151-654: The Black Adder is the first series of the BBC sitcom Blackadder , written by Richard Curtis and Rowan Atkinson , directed by Martin Shardlow and produced by John Lloyd . The series was originally aired on BBC 1 from 15 June 1983 to 20 July 1983, and was a joint production with the Australian Seven Network . Set in 1485 at the end of the British Middle Ages , the series is written as
302-492: A BBC Four interview broadcast on 17 August 2007, Fry goes into some depth on the "odd history" of Melchett's "Baaah!", explaining that it began as early as his work in student productions of Shakespeare at Queens' College, Cambridge , where he would produce strange noises in order to amuse the audience. He also notes that Melchett's "Baaah!" can be found (although in a more subtle form) in his other acting work such as Peter's Friends . In April 2020, Fry reprised his role as
453-756: A 15-disc complete set of audiobooks published by BBC Audiobooks Ltd, was released in 2009. A selection of one-off episodes, documentaries and other appearances by "Blackadder" are featured, with some of this extra material being released on audio for the first time. In December of 2023 'The Black Adder' was released on Blu Ray as part of a 'Complete Collection' of all four series' (plus specials and extras). All episodes have apparently been restored and remastered along with being upscaled. On 5 February 1990, BBC Enterprises Ltd released all 6 episodes of The Black Adder on two single videos and on 7 September 1992 all 6 episodes of The Blackadder were re-released on 'Complete' double VHS releases. All 6 episodes were re-released on
604-469: A 2004 documentary that just before recording began, producer John Lloyd came up to him with Atkinson and asked what Edmund's character was. Curtis then realised that, despite writing some funny lines, he had no idea how Rowan Atkinson was supposed to play his part. On the 25th anniversary documentary Blackadder Rides Again , Atkinson added that as the cameras were about to roll for the first time, he suddenly realised he wasn't even sure what voice to use for
755-652: A Scottish laird , which may have resulted in Edmund's birth. She often gives Edmund unwanted advice and embarrasses him. Her character's name is never spoken in dialogue in Blackadder , but appears in the credits. She is also a skilled practitioner of witchcraft , which she uses to help Edmund escape execution. But she, along with her royal family, is killed in the series' finale, after drinking wine poisoned by Lord Percy. Nursie ( Patsy Byrne ), real name "Bernard", appears in all six episodes of Blackadder II and two of
906-722: A censorship apparatus for the inevitability of war. Due to the BBC's advancements in shortwave radio technology, the corporation could broadcast across the world during the Second World War. Within Europe, the BBC European Service would gather intelligence and information regarding the current events of the war in English. Regional BBC workers, based on their regional geo-political climate, would then further censor
1057-553: A descendant of Lord Melchett for The Big Night In , a telethon held during the COVID-19 pandemic , in a skit which he held a video call with Prince William, Duke of Cambridge , who made a surprise appearance. Lord Percy Percy ( Tim McInnerny ) is the name given to a pair of related characters. The Lord Percy of Blackadder II is the descendant of that seen in The Black Adder . The character derives his name from
1208-521: A different arrangement). For the opening theme, a trumpet solo accompanied by an orchestra was used. For the end titles, the theme gained mock-heroic lyrics sung by a baritone ( Simon Carrington , a member of the King's Singers ). In the final episode, the theme was sung with altered lyrics by a treble , in a more reflective style. The series' incidental music was unusually performed by pipe organ and percussion. The series won an International Emmy award in
1359-634: A dungeon, and sends a message to Queenie, giving her a week to decide whom she will save by paying the ransom. However, when the message arrives, Ludwig reveals that Queenie has in fact decided to keep the money and hold a big party instead, much to Blackadder's shock and Ludwig's disappointment. Blackadder and Melchett soon play ball, agreeing to give Ludwig information on how to infiltrate Richmond Palace and kill Queenie. Ludwig therefore changes their original death sentences to life imprisonment. After he departs, Blackadder and Melchett soon work together to outwit his guards, travelling back to England just in time for
1510-596: A foil to the lead character. Baldrick is the only character besides Blackadder himself to appear in all installments of the series, and can arguably be seen as Blackadder's best friend despite Blackadder's apparent contempt for him. Melchett ( Stephen Fry ) is a family line. There were two main Melchetts: Lord Melchett and General Melchett . Melchett shared the trademark bellow "Baaah!" with Fry's earlier portrayal of Wellington , which would be delivered at random intervals for no apparent reason. In
1661-466: A gap of three years before Blackadder II was broadcast, on the condition that it remained largely studio-bound. The complete series of The Black Adder is available as a Region 2 DVD from BBC Worldwide , as well as in a complete box set with the other series. The series is also available in Region 1 DVD in a box set of the complete series. "The Complete Collected Series 1, 2, 3, 4 and Specials",
SECTION 10
#17327929632671812-523: A highwayman, the Shadow ; and in the episode " General Hospital " of the fourth series, she plays Nurse Mary Fletcher-Brown who enjoys a fling with Blackadder, before being accused of being a German spy. Prince Ludwig the Indestructible ( Hugh Laurie ) appears in " Chains ", the final episode of Blackadder II , as the main antagonist and the final villain of the entire "Blackadder II" series. He
1963-479: A large cast and required extensive location shooting . Shakespearean dialogue is sometimes adapted for comic effect. Despite winning an International Emmy , The Black Adder is regarded by its creators and most critics as the weakest Blackadder series. A second series, Blackadder II , aired in 1986. Set in the Middle Ages , the series is written as an alternative history . It opens on 21 August 1485,
2114-469: A larger brand: in 2003, BBC Choice was replaced by BBC Three , with programming for younger adults and shocking real-life documentaries, BBC News 24 became the BBC News Channel in 2008, and BBC Radio 7 became BBC Radio 4 Extra in 2011, with new programmes to supplement those broadcast on Radio 4. In 2008, another channel was launched, BBC Alba , a Scottish Gaelic service. During this decade,
2265-446: A more cynical approach – which is why she prefers Edmund Blackadder to Lord Melchett. Like Blackadder and the rest of her court, Queenie is later murdered at the hands of the evil Prince Ludwig the Indestructible, ( Hugh Laurie ), a German master of disguise who presumably after stealing her identity goes on to kill the remaining members of the court including Blackadder and Melchett before going on to rule England as Queen off-screen during
2416-607: A news and information service. In 1978, BBC staff went on strike just before the Christmas, thus blocking out the transmission of both channels and amalgamating all four radio stations into one. Since the deregulation of the UK television and radio market in the 1980s, the BBC has faced increased competition from the commercial sector (and from the advertiser-funded public service broadcaster Channel 4 ), especially on satellite television, cable television, and digital television services. In
