Could Blackadder Make A Comeback - Baldrick & All?
Blackadder was one of my favourite television shows growing up in the 1980s. Featuring Rowan Atkinson as Edmund Blackadder, and Tony Robinson as his sidekick Baldrick, the show also had the cream of British comedy talent providing back-up, including Stephen Fry and Hugh Laurie, now a huge success playing House in America.
Now, it could be about to make a comeback, with Tony Robinson revealing the possibility of the show returning to our screens in 2010. Before that happens though, the cast are meeting up later this year to celebrate he 25th anniversary of Blackadder II - I assume they just forgot to celebrate the first series last year…
According to Digital Spy, Baldrick told Teletext:
“We always had a fantasy of doing it again in 2010, so we’ll be having that conversation. I would love to do it and suspect Rowan Atkinson would too.”
However, it seems Atkinson may not be as keen as Robinson had hoped because it has now emerged that he is refusing to attend the reunion, which was to form the basis for Blackadder Exclusive: The Whole Rotten Saga and Blackadder’s Most Cunning Moments, two shows set to be aired on UKTV Gold.
Writers Ben Elton and Richard Curtis have already agreed to take part, along with Tony Robinson, Stephen Fry, Hugh Laurie and Miranda Richardson. But the shy and retiring Atkinson, who very rarely takes part in interviews or press, is so far not willing to appear.
A UKTV Gold source said:
“It was a shame that Rowan wouldn’t join appear on the reunion shows as all his friends were delighted to join us. But he sent his apologies. Rowan is very private, he doesn’t do interviews and he rarely makes public appearances.”
The shows, designed to celebrate the four series of the show, will feature interviews with the cast and crew, and never before seen behind the scenes footage of the programme which encompassed different periods of history before finally bowing out in the Second World War.
I would love to see Blackadder back on our screens although I do wonder what time period they could set their sights on next. Maybe they should just bring it back up to date and see what a 21st century Edmund Blackadder would be like?!
June 15th, 2008 at 9:37 am
I must correct you on a couple of things from your article. This year (today in fact) is the 25th anniversary of The Black Adder (first broadcast on 15th June 1983).
Also, the ‘reunion’ shows that you speak of have already been recorded and the cast were all filmed at different times (according to my contact at the TV production house). Rowan is an incredibly private person and really only does interviews as part of film commitments.
Finally, your biggest inaccuracy is stating that Blackadder Goes Forth was set in WWII; it was set in the trenches of WWI.
Cheers,
Mad Gerald - BlackadderHall.com