Blackadder the Third
Hugh Laurie and Rowan Atkinson in Blackadder the Third
Genre	Situation comedy
Created by	Richard Curtis & Ben Elton
Starring	Rowan Atkinson Tony Robinson Hugh Laurie Helen Atkinson-Wood
Theme music composer	Howard Goodall
Country of origin	United Kingdom
Language(s)	English
No. of episodes	6
Production
Producer(s)	John Lloyd
Running time	30 minutes
Broadcast
Original channel	BBC One
Picture format	4:3
Original run	17 September 1987 – 22 October 1987
Chronology
Preceded by	Blackadder II
Followed by	Blackadder Goes Forth
External links
Official website

Blackadder the Third was the third series of the BBC situation comedy Blackadder, written by Richard Curtis and Ben Elton, which aired from 17 September 1987 to 22 October 1987. Image File history File links Blackadder_III_-_Dish_and_Dishonesty. ... James Hugh Calum Laurie, OBE (born 11 June 1959) is an English actor, comedian and writer known as Hugh Laurie. ... Rowan Sebastian Atkinson (born 6 January 1955) is an English comedian, actor and writer, famous for his title roles in the British television comedies Blackadder and Mr. ... This article or section seems to contain too many examples (or of a poor quality) for an encyclopedia entry. ... Richard Curtis in London, 1999 Richard Curtis CBE, (born 8 November 1956), is a New Zealand-born British screenwriter, best known for the TV programmes Blackadder and The Vicar of Dibley as well as movies such as Four Weddings and a Funeral, Notting Hill, and Love Actually. ... Benjamin Charles Elton (born 3 May 1959) is an English comedian, writer and director. ... Rowan Sebastian Atkinson (born 6 January 1955) is an English comedian, actor and writer, famous for his title roles in the British television comedies Blackadder and Mr. ... Tony Robinson (born August 15, 1946) is an English actor, broadcaster and political campaigner, known for playing the part of Baldrick in the BBC TV series Blackadder and for hosting a number of shows on Channel 4, the most noteworthy being Time Team. ... James Hugh Calum Laurie, OBE (born 11 June 1959) is an English actor, comedian and writer known as Hugh Laurie. ... Helen Atkinson-Wood (born 14 March 1955 in Cheadle Hulme) is an English actress and comedian. ... Howard Goodall Howard Goodall (born 1958 in Bromley, South London) is a British composer of musicals, choral music and music for television. ... The English language is a West Germanic language that originates in England. ... This is an episode list of the British sitcom Blackadder. ... John Lloyd (born 1951 in Dover, England; birth name: John Hardress Wilfred Lloyd), British comedy writer and producer. ... BBC One is the primary television channel of the BBC, and the first in the United Kingdom. ... September 17 is the 260th day of the year (261st in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1987 (MCMLXXXVII) was a common year starting on Thursday (link displays 1987 Gregorian calendar). ... is the 295th day of the year (296th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1987 (MCMLXXXVII) was a common year starting on Thursday (link displays 1987 Gregorian calendar). ... Blackadder II was the second series of the BBC situation comedy Blackadder, written by Richard Curtis and Ben Elton, which aired from 9 January 1986 to 20 February 1986. ... Blackadder Goes Forth was the fourth and final series of the BBC situation comedy Blackadder, written by Richard Curtis and Ben Elton, which aired from 28 September to 2 November 1989. ... The British Broadcasting Corporation, which is usually known as the BBC, is the largest broadcasting corporation in the world in terms of audience numbers, employing 26,000 staff in the United Kingdom alone and with a budget of more than GB£4 billion. ... This article or section seems to contain too many examples (or of a poor quality) for an encyclopedia entry. ... Blackadder is the generic name that encompasses four series of an acclaimed BBC One historical sitcom, along with several one-off installments. ... Richard Curtis in London, 1999 Richard Curtis CBE, (born 8 November 1956), is a New Zealand-born British screenwriter, best known for the TV programmes Blackadder and The Vicar of Dibley as well as movies such as Four Weddings and a Funeral, Notting Hill, and Love Actually. ... Benjamin Charles Elton (born 3 May 1959) is an English comedian, writer and director. ... September 17 is the 260th day of the year (261st in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1987 (MCMLXXXVII) was a common year starting on Thursday (link displays 1987 Gregorian calendar). ... is the 295th day of the year (296th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1987 (MCMLXXXVII) was a common year starting on Thursday (link displays 1987 Gregorian calendar). ...

