One of the co-creators of Blackadder has revealed plans to bring back the historical sitcom have not been ruled out, but there’s a twist.
It aired on BBC One for four series from 1983 to 1989 and is often described as the “greatest of all time” by its loyal audience.
Blackadder starred none other than Rowan Atkinson as the antihero Edmund Blackadder and Tony Robinson as Baldrick (plus many other famous faces).
But if you have often wondered if you will be able to see the TV show brought to life once more after all these years, you might not be waiting forever.
Which movie or TV character has the best moustache game?#blackadder https://t.co/Qv6uujUX6z pic.twitter.com/eBcdUE97Z8
— The_ONOMATOPOE!A (@AlmostHeathnWVA) April 28, 2024
Blackadder's Ben Elton issues update on future adaption of series
Ben Elton who wrote three series of Blackadder along with the legendary Richard Curtis has said he wouldn’t say no to writing a new storyline for a live version.
Speaking exclusively to The Sun, the comedian said: “A Blackadder play, if Richard was keen on it, I’d be interested. Not an adaptation of episodes, it would be an original play.
“When I wrote Upstart Crow I did three series and three Christmas specials for TV, which was a load of writing, but I’m proud of the fact I then did an original play.
“If we were to do that with Adder it would be the same.”
The 64-year-old also wrote Shakespeare TV sitcom Upstart Crow which later turned into a West End hit.
When asked if Ben could bring back Rowan, plus co-stars Stephen Fry, Hugh Laurie and Tony Robinson, he commented: “If they want to be in it, that’s up to them.
“But with Blackadder, there’s four figures who have a say in it: Me, Richard, Rowan and John Lloyd, who was the producer.
"So if anything happens, it’s down to us. Who knows if we could ever make it happen.”
Blackadder has also had three specials over the years and a few Comic Relief skits in 2020 and 2023.
Recommended reading:
- BBC confirms future of Death in Paradise spin-off show Beyond Paradise
- Brits urged to check their TV as changes made to channels in new Freeview update
- Millions alerted to little-known TV licence rule that could save you £170
Previously speaking about its latest revival on the Radio 2 breakfast programme in February last year, Richard told host Gary Davies: "God I'm really nervous about saying this but... For the first time in 20 years, Baldrick is going to be giving some kind of performance.
"We're just conspiring about it now, so I think there's going to be a marvellous, turnip-based thing with Tony Robinson now back in action, so I'm excited about that."
Richard joked: "Rowan's far too serious to do any of that!"
Why are you making commenting on The Herald only available to subscribers?
It should have been a safe space for informed debate, somewhere for readers to discuss issues around the biggest stories of the day, but all too often the below the line comments on most websites have become bogged down by off-topic discussions and abuse.
heraldscotland.com is tackling this problem by allowing only subscribers to comment.
We are doing this to improve the experience for our loyal readers and we believe it will reduce the ability of trolls and troublemakers, who occasionally find their way onto our site, to abuse our journalists and readers. We also hope it will help the comments section fulfil its promise as a part of Scotland's conversation with itself.
We are lucky at The Herald. We are read by an informed, educated readership who can add their knowledge and insights to our stories.
That is invaluable.
We are making the subscriber-only change to support our valued readers, who tell us they don't want the site cluttered up with irrelevant comments, untruths and abuse.
In the past, the journalist’s job was to collect and distribute information to the audience. Technology means that readers can shape a discussion. We look forward to hearing from you on heraldscotland.com
Comments & Moderation
Readers’ comments: You are personally liable for the content of any comments you upload to this website, so please act responsibly. We do not pre-moderate or monitor readers’ comments appearing on our websites, but we do post-moderate in response to complaints we receive or otherwise when a potential problem comes to our attention. You can make a complaint by using the ‘report this post’ link . We may then apply our discretion under the user terms to amend or delete comments.
Post moderation is undertaken full-time 9am-6pm on weekdays, and on a part-time basis outwith those hours.
Read the rules here