2567-493: A number of additional channels and radio stations have been launched: Radio 5 was launched in 1990, as a sports and educational station, but was replaced in 1994, with BBC Radio 5 Live to become a live radio station, following the success of the Radio 4 service to cover the 1991 Gulf War . The new station would be a news and sport station. In 1997, BBC News 24 , a rolling news channel, launched on digital television services, and
2718-744: A proposal to cut 4,000 jobs, and to privatise parts of the BBC, disrupted much of the BBC's regular programming. In 2006, BBC HD launched as an experimental service and became official in December 2007. The channel broadcast HD simulcasts of programmes on BBC One , BBC Two , BBC Three and BBC Four as well as repeats of some older programmes in HD. In 2010, an HD simulcast of BBC One launched: BBC One HD . The channel uses HD versions of BBC One's schedule and uses upscaled versions of programmes not currently produced in HD. The BBC HD channel closed in March 2013 and
2869-599: A recurring joke where his name is used or referred to for comedic effect. In the series, Captain Darling is seen wearing the following ribbons: Although Darling only features as a main character for one series of the original Blackadder run, several of his ancestors and descendants are also portrayed by McInnerny, in keeping with the series' ongoing motif of identical descendants. The Blackadder feature-length special Blackadder: Back & Forth (1999) introduced descendant character Archdeacon Darling, on better terms with
3020-581: A secret history which contends that King Richard III won the Battle of Bosworth Field , only to be unintentionally assassinated by his nephew's son Edmund and succeeded by said nephew, Richard IV, one of the Princes in the Tower . The series follows the exploits of Richard IV's unfavoured second son Edmund (who calls himself "The Black Adder") in his various attempts to increase his standing with his father and, in
3171-555: A series of strikes; however, the BBC stated that the cuts were essential to move the organisation forward and concentrate on increasing the quality of programming. On 20 October 2010, the Chancellor of the Exchequer George Osborne announced that the television licence fee would be frozen at its current level until the end of the current charter in 2016. The same announcement revealed that the BBC would take on
SECTION 20
#17327929632673322-486: A single video release on 2 October 1995. The Black Adder was released on a double LaserDisc set by Encore Entertainment in 1996. Due to the unequal length of the episodes, they were presented on the set slightly out of sequence. BBC The British Broadcasting Corporation ( BBC ) is a British public service broadcaster headquartered at Broadcasting House in London , England. Originally established in 1922 as
3473-517: A supporting role in Blackadder the Third . In Blackadder II , Mrs Miggins is referred to as a pie shop owner, but never appears . In the third series , Mrs Miggins plays a major role and appears in all episodes. She now owns a coffee shop that Blackadder visits regularly. In the final episode, she runs off with Blackadder's Scottish cousin, MacAdder. Mrs Miggins is also briefly referenced in
3624-428: A surname before Blackadder II , in which the title character becomes " Edmund Blackadder ". Furthermore, Baldrick is shown in more favourable and intelligent light here than in subsequent series – his 'cunning plans' are typically superior to and more workable than Edmund's own. Starting from the second series, the characters' relative intelligence and naiveté clearly switch. Rowan Atkinson and Richard Curtis developed
3775-591: Is a German master of disguise who kidnaps Lord Blackadder and Lord Melchett in 1566 and imprisons them in his dungeon under the watch of two German guards who carried out the abduction and a Spanish inquisitorial co-conspirator . He had previously befriended Blackadder, Melchett and Queenie while disguised as other individuals, including Big Sally (a waitress at a pub in Dover), Fluffy (a sheep) and an unnamed stable boy. In his childhood his mother forced him to wear shorts at school. He also had dirty hair and spots. He
3926-519: Is a running gag throughout the series that Edmund's father cannot even remember his name. However, despite his mostly dismissive attitude toward his second son, the King actually loves Edmund very dearly, partially due to their father-son relationship; in the third episode, when Edmund becomes the Archbishop of Canterbury and helps his father to secure some land from a dying noble before the church can,
4077-513: Is a pseudonym used by two characters, both female, both pretending to be male and both played by Gabrielle Glaister . Lord Flashheart ( Rik Mayall ) is the name of two characters. The first Lord Flashheart appeared in a scene of the first episode of the second series of Blackadder . His descendant, Squadron Commander the Lord Flashheart , appeared as a major character in the fourth series in an episode called " Private Plane ". In
4228-634: Is accused of being a witch, and the witchsmeller does everything to make everyone believe Edmund really is a witch. When all of Edmund's titles are removed except Warden of the Royal Privies, he is furious and decides to raise an army of six of the most ruthless bandits in all the lands to seize the throne and become king. In this series, the character of the Black Adder is somewhat different from later incarnations, being largely unintelligent, naive, and snivelling. The character does evolve through
4379-437: Is killed by Prince Ludwig the Indestructible ( Hugh Laurie ) along with the entire main cast. In Blackadder's Christmas Carol , a vision of the future depicts her as the silliest of Queen Asphyxia XIX's triple husbandoid. Byrne later said that she was sometimes asked – in reference to a scene in the final episode of Blackadder II – whether she kept the cow costume in her wardrobe. She did not. The real life basis for Nursie
4530-500: Is obviously of paramount importance." Reith succeeded in building a high wall against an American-style free-for-all in radio in which the goal was to attract the largest audiences and thereby secure the greatest advertising revenue. There was no paid advertising on the BBC; all the revenue came from a tax on receiving sets. Highbrow audiences, however, greatly enjoyed it. At a time when American, Australian and Canadian stations were drawing huge audiences cheering for their local teams with
4681-437: Is responsible for operational management and delivery of services within a framework set by the board, and is chaired by the director-general , currently Tim Davie , who is chief executive and (from 1994) editor-in-chief. The corporation has the following in-house divisions covering the BBC's output and operations: Lord Percy Percy This article lists the characters in the four series and three special episodes of
The Black Adder - Misplaced Pages Continue
4832-470: Is safely stationed some distance from the front line . Darling is the sycophantic adjutant to Stephen Fry 's General Melchett. The character was originally conceived as "Captain Cartwright"; writers Ben Elton and Richard Curtis were simply unable to think of a more amusing name for him. Eventually however, Stephen Fry suggested "Darling" would be a more comedic alternative; the series makes use of
4983-476: Is very loosely based on the historical figure Richard of Shrewsbury, 1st Duke of York , one of the Princes in the Tower who disappeared in 1483 (as the real-life Richard would have been approximately twelve if still alive in 1485). In the alternate chronology of The Black Adder , King Richard III of England (played by Peter Cook ) is introduced as being a "kind and thoughtful man" who cherishes his nephews (the two princes ) placed into his care, in contrast to