The series was set during the English Regency, and saw the principal character, Mr. E. Blackadder as butler to the Prince Regent and having to contend with, or cash in on, the fads of the age embraced by his master. The English Regency, or simply the Regency, is a name given to the period from 1811 to 1820 in the history of England. ... Edmund Blackadder esq. ... George IV (George Augustus Frederick) (12 August 1762 – 26 June 1830) was king of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland and Hanover from 29 January 1820 until his death. ... In biochemistry, flavin adenine dinucleotide (FAD) is the precursor molecule to FADH2. ...

The third series reduced the number of principal characters again compared to the previous series, but instead included a number of significant cameo roles by well-known comic actors.^[1] Since its first use in 1851, a cameo role or cameo appearance has been a brief appearance in a play (or later, a movie) that stands out against the general context for its éclat or dramatic punch. ...

Plot

Blackadder the Third is set in the late 18th and early 19th centuries, a period known as the Regency. For much of this time, King George III was incapacitated due to poor mental health, and his son George, the Prince of Wales, acted as regent. From 1811 until his father's death in 1820, he was known as "the Prince Regent". (17th century - 18th century - 19th century - more centuries) As a means of recording the passage of time, the 18th century refers to the century that lasted from 1701 through 1800. ... Alternative meaning: Nineteenth Century (periodical) (18th century — 19th century — 20th century — more centuries) As a means of recording the passage of time, the 19th century was that century which lasted from 1801-1900 in the sense of the Gregorian calendar. ... The English Regency, or simply the Regency, is a name given to the period from 1811 to 1820 in the history of England. ... George III (George William Frederick; 4 June 1738 – 29 January 1820) was King of Great Britain and King of Ireland from 25 October 1760 until 1 January 1801, and thereafter of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland until his death. ... Regent, from the Latin, a person selected to administer a state because the ruler is a minor or is not present or debilitated. ... George IV (George Augustus Frederick) (12 August 1762 – 26 June 1830) was king of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland and Hanover from 29 January 1820 until his death. ... The Prince of Wales Feathers. This Heraldic badge of the Heir Apparent is derived from the ostrich feathers borne by Edward, the Black Prince. ... Regent, from the Latin, a person selected to administer a state because the ruler is a minor or is not present or debilitated. ... Prince Regent (or Prince Regnant, as a direct borrowing from French language) is a prince who rules a country instead of a sovereign, e. ...

In the series, E. Blackadder Esquire (Rowan Atkinson) is the butler to the Prince of Wales (the prince is played by Hugh Laurie as a complete fop and idiot). Despite Edmund's respected intelligence and abilities, he has no personal fortune to speak of. According to Edmund he has been serving the Prince Regent all their lives, since they were both breastfeeding (when he had to show the Prince which part of his mother was "serving the drinks"). Edmund Blackadder esq. ... Rowan Sebastian Atkinson (born 6 January 1955) is an English comedian, actor and writer, famous for his title roles in the British television comedies Blackadder and Mr. ... George is the name of two characters appearing in the historical BBC sitcom Blackadder played by Hugh Laurie. ... James Hugh Calum Laurie, OBE (born 11 June 1959) is an English actor, comedian and writer known as Hugh Laurie. ... FOP (Formatting Objects Processor) is an XSL-FO processor written in Java, which provides the feature to convert XSL-FO files to PDF or direct-printable-files. ... Breastfeeding an infant Symbol for breastfeeding (Matt Daigle, Mothering magazine contest winner 2006) Breastfeeding is the feeding of an infant or young child with milk from a womans breasts. ...

