BLACKADDER could be brought back, but will it prove a cunning plan?
Co-writer Ben Elton has delighted fans by revealing the classic sitcom, which ran for four series from 1983 to 1989, could return as a play.
Speaking exclusively to The Sun, the 64-year-old said: “A Blackadder play, if Richard [Curtis] 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.”
Asked if he could lure Edmund Blackadder himself, Rowan Atkinson, plus co-stars Stephen Fry, Hugh Laurie and Tony Robinson, he added: “If they want to be in it, that’s up to them.
The hit BBC show has previously returned for a number of specials and last year Robinson returned as the bumbling Baldrick for Comic Relief special.
But what has happened to the rest of the cast since the original run?
Rowan Atkinson– Edmund Blackadder
Rowan Atkinson will forever be remembered for his portrayal of Edmund Blackadder, the grumpy, sarcastic anti-hero constantly scheming for power.
Away from the show, he’s starred in films like Johnny English and Love Actually, though one of his most iconic roles remains Mr Bean, who even stole the show at the London 2012 Olympics.
Ten years ago, Rowan, 69, caused a stir by beginning a relationship with comedian Louise Ford, 43, after they met while performing in a play together.
Louise ended her relationship with comedian James Acaster to be with Rowan, while he separated from his wife Sunestra Sastry in 2015.
Louise and Rowan had a daughter, Isla Atkinson, together in 2017.
In 2022, he took a stand against cancel culture in an interview with the Irish Times, saying: “It does seem to me that the job of comedy is to offend, or have the potential to offend, and it cannot be drained of that potential.”
In February, it was reported that Rowan had signed a deal to bring back character Johnny English for a fourth and final film outing.
Sir Tony Robinson– Baldrick
Sir Tony was ever-present across the generations in Blackadder as Edmund’s long-suffering servant Baldrick.
Away from acting, he is best known for presenting Time Team for 20 years.
In 2011, the star, 77, married his third wife, Louise Hobbs, 42, who is two years younger than his daughter Laura.
Quizzed about how his daughter took the age gap on Loose Women, he insisted: “She was absolutely cool about it.”
He added: “We’ve been married a long time. It is just not an issue for us.”
In 2013, he was knighted in the 2013 Birthday Honours for public and political service.
I was literally throwing up four, five times a day and I thought, ‘I can’t do this’, so that’s it.
Stephen Fry
He recounted meeting the Queen and Prince Philip during a Time Team dig at Buckingham Palace in 2006.
He explained: “I said to the Duke of Edinburgh, ‘What do you think we will find?’ And he said, ‘B****r all’ and he was right.”
Stephen Fry– Melchett
Stephen, who played Melchett, is a national treasure thanks to his work with comedy partner Hugh Laurie, and for presenting quiz show QI from 2003 until 2016.
The 66-year-old has also enjoyed success in Hollywood, winning a Golden Globe for his lead performance in the 1997 film Wilde.
He’s written and starred in a number of documentary series, including his Emmy-Award winnning Stephen Fry: The Secret Life of the Manic Depressive, which followed his battle with bipolar disorder.
His private life hit the headlines in 2015 when he married the aspiring comedian and writer Elliott Spencer, 30 years his junior.
The star had his prostate removed after being diagnosed with cancer in December 2017 and has said that the early intervention saved his life.
Last month, Stephen opened up about his experiences of using Ozempic – a drug designed to help people with diabetes, which was in shortage last year after some celebrities used it to lose weight.
When she drew up her will, she didn’t realise how much money she had
Monica Seccombe, Patsy Byrne's daughter
He claimed to have tried it “years ago” while living in the US and initially found it “astonishing” due to it suppressing his appetite and longing for “any alcohol”.
However, Stephen eventually quit the drug due to “feeling sicker and sicker”.
He explained: “I was literally throwing up four, five times a day and I thought, ‘I can’t do this’, so that’s it.”
Hugh Laurie – Prince George
Hugh, who had a hilarious turn as the dim-witted Prince George, has enjoyed one of the most successful acting careers of the whole Blackadder cast.
He broke America as the leading star in medical drama House between 2004 and 2012, as well as his roles in 101 Dalmatians, The Man in the Iron Mask and Stuart Little.
Hugh, 64, won Golden Globes in 2006 and 2007 for his performance as Dr Gregory House.