5134-696: The Just William books of Richmal Crompton . In Blackadder's Christmas Carol , Richardson appears as Queenie and the future Queen Asphyxia. In Blackadder: Back & Forth , she appears as present day Lady Elizabeth and Queenie. Queenie's immature behaviour is expressed in her desire to "get squiffy and seduce nobles " (and extort extravagant presents from them on pain of death). A naughty schoolgirl at heart, Queenie loves to party, play games and get drunk. If anyone fails to laugh at her jokes, they risk execution, but, to her followers' bemusement and frustration, she sometimes tires of their toadying and welcomes
5285-642: The Archbishops of Canterbury and York came to St Paul's to broadcast to the UK and the world on the National Day of Prayer. BBC employees during the war included George Orwell who spent two years with the broadcaster. During his role as prime minister during the war, Winston Churchill delivered 33 major wartime speeches by radio, all of which were carried by the BBC within the UK. On 18 June 1940, French general Charles de Gaulle , in exile in London as
5436-598: The BBC Television Service ) started from Alexandra Palace in November 1936, alternating between an improved Baird mechanical 240-line system and the all-electronic 405-line Marconi-EMI system which had been developed by an EMI research team led by Sir Isaac Shoenberg . The superiority of the electronic system saw the mechanical system dropped early the following year, with the Marconi-EMI system
5587-648: The Battle of Bosworth Field took place in 1485, and thus too young to have had two adult sons. Henry Tudor seemingly also falsified the history of Scotland and Ireland: Richard IV is said to be king of England, Scotland and Ireland, and Prince Edmund has the title of Duke of Edinburgh , whereas in reality Ireland was not a kingdom until 1542 and Scotland continued to have a separate royal house until 1603. The episodes in this series, written by Rowan Atkinson and Richard Curtis , were originally shown on BBC 1 on Wednesday evenings, 21:25–22:00. Each episode ran for roughly 33 minutes. The series began on 15 June 1983. Each of
5738-473: The Blackadder story world was in the pilot episode which was shot in 1982 but not broadcast until 2023. In this episode, which is set sometime during the Elizabethan Era , Harry's character is one of two sons of the King and Queen of England. Although monarchs are not explicitly named, Harry may be intended as a fictional offspring of Queen Elizabeth I . This version of the character was played by
5889-568: The Blackadder specials; Blackadder's Christmas Carol and Blackadder: Back & Forth . Once Queenie 's childhood nurse , by the time of her appearances in Blackadder II , Nursie is either senile or otherwise irreversibly stupid, but remains at court at the side of the Queen for unknown reasons (possibly being kept-on as a lady's companion , though her continued presence at "Queenie's" side reinforces her portrayal as 'childish'), as
6040-490: The British Broadcasting Company , it evolved into its current state with its current name on New Year's Day 1927. The oldest and largest local and global broadcaster by stature and by number of employees, the BBC employs over 21,000 staff in total, of whom approximately 17,200 are in public-sector broadcasting. The BBC was established under a royal charter , and operates under an agreement with
6191-513: The British sitcom Blackadder . Blackadder was notable for featuring actors playing many repeating characters across different eras of history, with Rowan Atkinson as the central character Edmund Blackadder , and Tony Robinson as his sidekick Baldrick , together with numerous other actors in one-off parts. Baldrick is the name of several characters throughout the series. Each one serves as Blackadder's servant and sidekick and acts as
The Black Adder - Misplaced Pages Continue
6342-958: The MediaCityUK development in Salford , with BBC Three moving online only in 2016, the sharing of more programmes between stations and channels, sharing of radio news bulletins, more repeats in schedules, including the whole of BBC Two daytime and for some original programming to be reduced. BBC HD was closed on 26 March 2013, and replaced with an HD simulcast of BBC Two; however, flagship programmes, other channels and full funding for CBBC and CBeebies would be retained. Numerous BBC facilities have been sold off, including New Broadcasting House on Wilmslow Road in Manchester. Many major departments have been relocated to Broadcasting House in central London and MediaCityUK in Salford, particularly since
6493-538: The Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport . Its work is funded principally by an annual television licence fee which is charged to all British households, companies, and organisations using any type of equipment to receive or record live television broadcasts or to use the BBC's streaming service, iPlayer . The fee is set by the British Government , agreed by Parliament , and is used to fund
6644-519: The Wars of the Roses . Richard is crowned King Richard IV of England after Richard III is accidentally killed by Edmund, and though he by far favours Harry over Edmund, he gradually comes to appreciate Edmund as a loyal son, and is genuinely saddened by Edmund's imminent death in the final episode (unaware that Edmund had tried and failed to overthrow him). As he drinks a toast to his dying son's honour, he and
6795-525: The Wars of the Roses : the three-part Henry VI plays, followed by Richard III , which was first shown on 23 January 1983. Some of the same actors were used to enhance the parody of Shakespearean history. Ron Cook , who played Richard III in the Shakespeare productions, is cast as the villainous "Sean the Irish Bastard". Peter Benson , who played Shakespeare's Henry VI, played Henry VII in
6946-488: The World War I flying ace ), slanted to emphasise the negative qualities associated with such characters such as narcissism , sexism and promiscuity . His catchphrases are "Woof!" and "Let's do-oo-ooooo it!", while suggestively thrusting his pelvis. He commonly uses sexual innuendo in ordinary conversation, for example, "Am I pleased to see you, or did I just put a canoe in my pocket ?" Rik Mayall later recalled, "I
7097-523: The 2025–26 season of the Women's Super League campaign. The BBC is a statutory corporation , independent from direct government intervention, with its activities being overseen from April 2017 by the BBC Board and regulated by Ofcom . The chairman is Samir Shah. The BBC is a state owned public broadcasting company and operates under a royal charter . The charter is the constitutional basis for
7248-467: The BBC announced a BBC News savings target of £80 million per year by 2022, involving about 520 staff reductions. The BBC's director of news and current affairs Fran Unsworth said there would be further moves toward digital broadcasting, in part to attract back a youth audience, and more pooling of reporters to stop separate teams covering the same news. In 2020, the BBC reported a £119 million deficit because of delays to cost reduction plans, and
7399-585: The BBC is subject to an additional 'Agreement' between it and the Culture Secretary , and that its operating licence is to be set by Ofcom, an external regulatory body . It used to be that the Home Secretary be departmental to both Agreement as well as Licence, and regulatory duties fall to the BBC Trust , but the 2017 charter changed those 2007 arrangements. The charter, too, outlines
