Blackadder the Third

The life and times of Edmund Blackadder, butler to the Prince Regent.

This is a very strong third series of Blackadder, displaying more of the great Curtis and Elton writing partnership and fantastic performances. For me it is on par with Blackadder II, albeit containing a few recycled concepts.

We see Blackadder in the services of a Prince who is characterised as a lazy, moronic yob. He frequently has to solve the Prince's problems, which indirectly impact him. This presents a number of hilarious situations that result in great comedy.

The continued Blackadder theme of Edmond's place within power structures is the driving factor. His resentment for having intelligence and being in the servitude to such ignorance is constantly simmering. In the final episode we see the tables completely turn and the darkness come racing to the surface.

Other themes tackled are poverty, class structures, revolution, anarchism, literature, politics, monarchy and war.

All episodes for me are strong, with my favourites being Dish and Dishonesty, Ink and Incapability, and Duel and Duality.

Rowan Atkinson, Tony Robinson and Hugh Laurie are brilliant in all episodes and there are several excellent cameos, the most memorable being Stephen Fry as Wellington, Robbie Coltrane as Dr Johnson and Kenneth Connor/Hugh Paddick as a pair of theatre actors.

I think 'Blackadder the Third' is the best one of the series.

Actuelly all the episodes are funny, personally i really like the episode with the 'French invasion', but the one with the superstitious actors, in 'MACBETH' is also really funny, the way Rowan keeps playing on with them is really (English) Humor at the highest level.

Actors: 'Never say that again, always call it the Scottish Play; Blackadder: Oh, So you want me to say the Scottish Play? Actors: YES Blackadder: Rather than MACBETH...!

I am a big fan of Rowan and i have the majority of his work, but i think he did the series of Blackadder especially good.

I Hope Rowan is going to continue his great style, but i think we can count on him, because he is already working on a Bean 2 Movie, that will be out this year, i can't wait...

I Give this 3rd Blackadder a 9 out of 10 Rating.

The 3rd and in my view the best of the Blackadder series.

The only downside is that there is no Lord Percy who was the funniest character from the previous series but Hugh Laurie's Prince Regent is suitably madcap laugh a line.

As a package it's quality through and through with convincing regency sets, superb cutting sarcasm and little bits of the wacky, the 'macbeth' actors standing out and Prince Georges 'lucky us' chicken impression, and the missing words from Dr Johnson's dictionary.

Few comedies have been quite as both clever as they are funny, okay the odd lame observation or line gets in but mostly it's a scream.

I love this series. No, scratch that, I ADORE this series! Rowan Atkinson is fantastic as Blackadder (Macbeth!), Tony Robinson is perfect as Baldrick (I'd buy a little turnip of my own), and Hugh Laurie is wonderful as the Prince Regent (Why is it, that however many socks I buy, I never seem to have enough)! It was a shame that Tim McInnery and Stephen Fry could only be in it for one episode - but hey, they made the most of that one episode! Dr. Johnson is a brilliant character (EVERY word), like Pitt the Younger (What kind of jelly?) and those actors! Hot potato, orchestra stalls, Puck will make amends!

In England 1790-1815 we follow the continued annals of the Blackadder family. Edmund Blackadder is now butler to Prince George – a man who is as `thick as a whale omelette'. Over 6 episodes his lot goes from the dizzying heights of ruin to disaster to opportunity with little or no help from his dogsbody the `mouse brained' Baldrick.

The third in the Blackadder series is not the best (although it's a very close). The scripts are very sharp and typically British. Every word is hilarious and Blackadder is given plenty of juicy lines to throw at his below-average-intelligence master. The plots are ludicrous but inventive – Baldrick accidentally elevated to the house of lords, Blackadder saving the Scarlet Pimpernel, the destruction of the world's first dictionary etc, but they're all carried off with style and great humour.

Rowan Atkinson is hilarious – Blackadder is one of his finest hours and he fits the character perfectly. Tony Robinson is cursed forever to be remembered for Baldrick (no matter how many Time Teams he does) and he is brilliant in a thankless role. Hugh Laurie is superb as the stupid Prince and brings inbred stupidity to life! But each episode is also underpinned by a wealth of talent including Helen Atkinson Wood, Robbie Coltrane, Kenneth Moore, Chris Barrie, Ben Elton, Stephen Fry etc. The casting is great.

Overall Blackadder is one of the finest British comedy series for decades – it deserves to be up there with Monty Python and the like. Anyone who loves to laugh at intelligent sarcastic humour will love this. One of the best comedy series I've ever seen.