He also starred in BBC’s The Night Manager, the US comedy Veep and in the BBC’s 2020 political drama Roadkill.
Patsy Byrne – Nursie
Patsy stole the show as Nursie – whose real name was Bernard – alongside Miranda Richardson’s Queen Elizabeth I in the second series.
She died in 2014 at the age of 80 a week after Rik Mayall, who also starred in Blackadder as Lord Flashheart.
Over her successful career, Patsy appeared in hits including Kevin and Perry Go Large, Heartbeat, Inspector Morse, Les Miserables and David Copperfield – as well as a number of theatre productions.
She also starred alongside co-star Tony Robinson in an episode of the children’s sitcom Maid Marian And Her Merry Men.
Patsy was married to Patrick John Seccombe from 1967, until his death in 2000 – and was stepmother to six children.
It was later revealed that she had left them a £1.5million fortune, with stepdaughter Monica Seccombe explaining she had underestimated how much her estate was actually worth.
“When she drew up her will, she didn’t realise how much money she had,” Monica told The Mail on Sunday.
Miranda Richardson – Queen Elizabeth
Miranda Richardson, famous for her role as ditzy Queen Elizabeth I, went on to act in major blockbusters.
She played annoying reporter Rita Skeeter in the Harry Potter franchise and has been nominated for two Oscars in her career – Best Leading Actress in Tom & Viv and Best Supporting Actress in Damage.
I haven’t done EastEnders yet – I’d definitely consider it. It sounds dull, but I just love working.
Gabrielle Glaister
The actress, 66, went on to star in films including Sleepy Hollow, Chicken Run, and The Hours.
She also appeared alongside Brian Cox as Winston Churchill’s wife in the biopic Churchill.
Miriam Margolyes – Lady Whiteadder
Aside from her role as Lady Whiteadder, Miriam Margolyes is famed for her role as Professor Sprout in the Harry Potter franchise.
The award-winning actress, 82, scooped up a Bafta for her role in Martin Scorsese’s The Age of Innocence in 1993.
Her TV work includes Call The Midwife, Miss Fisher’s Murder Mysteries and Trollied.
Miriam is in a civil partnership with Heather Sutherland, who likes to keep out of the public eye.
The couple do not live together but they spend time together in London, Tuscany and Australia.
Miriam has said the beauty of the pair’s long-lasting relationship is “not living together”.
The famously outspoken star – who jokingly branded herself “the poor man’s Joanna Lumley – was once told to “be quiet” by the Queen when she met her as part of British Book Week.
She also sparked nearly 500 Ofcom complaints after saying she “wanted Boris Johnson to die” on Channel 4’s The Last Leg during the pandemic.
Gabrielle Glaister – Bob
After playing Bob in Blackadder, Gabrielle went on to star as Patricia Farnham in Brookside and Debs Brownlow in Coronation Street.
The Cobbles legend delighted fans last year by making a shock comeback 22 years on – playing Fern Lindon, the doppelganger of Bernie Winter.
Bernie star Jane Hazlegrove came up with the storyline idea after years of being mistaken for pal Gabrielle.
Gabrielle, 63, explained: “Jane and I have been mistaken for each other for years and years.
What he went through was medieval. It was just shocking what the police put him through.
Tim McInnerny
“Me constantly denying that I was in Casualty, Jane insisting that she wasn’t in Brookside!”
After leaving the soap for a second time in November 2022, she joked that “somebody needs to give me a job” in an interview with TV Times.
She said: “I love doing telly and I love soaps. I’ve done Family Affairs and Emmerdale, as well as Corrie and Brookside, but I haven’t done EastEnders yet – I’d definitely consider it. It sounds dull, but I just love working.”
While she’s yet to appear on the London-based soap, Gabrielle’s prayers seem to have been answered as this year she’s already starred in detective drama Death In Paradise and the TV thriller Trigger Point, which starred Vicky McClure.
Tim McInnerny – Lord Percy Percy and Captain Darling
Tim McInnerny has done a lot since he featured in Blackadder as Lord Percy Percy, Captain Darling and The Scarlet Pimpernel.
He’s stuck close by his co-stars, acting with Hugh Laurie in 101 Dalmatians and Rowan Atkinson in Johnny English Reborn.