7550-826: The BBC released minutes of the board meeting which led to Greg Dyke's resignation. Unlike the other departments of the BBC, the BBC World Service was funded by the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office . The Foreign and Commonwealth Office, more commonly known as the Foreign Office or the FCO, is the British government department responsible for promoting the interests of the United Kingdom abroad. A strike in 2005 by more than 11,000 BBC workers, over
7701-440: The BBC suddenly became the primary source of news for the duration of the crisis. The crisis placed the BBC in a delicate position. On the one hand Reith was acutely aware that the government might exercise its right to commandeer the BBC at any time as a mouthpiece of the government if the BBC were to step out of line, but on the other he was anxious to maintain public trust by appearing to be acting independently. The government
SECTION 50
#17327929632677852-480: The BBC was granted sufficient leeway to pursue the government's objectives largely in a manner of its own choosing. Supporters of the strike nicknamed the BBC the BFC for British Falsehood Company. Reith personally announced the end of the strike which he marked by reciting from Blake's " Jerusalem " signifying that England had been saved. While the BBC tends to characterise its coverage of the general strike by emphasising
8003-536: The BBC", was priced at tuppence (two pence ) on newsstands, and quickly sold out its run of a quarter of a million copies. Mid-1925 found the future of broadcasting under further consideration, this time by the Crawford committee. By now, the BBC, under Reith's leadership, had forged a consensus favouring a continuation of the unified (monopoly) broadcasting service, but more money was still required to finance rapid expansion. Wireless manufacturers were anxious to exit
8154-464: The BBC's airwaves. In 1937, a MI5 security officer was given a permanent office within the organisation. This officer would examine the files of potential political subversives and mark the files of those deemed a security risk to the organisation, blacklisting them. This was often done on spurious grounds; even so, the practice would continue and expand during the years of the Cold War. There
8305-540: The BBC's censorship office, which surveilled and edited American coverage of British affairs. By 1940, across all BBC broadcasts, music by composers from enemy nations was censored. In total, 99 German, 38 Austrian and 38 Italian composers were censored. The BBC argued that like the Italian or German languages, listeners would be irritated by the inclusion of enemy composers. Any potential broadcasters said to have pacifist, communist or fascist ideologies were not allowed on
8456-450: The BBC's international 24-hour English-language news services BBC News , and from BBC.com, provided by BBC Global News Ltd. In 2009, the company was awarded the Queen's Award for Enterprise in recognition of its international achievements in business. Since its formation in 1922, the BBC has played a prominent role in British life and culture. It is sometimes informally referred to as
8607-683: The BBC's radio, TV, and online services covering the nations and regions of the UK. Since 1 April 2014, it has also funded the BBC World Service (launched in 1932 as the BBC Empire Service), which broadcasts in 28 languages and provides comprehensive TV, radio, and online services in Arabic and Persian . Some of the BBC's revenue comes from its commercial subsidiary BBC Studios (formerly BBC Worldwide ), which sells BBC programmes and services internationally and also distributes
8758-522: The BBC, and sets out the BBC's Object, Mission and Public Purposes. It emphasises public service , (limited) editorial independence , prohibits advertising on domestic services and proclaims the BBC is to "seek to avoid adverse impacts on competition which are not necessary for the effective fulfilment of the Mission and the promotion of the Public Purposes". The charter also sets out that
8909-700: The Beeb or Auntie . In 1923 it launched Radio Times (subtitled "The official organ of the BBC"), the first broadcast listings magazine; the 1988 Christmas edition sold 11 million copies, the biggest-selling edition of any British magazine in history. Britain's first live public broadcast was made from the factory of Marconi Company in Chelmsford in June 1920. It was sponsored by the Daily Mail ' s Alfred Harmsworth, 1st Viscount Northcliffe and featured
9060-461: The Black Seal who had actually arrived to overthrow Richard IV, allowing Henry Tudor to come out of hiding and take the throne as King Henry VII . He then rewrites history, presenting Richard III as a monster, and eliminating Richard IV's reign from the history books. In reality, Richard, Duke of York , one of the Princes in the Tower , was only twelve years old (and perhaps two years dead) when
9211-578: The Blackadder II series finale episode, "Chains". Richardson appears in later series as characters not explicitly stated as being descendants of Elizabeth I, who had no known offspring (but may share common ancestors with her). In the fifth episode of Blackadder the Third , she plays Amy Hardwood, the seemingly-delicate wealthy industrialist's daughter, whom the Prince Regent courts to get out of serious debt with her dowry, later revealed as
SECTION 60
#17327929632679362-586: The British government's asylum policy on social media. Lineker was suspended from his position on Match of the Day before being re-instated after receiving overwhelming support from his colleagues. The scandal was made worse due to the connections between BBC's chairman, Richard Sharp, and the Conservative Party. In April 2023, Richard Sharp resigned as chairman after a report found he did not disclose potential perceived conflicts of interest in his role in
9513-506: The CBBC Channel and CBeebies Channel. In addition to the television channels, new digital radio stations were created: 1Xtra , 6 Music and Radio 4 Extra . BBC 1Xtra was a sister station to Radio 1 and specialised in modern black music, BBC 6 Music specialised in alternative music genres and BBC7 specialised in archive, speech and children's programming. The following few years resulted in repositioning of some channels to conform to
9664-701: The Corporation's governance and regulatory arrangements as a statutory corporation, including the role and composition of the BBC Board. The current Charter began on 1 January 2017 and ends on 31 December 2027; the Agreement being coterminous. The BBC Board was formed in April 2017. It replaced the previous governing body, the BBC Trust, which itself had replaced the board of governors in 2007. The board sets
9815-477: The GPO and the BBC had become deadlocked and the Postmaster General commissioned a review of broadcasting by the Sykes Committee. The committee recommended a short-term reorganisation of licence fees with improved enforcement in order to address the BBC's immediate financial distress, and an increased share of the licence revenue split between it and the GPO. This was to be followed by a simple 10 shillings licence fee to fund broadcasts. The BBC's broadcasting monopoly
9966-424: The GPO proposed that it would issue a single broadcasting licence to a company jointly owned by a consortium of leading wireless receiver manufacturers, to be known as the British Broadcasting Company Ltd , which was formed on 18 October 1922. John Reith , a Scottish Calvinist , was appointed its general manager in December 1922 a few weeks after the company made its first official broadcast. L. Stanton Jefferies
