980s, was a comedic masterpiece set forth by... more info