The actor, 67, has also appeared in Notting Hill, Game Of Thrones and this year’s popular TV adaptation of the book One Day.
Tim previously admitted his biggest business mistake was “not trying to make it in America after my first film appearance in Wetherby”.
He said: “I was a little naive in those days and didn’t push myself like Tim Roth and Daniel Day-Lewis did around that time.”
He starred in Channel 4 drama National Treasure about a Jimmy Saville-type character but said in real life that he had comforted his pal Paul Gambaccini over false abuse accusations.
He said: “I would see him every now and again during that period. What he went through was medieval. It was just shocking what the police put him through.”
Tim lives in London with his long-term partner, the costume designer Annie Gosney.
Rik Mayall – Lord Flashheart, Squadron Commander Flashheart, Mad Gerald and Robin Hood
Rik Mayall appeared in Blackadder four times – but is best remembered for playing ‘Woof’ yelling womaniser Lord Flashheart.
It was one of many famous comedy roles portrayed by the late star, who passed away in 2014, including in The Young Ones, Drop Dead Fred and Bottom.
But Rik’s private life wasn’t such a laughing matter, he married Barbara Robbin in 1985 after having a secret affair with her while in a long-term relationship with Lise Mayer.
After discovering Barbara was pregnant four years after meeting on the set of A Kick Up The Eighties, he left Lise – who was also pregnant but later miscarried – and eloped to Barbados.
In 1998, he suffered a near-fatal quad biking accident after the vehicle flipped over in bad weather near his home in Devon and the star had to be airlifted to hospital.
Rik, who had no memory of the crash, suffered two hematomas and a fractured skull and was sedated for 96 hours to reduce the pressure on his brain before being put in an induced coma for several days.
Doctors warned he may not survive but miraculously, he pulled through. He was left with epilepsy as a result of the accident and had to take medication for the rest of his life.
The comedy actor was also involved in political campaigns – once he dressed up as Adolf Hilter in 2002 for a cinema advert to oppose the introduction of the euro when the UK was part of the EU. In a second, he campaigned against the adoption of a non-proportional electoral system in 2011.
In 2014, Rik died at the age of 56. He passed away at his London home after suffering a sudden heart attack during a morning jog.
Should Baldrick get a reboot?
YES
Says Colin Robertson, Head of Features
BRITAIN needs a new Blackadder like Baldrick needs a brain cell.
The state of sitcoms in this country is literally beyond a joke.
Our once world-beating comedies have been hung, drawn and quartered by timid commissioners or elbowed aside by expletive-driven you-can’t-cancel-me stand-ups and their “offensive” gags.
Look at the No1 “comedy” in town right now – a painfully dark tale of male rape, drug benders, mental breakdowns and a terrifying stalking ordeal. Baby Reindeer makes Blackadder look like Bambi.
This race to the bottom may benefit Netflix’s coffers but will this zeitgeisty Zzzz stand the test of time like Blackadder has?
The historical romp is a masterclass in humour, pathos and, yes, tragedy. And it was consistently good.
Why should we think, with the same writers – neither short of skill or confidence – that would change?
If anything, Sir Edmund’s cynicism is more relevant than ever.
Look at the state of public life – tractor porn, 3am “bad people”, Liz Truss.
There is more inspiration for material now than Blackadder 2024 could ever use.
NO
Says Rod McPhee, TV Editor
JUST imagine presenting the wickedly brilliant Blackadder to Millennials . . . it would get rejected quicker than Boris Becker’s application for a credit card.
Of course, I totally understand why Ben Elton would want to revisit this rich vein of comedy.
But you can bet the joy vampires would briefly stop making TikToks and kale cronuts before descending to suck the lifeblood out of it.
We’d be left with a desiccated poor cousin of the original series, which has gone down as some of the funniest bits of writing that ever graced our screens.
Blackadder was devilish telly but – and this is a crucial point – it never set out to be nasty to anyone.
Take the line where anti-hero Edmund refers to an entirely fictional character in Blackadder The Third: “He’s madder than Mad Jack McMad, winner of last year’s Mr Madman competition.”
Now, is that really so bad? The answer would probably be yes, according to lily-livered snowflakes who’d insist on an immediate woke-washing of the script.
In a world where episodes of Terry And June now come with trigger warnings, they’d need to watch uncensored Blackadder with a tub of Valium and a defibrillator on standby.