10117-411: The King proudly acknowledges Edmund as his son, embraces him and even mentions to the Queen that Edmund has "turned out well", and in the series' finale, on Edmund's deathbed, the King does his best to console him, assuring him that his soul will go to Heaven, and has the entire court drink a toast in his honour. Using this premise, the series follows the fictitious reign of Richard IV (1485–1498) through
10268-439: The Midlands, Lord Po-Maker-In-Ordinary, and Harbinger of the Doomed Rat. A member of the House of York , Harry is the first son of King Richard IV of England ( Brian Blessed ) and Queen consort Gertrude of Flanders ( Elspet Gray ) and great-nephew of Richard III ( Peter Cook ). He has a younger brother (possibly his half-brother), Prince Edmund, Duke of Edinburgh ( Rowan Atkinson ). The first portrayal of Prince Harry in
10419-441: The Prime Minister, maintained the censorship of editorial opinions on public policy, but allowed the BBC to address matters of religious, political or industrial controversy. The resulting political "talk series", designed to inform England on political issues, were criticised by members of parliament, including Winston Churchill, David Lloyd George and Sir Austen Chamberlain . Those who opposed these chats claimed that they silence
10570-417: The Queen repeatedly treats Nursie with contempt. Nursie frequently embarrasses both the Queen and herself by openly recounting tales of the Queen's childhood, prompting Queenie's standard reply of "Shut up, Nursie." She is also known for her complete non sequiturs in conversation. Lord Blackadder describes her as "a sad, insane old woman with an udder fixation." In the series' finale episode, "Chains", she
10721-430: The UK's first Independent local radio station, LBC came on-air in the London area. As a result of the Pilkington Committee report of 1962, in which the BBC was praised for the quality and range of its output, and ITV was very heavily criticised for not providing enough quality programming, the decision was taken to award the BBC a second television channel, BBC2 , in 1964, renaming the existing service BBC1 . BBC2 used
10872-424: The actor Robert Bathurst . Prince Harry made his first televised appearance (played by Robert East) in episode 1 of The Black Adder , entitled " The Foretelling ", in which the events of the first series are set up by rewriting a period of English history and telling the story of a fictional ruling monarch who succeeds Richard III after the Battle of Bosworth Field . Mrs Miggins ( Helen Atkinson-Wood ) plays
11023-629: The air and forced the British government finally to regulate radio services to permit nationally based advertising-financed services. In response, the BBC reorganised and renamed their radio channels. On 30 September 1967, the Light Programme was split into Radio 1 offering continuous "Popular" music and Radio 2 more "Easy Listening". The "Third" programme became Radio 3 offering classical music and cultural programming. The Home Service became Radio 4 offering news, and non-musical content such as quiz shows, readings, dramas and plays. As well as
11174-415: The battle. King Richard IV of England and XII of Scotland and his Queen Gertrude of Flanders have two sons: Harry, Prince of Wales and his younger brother Prince Edmund . Though Harry is by far their father's favourite, the King barely acknowledging his second son's existence, he is often depicted as simple-minded and easy to fool unlike Edmund, though he still treats Edmund with kindness and respect. It
11325-462: The broadcast of baseball, rugby and hockey, the BBC emphasised service for a national rather than a regional audience. Boat races were well covered along with tennis and horse racing, but the BBC was reluctant to spend its severely limited air time on long football or cricket games, regardless of their popularity. John Reith and the BBC, with support from the Crown , determined the universal needs of
11476-429: The castle was hindered by bad weather – snow is visible in many of the outdoor location shots. For the duration of the production, Atkinson endured having his hair trimmed in an unflattering medieval style and wearing a selection of " priapic codpieces ". Atkinson has said about the making of the first series: The first series was odd, it was very extravagant. It cost a million pounds for the six programmes ... [which]
11627-631: The challenge of better reflecting and representing a changing UK". Since 2017, the BBC has also funded the Local Democracy Reporting Service , with up to 165 journalists employed by independent news organisations to report on local democracy issues on a pooled basis. In 2016, the BBC Director General Tony Hall announced a savings target of £800 million per year by 2021, which is about 23% of annual licence fee revenue. Having to take on
11778-547: The character. The budget for the series was considerable, with much location shooting particularly at Alnwick Castle in Northumberland and the surrounding countryside in February 1983. Brinkburn Priory , an authentic reconstruction of a medieval monastery church, was used for the episode " The Archbishop ". The series also used large casts of extras, as well as horses and expensive medieval-style costumes. Filming at
11929-469: The closure of BBC Television Centre in March 2013. On 16 February 2016, the BBC Three television service was discontinued and replaced by a digital outlet under the same name, targeting its young adult audience with web series and other content. Under the new royal charter instituted in 2017, the corporation must publish an annual report to Ofcom, outlining its plans and public service obligations for
12080-471: The common historical portrait of Richard III as an usurper who likely murdered the princes. Richard, Duke of York grew into "a big strong boy" (the fate of his elder brother, Edward V of England , is left unmentioned), and becomes his uncle's favourite, reflected by his being seated at the side of the king at the banquet on the eve of the Battle of Bosworth Field , which is a victory for the House of York during
12231-560: The contemporary Blackadder. The time travel narrative of the special also allowed writers to introduce more historical Darlings to the series' chronology: the Duke of Darling, aide to the Duke of Wellington (Fry), and the Duc de Darling, assistant to Napoleon I ( Simon Russell Beale ). The final Darling, however, is also a Blackadder and was portrayed by Atkinson in BBC promotional materials in 2002;
12382-408: The corporation began to sell off a number of its operational divisions to private owners; BBC Broadcast was spun off as a separate company in 2002, and in 2005, it was sold off to Australian -based Macquarie Capital Alliance Group and Macquarie Group Limited and rebranded Red Bee Media . The BBC's IT , telephony and broadcast technology were brought together as BBC Technology Ltd in 2001, and
12533-407: The costume party, where Blackadder exposes Ludwig who was posing as a cow; Blackadder realised that Ludwig's cow outfit was too good, while Nursie who always went as a cow had an udder fixation. When Ludwig attempts to flee while swearing he'll exact his revenge, Blackadder informs him that he will die and be buried, and throws a dagger at Ludwig that presumably either kills or wounds him off-screen, as
12684-406: The credits of the first series featured eccentric orderings of the cast list (such as " order of precedence ", "order of witchiness" and "order of disappearance") and included "with additional dialogue by William Shakespeare " and "made in glorious television". The series used the first incarnation of the Blackadder theme by Howard Goodall (with the exception of the unaired pilot, which featured