Baldrick, played by Tony Robinson, remains similar to his Blackadder II predecessor, although his "cunning plans" cease to be even remotely intelligent. However, he often displays a more belligerent attitude towards his master - as Blackadder himself is now a servant, he is labelled as Blackadder's "dogsbody". Tony Robinson (born August 15, 1946) is an English actor, broadcaster and political campaigner, known for playing the part of Baldrick in the BBC TV series Blackadder and for hosting a number of shows on Channel 4, the most noteworthy being Time Team. ... Blackadder II was the second series of the BBC situation comedy Blackadder, written by Richard Curtis and Ben Elton, which aired from 9 January 1986 to 20 February 1986. ... Look up dogsbody in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ...

There are three main sets: the Prince's quarters, which are large and lavish, the below-stairs kitchen hangout of Blackadder and Baldrick, which is dark and squalid, and finally Mrs. Miggins' coffeehouse. Mrs. Miggins' pie shop was a never-seen running gag in Blackadder II; she — or at least, a descendant of hers — is now finally shown, played by Helen Atkinson-Wood. Mrs. ... Coffeehouse in Damascus // A coffeehouse, coffee shop, or cafe (also spelled as café from the French, Spanish, and Portuguese or caffè from the Italian) shares some of the characteristics of a bar, and some of the characteristics of a restaurant. ... The running gag is a popular hallmark of comic and serious forms of entertainment. ... Helen Atkinson-Wood (born 14 March 1955 in Cheadle Hulme) is an English actress and comedian. ...

The plots of the series feature a number of then-contemporary issues and personalities, such as rotten boroughs, Dr. Samuel Johnson (played by Robbie Coltrane), the French Revolution (featuring Chris Barrie) and the Scarlet Pimpernel, over-the-top theatrical actors, squirrel-hating highwaymen, and a duel with the Duke of Wellington (played by Stephen Fry). The term rotten borough referred to a parliamentary borough or constituency in Great Britain and Ireland which, due to size and population, was controlled and used by a patron to exercise undue and unrepresentative influence within parliament. ... For other persons named Samuel Johnson, see Samuel Johnson (disambiguation). ... Robbie Coltrane, OBE (born Anthony Robert McMillan on March 30, 1950) is a Scottish Television and Film actor. ... The French Revolution (1789–1815) was a period of political and social upheaval in the political history of France and Europe as a whole, during which the French governmental structure, previously an absolute monarchy with feudal privileges for the aristocracy and Catholic clergy, underwent radical change to forms based on... Chris Barrie (born March 28, 1960) is an English actor, best known for his roles as Arnold Rimmer in the cult BBC2 comedy Red Dwarf, and as Gordon Brittas in popular BBC1 sitcom The Brittas Empire. ... The Scarlet Pimpernel is a classic play and adventure novel by Baroness Emmuska Orczy, set during the French Revolution. ... English Renaissance theatre is English drama written between the Reformation and the closure of the theatres in 1642. ... Folk image of a mounted highwayman Highwayman was a term used particularly in Britain during the 17th and 18th centuries to describe robbers who targeted people traveling by stagecoach and other modes of transport along public highways. ... A duel is a formalized type of combat. ... Field Marshal Arthur Wellesley, 1st Duke of Wellington, KG, GCB, GCH, PC, FRS (c. ...

The last episode of the series also features Rowan Atkinson in the role of Blackadder's Scottish cousin MacAdder, supposedly a fierce swordsman. Interesting enough, this leads to a dialogue in which Atkinson is acting both parts. The special effects required for this dialogue far surpassed the budget of an ordinary episode, but Richard Curtis and Ben Elton excused that given that it was the season finale. Following the aftermath of this episode, Blackadder finds fortune and ends up (permanently) posing as the Prince Regent after the real prince regent is shot by the Duke of Wellington, while disguised as Blackadder. “Scot” redirects here. ... Swordsman redirects here. ...

