Rowan Atkinson has slammed the original Blackadder series as “dreary to watch” — despite the BBC splashing a then-unprecedented £1 million budget on the six-episode medieval comedy. The first incarnation of the hit sitcom, titled The Black Adder, aired in 1983 and looked more like a lavish costume drama than a sitcom — with extravagant location shoots, elaborate sets, and high production values. But behind the scenes, the cast and creators admit the big budget didn’t buy big laughs.
“The first series was odd, it was very extravagant,” Atkinson confessed in a behind-the-scenes documentary. “It cost a million pounds for the six programmes… [which] was a lot of money to spend… It looked great, but it wasn’t as consistently funny as we would have liked.” The show’s producer John Lloyd also reflected on the overblown production. “A colleague commented at the time that the series ‘looks a million dollars, but cost a million pounds’,” he said.
He admitted that while they were proud of the result then, it’s telling that Blackadder’s Christmas Carol features flashbacks to all other series — except the first.
Shot partially at real castles, The Black Adder was a costly gamble by the BBC, and although it introduced characters like Prince Edmund and Baldrick, most of the season one cast — including Brian Blessed, Elspet Gray and Robert East — never returned for future instalments.
Only Atkinson, 70, and Tony Robinson (Baldrick) carried on to become series regulars, with Tim McInnerny joining from the second series onwards. Brian Blessed, who played King Richard IV, later revealed the role was one of his favourites — though he never appeared again.
The series also underwent major character changes. In the pilot, Prince Edmund was far more cunning and sarcastic, but executive interference resulted in a version where he was more bumbling — a move many fans felt dulled the show’s edge.
Despite the rocky start, the franchise went on to become one of Britain’s most beloved comedies.
Later series introduced iconic characters such as Queenie (Miranda Richardson), Lord Melchett (Stephen Fry), and George (Hugh Laurie), with increasingly sharp scripts and a tighter, cheaper format that relied more on wit than wigs.
Stephen Fry and Tony Robinson later described the making of Blackadder Goes Forth as fraught with tension, with cast and writers frequently rewriting scripts and clashing over direction.
But it ultimately delivered what’s now considered one of the most powerful sitcom finales ever, with its haunting final scene of soldiers charging into no-man’s land.
Several spin-offs and sequel ideas — including Blackadder in Thatcher’s Cabinet, The Red Adder set during the Russian Revolution, and even a superhero parody — were floated but never made, as the team feared a fifth series could never match the acclaim of Goes Forth.