12835-493: The credits of this episode the name Flashheart is spelled Flasheart . Lord Flashheart is boisterous and an arrogant womaniser, attractive to all the women he meets. He is extremely popular among his peers and becomes the centre of attention whenever he enters a room, usually by bursting through a door in a spectacular fashion. The two Flashhearts are stereotypes of a certain kind of hero (the Elizabethan swashbuckler and
12986-561: The division was later sold to the German company Siemens IT Solutions and Services (SIS). SIS was subsequently acquired from Siemens by the French company Atos . Further divestments included BBC Books (sold to Random House in 2006); BBC Outside Broadcasts Ltd (sold in 2008 to Satellite Information Services ); Costumes and Wigs (stock sold in 2008 to Angels Costumes ); and BBC Magazines (sold to Immediate Media Company in 2011). After
13137-412: The entire royal court are killed after Lord Percy poisoned the entire vat of wine in an exaggerated attempt to kill the Black Seal, a group of assassins led by Edmund's archenemy. Gertrude of Flanders ( Elspet Gray ) is the wife of King Richard of England, Scotland and Ireland and mother of Princes Harry and Edmund . In attitude, Gertrude is mostly distant and absent-minded. She had an affair with
13288-641: The episodes was based on a medieval theme – the Wars of the Roses , the Crusades and royal succession , the conflict between the Crown and the Church , arranged marriages between monarchies, the Plague and witchcraft , and a planned coup d'état in the final episode. The series was broadcast shortly after the BBC Television Shakespeare productions of Shakespeare's four plays about
13439-522: The eve of the Battle of Bosworth Field , which in the series is won not by Henry Tudor (as in reality) but by Richard III. Richard III , played by Peter Cook , is presented as a good king who doted on his nephews, contrary to the Shakespearean view of him as a hunchbacked , infanticidal monster. After his victory in the battle, Richard III is unintentionally killed by Lord Edmund Plantagenet ; Richard attempts to take Edmund's horse, which he
13590-442: The experiences of Prince Edmund, who styles himself as "The Black Adder", and his two sidekicks: the imbecilic Lord Percy Percy , the Duke of Northumberland ( Tim McInnerny ); and Baldrick ( Tony Robinson ), a more intelligent servant who Edmund takes on as his squire. By the end of the series, events converge with accepted history. King Richard IV and his entire family are accidentally killed with wine poisoned by Percy meant for
13741-407: The facilitation of a loan to Prime Minister Boris Johnson . Dame Elan Closs Stephens was appointed as acting chairwoman on 27 June 2023, and she would lead the BBC board for a year or until a new permanent chair has been appointed. Samir Shah was subsequently appointed with effect from 4 March 2024. In October 2024 it was announced that the BBC along with Sky Sports signed a deal to broadcast
13892-404: The famous Australian soprano Dame Nellie Melba . The Melba broadcast caught the people's imagination and marked a turning point in the British public's attitude to radio. However, this public enthusiasm was not shared in official circles where such broadcasts were held to interfere with important military and civil communications. By late 1920, the pressure from these quarters and uneasiness among
14043-511: The final episode, his quest to overthrow him. Conceived while Atkinson and Curtis were working on Not the Nine O'Clock News , the series presents medieval issues in Britain in a humorous and often anachronistic manner— witchcraft , royal succession , European relations , the Crusades and the conflict between the Crown and the Church . The filming of the series was ambitious, as it featured
14194-399: The first episode. As the Wars of the Roses reach their climax, Edmund arrives late for battle and accidentally kills the King and becomes a prince when Richard IV becomes king. With the ghost of Richard III haunting Edmund's every waking moment, he must do his best to keep it a secret, until three wise women give Edmund some seemingly fantastic news. After a witch test goes wrong, Edmund
14345-447: The first fully electronic television system in the world to be used in regular broadcasting. The success of broadcasting provoked animosities between the BBC and well-established media such as theatres, concert halls and the recording industry. By 1929, the BBC complained that the agents of many comedians refused to sign contracts for broadcasting, because they feared it harmed the artist "by making his material stale" and that it "reduces
14496-414: The first series. John Lloyd recalls that a colleague commented at the time that the series "looks a million dollars, but cost a million pounds", although he admits that they were proud of the result at the time. Due to the high cost of the first series, the controller of BBC1 when the second series was commissioned, Michael Grade , was reluctant to authorise a second series without major cost-cutting, leaving
14647-429: The following year, BBC Choice was launched as the third general entertainment channel from the BBC. The BBC also purchased The Parliamentary Channel, which was renamed BBC Parliament . In 1999, BBC Knowledge launched as a multimedia channel, with services available on the newly launched BBC Text digital teletext service (later rebranded as BBC Red Button), and on BBC Online . The channel had an educational aim, which
14798-402: The forthcoming ending of the remaining £253 million funding towards pensioner licence fees would increase financial pressures. In January 2021, it was reported that former banker Richard Sharp would succeed David Clementi , as chairman, when he stepped down in February. In March 2023, the BBC was at the centre of a political row with football pundit Gary Lineker , after he criticised
14949-506: The four national channels, a series of local BBC radio stations were established in 1967, including Radio London . In 1969, the BBC Enterprises department was formed to exploit BBC brands and programmes for commercial spin-off products. In 1979, it became a wholly owned limited company, BBC Enterprises Ltd. In 1974, the BBC's teletext service, Ceefax , was introduced, created initially to provide subtitling, but developed into
15100-633: The full cost of running the BBC World Service and the BBC Monitoring service from the Foreign and Commonwealth Office, and partially finance the Welsh broadcaster S4C . Further cuts were announced on 6 October 2011, so the BBC could reach a total reduction in their budget of 20%, following the licence fee freeze in October 2010, which included cutting staff by 2,000 and sending a further 1,000 to
15251-647: The government. Throughout the 1930s, political broadcasts had been closely monitored by the BBC. In 1935, the BBC censored the broadcasts of Oswald Mosley and Harry Pollitt . Mosley was a leader of the British Union of Fascists , and Pollitt a leader of the Communist Party of Great Britain . They had been contracted to provide a series of five broadcasts on their parties' politics. The BBC, in conjunction with The Foreign Office of Britain, first suspended this series and ultimately cancelled it without
15402-405: The higher resolution 625-line standard which had been standardised across Europe. BBC2 was broadcast in colour from 1 July 1967 and was joined by BBC1 and ITV on 15 November 1969. The 405-line VHF transmissions of BBC1 (and ITV) were continued for compatibility with older television receivers until 1985. Starting in 1964, a series of pirate radio stations (starting with Radio Caroline ) came on