Episodes

The series aired for six episodes broadcast on Thursdays on BBC One at 9.30pm between the 17 September 1987 to 22 October 1987. The titles of the episodes are always a noun paired with another, derived from a cognate adjective. Example: "Sense and Senility" (based on the Jane Austen novel Sense and Sensibility). BBC One is the primary television channel of the BBC, and the first in the United Kingdom. ... 1873 engraving of Jane Austen, based on a portrait drawn by her sister Cassandra. ... For other uses, see Sense and Sensibility (disambiguation). ...

Dish and Dishonesty is an episode of the BBC sitcom Blackadder. ... September 17 is the 260th day of the year (261st in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1987 (MCMLXXXVII) was a common year starting on Thursday (link displays 1987 Gregorian calendar). ... William Pitt the Younger (28 May 1759 – 23 January 1806) was a British politician of the late eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries. ... Ink and Incapability is an episode of the BBC sitcom Blackadder. ... September 24 is the 267th day of the year (268th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1987 (MCMLXXXVII) was a common year starting on Thursday (link displays 1987 Gregorian calendar). ... For other persons named Samuel Johnson, see Samuel Johnson (disambiguation). ... This article includes a list of works cited or a list of external links, but its sources remain unclear because it lacks in-text citations. ... Nob and Nobility is an episode of the BBC sitcom Blackadder. ... is the 274th day of the year (275th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1987 (MCMLXXXVII) was a common year starting on Thursday (link displays 1987 Gregorian calendar). ... The Scarlet Pimpernel is a classic play and adventure novel by Baroness Emmuska Orczy, set during the French Revolution. ... Sense and Senility is an episode of the BBC sitcom Blackadder. ... is the 281st day of the year (282nd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1987 (MCMLXXXVII) was a common year starting on Thursday (link displays 1987 Gregorian calendar). ... Amy and Amiability is an episode of the BBC sitcom Blackadder. ... is the 288th day of the year (289th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1987 (MCMLXXXVII) was a common year starting on Thursday (link displays 1987 Gregorian calendar). ... Duel and Duality is an episode of the BBC sitcom Blackadder. ... is the 295th day of the year (296th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1987 (MCMLXXXVII) was a common year starting on Thursday (link displays 1987 Gregorian calendar). ... The Dukedom of Wellington is a hereditary title and the senior Dukedom in the Peerage of the United Kingdom. ... A duel is a formalized type of combat. ...

Music and titles

The opening theme is this time played on a harpsichord, oboe and cello over close-ups of Blackadder searching a book-case.^[2] The credits and title appear on some of the books' spines (along with humorous titles such as From Black Death to Blackadder, The Blackobite Rebellion of 1745, The Encyclopædia Blackaddica and Landscape Gardening by Capability Brownadder)^[3]. Hidden inside a hollow book, he finds a romance novel (complete with steamy cover art) bearing the episode's title. The closing credits are presented in the style of a theatre programme from a Regency-era play, and with an entirely new closing theme. Harpsichord in the Flemish style A harpsichord is any of a family of European keyboard instruments, including the large instrument currently called a harpsichord, but also the smaller virginals, the muselar virginals and the spinet. ... The oboe is a double reed musical instrument of the woodwind family. ... The violoncello, usually abbreviated to cello, or cello (the c is pronounced as in the ch of check), is a bowed stringed instrument, the lowest-sounding member of the violin family. ... A bookcase filled with books A bookcase is an article of furniture, forming a shelved receptacle, usually perpendicular or horizontal, for the storage of books. ... It has been suggested that Plague doctor be merged into this article or section. ... There are many occurrences, both real and in popular culture, of concealing something in a book. ... A romance novel is a literary genre developed in Western culture, mainly in English-speaking countries. ... Example of book cover art. ... A programme or program with respect to events such as theatre performances or fêtes is a printed leaflet outlining the parts of the event scheduled to take place, principal performers and background information. ... Bold textBold textBold textBold textDrama was introduced to England from Europe by the Romans and auditoriums were constructed across the country for this purpose. ...

References

External links

Wikiquote has a collection of quotations related to:

Blackadder the Third

• Blackadder the Third (1987) at the Internet Movie Database
• Blackadder the Third at the BBC Guide to Comedy