15553-427: The idea for the sitcom while working on Not the Nine O'Clock News . Eager to avoid comparisons to the critically acclaimed Fawlty Towers , they proposed the idea of a historical sitcom. An unaired pilot episode was made in 1982, and a six-episode series was commissioned. In the unaired pilot episode , covering the basic plot of " Born to Be King ", Rowan Atkinson speaks, dresses and generally looks and acts like
15704-549: The late 1980s, the BBC began a process of divestment by spinning off and selling parts of its organisation. In 1988, it sold off the Hulton Press Library, a photographic archive which had been acquired from the Picture Post magazine by the BBC in 1957. The archive was sold to Brian Deutsch and is now owned by Getty Images . In 1987, the BBC decided to centralize its operations by the management team with
15855-427: The later Blackadder descendants of the second series onwards, but no reason is given as to why he was instead changed to a snivelling wretch for the first series. Richard Curtis has stated he cannot remember the exact reason, but has suggested it was because they wanted to have a more complicated character (implying that the change was driven by the writing) instead of a swaggering lead from the pilot. Curtis admitted in
16006-686: The leader of the Free French, made a speech, broadcast by the BBC, urging the French people not to capitulate to the Nazis. In October 1940, Princesses Elizabeth and Margaret made their first radio broadcast for the BBC's Children's Hour , addressing other children who had been evacuated from cities. In 1938, John Reith and the Government of the United Kingdom , specifically the Ministry of Information which had been set up for WWII, designed
16157-595: The loss-making consortium, and Reith was keen that the BBC be seen as a public service rather than a commercial enterprise. The recommendations of the Crawford Committee were published in March the following year and were still under consideration by the GPO when the 1926 United Kingdom general strike broke out in May. The strike temporarily interrupted newspaper production, and with restrictions on news bulletins waived,
16308-776: The material their broadcasts would cover. Nothing was to be added outside the preordained news items. For example, the BBC Polish Service was heavily censored due to fears of jeopardising relations with the Soviet Union . Controversial topics, i.e. the contested Polish and Soviet border, the deportation of Polish citizens, the arrests of Polish Home Army members and the Katyn massacre , were not included in Polish broadcasts. American radio broadcasts were broadcast across Europe on BBC channels. This material also passed through
16459-597: The modest, church-going elderly or a member of the Clergy . Until 1928, entertainers broadcasting on the BBC, both singers and "talkers" were expected to avoid biblical quotations, Clerical impersonations and references, references to drink or Prohibition in the United States , vulgar and doubtful matter and political allusions. The BBC excluded popular foreign music and musicians from its broadcasts, while promoting British alternatives. On 5 March 1928, Stanley Baldwin,
16610-509: The most serious villain in the Blackadder franchise, having successfully murdered the main cast as well as being the only villain in the series not to have been killed off or even brought to justice for the crimes he committed. From a real-world point of view, this is part of Hugh Laurie's continuous set of appearances in Blackadder , but the last of those in which he is only credited as a guest actor, Laurie having made his debut appearance in
16761-613: The name Sir Osmond Darling-Blackadder suggests an unknown familial union between Blackadders and Darlings at some point in their histories. George ( Hugh Laurie ) appears in Blackadder the Third as "Prince George", Prince Regent of England and an "upper-class twit"; Lt. The Hon. George Colthurst St Barleigh , an overexcited and keen young lieutenant in Blackadder Goes Forth ; and "Lt. The Hon. George Bufton-Tufton" in Blackadder: Back & Forth . Bob
16912-413: The new corporation adopted the coat of arms , including the motto "Nation shall speak peace unto Nation". British radio audiences had little choice apart from the upscale programming of the BBC. Reith, an intensely moralistic executive, was in full charge. His goal was to broadcast "All that is best in every department of human knowledge, endeavour and achievement.... The preservation of a high moral tone
17063-477: The next year. In its 2017–18 report, released July 2017, the BBC announced plans to "re-invent" its output to better compete against commercial streaming services such as Netflix . These plans included increasing the diversity of its content on television and radio, a major increase in investments towards digital children's content, and plans to make larger investments in Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland to "rise to
17214-413: The notice of the public. Less radical politicians faced similar censorship. In 1938, Winston Churchill proposed a series of talks regarding British domestic and foreign politics and affairs but was similarly censored. The censorship of political discourse by the BBC was a precursor to the total shutdown of political debate that manifested over the BBC's wartime airwaves. The Foreign Office maintained that
17365-559: The opinions of those in Parliament who are not nominated by Party Leaders or Party Whips, thus stifling independent, non-official views. In October 1932, the policemen of the Metropolitan Police Federation marched in protest at a proposed pay cut. Fearing dissent within the police force and public support for the movement, the BBC censored its coverage of the events, only broadcasting official statements from
17516-407: The people of Britain and broadcast content according to these perceived standards. Reith effectively censored anything that he felt would be harmful, directly or indirectly. While recounting his time with the BBC in 1935, Raymond Postgate claims that BBC broadcasters were made to submit a draft of their potential broadcast for approval. It was expected that they tailored their content to accommodate
17667-444: The popular arts category in 1983. The four series of Blackadder were voted into second place in the BBC's Britain's Best Sitcom in 2004 with 282,106 votes, although the series' advocate, John Sergeant , was not complimentary of the first series, suggesting it was "grandiose, confused and expensive". Members of the cast and crew, looking back for the documentary Blackadder Rides Again , are also not particularly complimentary of
17818-435: The positive impression created by its balanced coverage of the views of government and strikers, Seaton has characterised the episode as the invention of "modern propaganda in its British form". Reith argued that trust gained by 'authentic impartial news' could then be used. Impartial news was not necessarily an end in itself. The BBC did well out of the crisis, which cemented a national audience for its broadcasting, and it
17969-482: The post, with a note saying 'We regret, etc.'" In the 1930s music broadcasts also enjoyed great popularity, for example the friendly and wide-ranging BBC Theatre Organ broadcasts at St George's Hall , London by Reginald Foort , who held the official role of BBC Staff Theatre Organist from 1936 to 1938. Television broadcasting was suspended from 1 September 1939 to 7 June 1946, during the World War II , and it
18120-491: The previous Blackadder II episode, "Beer" as Simon Partridge or "Farters Parters" and "Mr. Ostrich", a drunk. He remains one of two actors in the Blackadder series to have played two completely different characters in the same series, Blackadder II (the other being Rowan Atkinson himself, who played Mr. E. Blackadder and his Scottish cousin MacAdder in the Blackadder the Third series finale episode, "Duel and Duality"). Laurie
18271-466: The public should not be aware of their role in the censorship. From 1935 to 1939, the BBC also attempted to unite the British Empire's radio waves, sending staff to Egypt, Palestine , Newfoundland , Jamaica, India, Canada and South Africa. Reith personally visited South Africa, lobbying for state-run radio programmes which was accepted by South African Parliament in 1936. A similar programme
18422-423: The radio and television divisions joining forces together for the first time, the activities of the news and currents departments and coordinated jointly under the new directorate. During the 1990s, this process continued with the separation of certain operational arms of the corporation into autonomous but wholly owned subsidiaries , with the aim of generating additional revenue for programme-making. BBC Enterprises
18573-413: The real Percy family . Unlike the first two Blackadders and Baldricks , the two Lord Percys are almost identical; both are portrayed as dim-witted, gullible and foppish. In the first series, Percy is Duke of Northumberland , while in the second he is heir to the title. The title of Duke of Northumberland was not in fact held by a real person surnamed Percy until 1766, when Hugh Percy, born Hugh Smithson,
18724-401: The rest of the group celebrate the fact that Ludwig has been defeated. However, after the end credits have aired, it is revealed that Ludwig has resurfaced and, now disguised as Queenie after murdering her, has gone on to kill the entire main cast by using a dagger to cut their throats although it is implied that he broke Blackadder's neck or strangled or suffocated Melchett. Ludwig is regarded as
18875-443: The sales of OBs and costumes, the remainder of BBC Resources was reorganised as BBC Studios and Post Production , which continues today as a wholly owned subsidiary of the BBC. The 2004 Hutton Inquiry and the subsequent report raised questions about the BBC's journalistic standards and its impartiality. This led to resignations of senior management members at the time including the then Director General, Greg Dyke . In January 2007,
19026-493: The same personality and mannerisms. In Ben Elton's 2016 sitcom Upstart Crow , Tim Downie 's character Christopher Marlowe resembles Flashheart. "Queenie" ( Miranda Richardson ) is a caricature of the historical figure Queen Elizabeth I of England featured in Blackadder II . Though she is only twice referred to as "Queenie" in the series, this name is commonly used by the general public. In contrast to
19177-420: The series) in " The Black Seal ". The title sequence included stock shots of Edmund riding his horse on location, interspersed with shots of him doing silly things (and, usually, a shot of King Richard IV to go with Brian Blessed's credit). The closing titles were a similar sequence of Edmund riding, eventually falling off his horse, after which the camera continues following the horse as it goes on running. All
19328-416: The series, however, and he begins showing signs of what his descendants will be like by the final episode, where he begins insulting everyone around him and making his own plans. This evolution follows naturally from the character's situation. "The Black Adder" is the title that Edmund adopts during the first episode (after first considering "The Black Vegetable"). Presumably one of his descendants adopted it as
19479-469: The staff of the licensing authority, the General Post Office (GPO), was sufficient to lead to a ban on further Chelmsford broadcasts. But by 1922, the GPO had received nearly 100 broadcast licence requests and moved to rescind its ban in the wake of a petition by 63 wireless societies with over 3,000 members. Anxious to avoid the same chaotic expansion experienced in the United States,
19630-427: The strategy for the corporation, assesses the performance of the BBC's executive board in delivering the BBC's services, and appoints the director-general. Ofcom is responsible for the regulation of the BBC. The board consists of the following members: The executive committee is responsible for the day-to-day operations of the broadcaster. Consisting of senior managers of the BBC, the committee meets once per month and
19781-435: The usual regal and austere depiction of Elizabeth I, Miranda Richardson's portrayal is childish, spoiled and silly, possessing a fiery temper. Amanda Barrie 's portrayal of Cleopatra in the 1964 film Carry On Cleo as a childish seductress has been suggested as an inspiration for Richardson's interpretation of Elizabeth I. It has been remarked that Queenie closely resembles the character Violet Elizabeth Bott featured in
19932-563: The value of the artist as a visible music-hall performer". On the other hand, the BBC was "keenly interested" in a cooperation with the recording companies who "in recent years ... have not been slow to make records of singers, orchestras, dance bands, etc. who have already proved their power to achieve popularity by wireless." Radio plays were so popular that the BBC had received 6,000 manuscripts by 1929, most of them written for stage and of little value for broadcasting: "Day in and day out, manuscripts come in, and nearly all go out again through
20083-519: The £700 million cost for free TV licences for the over-75 pensioners, and rapid inflation in drama and sport coverage costs, was given as the reason. Duplication of management and content spending would be reduced, and there would be a review of BBC News . In September 2019, the BBC launched the Trusted News Initiative to work with news and social media companies to combat disinformation about national elections. In 2020,
20234-654: Was Queen Elizabeth's real governesses, Kat Ashley , Margaret Bryan and Blanche Parry . Prince Henry "Harry" Plantagenet, Earl of March (1460–1498) ( Robert East ) was in The Black Adder (series 1). His Royal titles were the Prince of Wales , Earl of March, Captain of the Guard, Grand Warden of the Northern and Eastern Marches, Chief Lunatic of the Duchy of Gloucester, Viceroy of Wales, Sheriff of Nottingham , Marquess of
20385-577: Was a lot of money to spend ... It looked great, but it wasn't as consistently funny as we would have liked. Robinson said in 2003 that he was originally flattered to be offered a part and it was only later he found that other small-part actors had also been offered the role and turned it down. The series guest-starred noted actors including Peter Cook and Peter Benson in " The Foretelling "; Miriam Margolyes and Jim Broadbent in " The Queen of Spain's Beard "; Frank Finlay in " Witchsmeller Pursuivant "; and Rik Mayall and Patrick Allen (who also narrated
20536-442: Was a widely reported urban myth that, upon resumption of the BBC television service after the war, announcer Leslie Mitchell started by saying, "As I was saying before we were so rudely interrupted ..." In fact, the first person to appear when transmission resumed was Jasmine Bligh and the words said were "Good afternoon, everybody. How are you? Do you remember me, Jasmine Bligh ... ?" The European Broadcasting Union
20687-499: Was adopted in Canada. Through collaboration with these state-run broadcasting centres, Reith left a legacy of cultural influence across the empire of Great Britain with his departure from the corporation in 1938. Experimental television broadcasts were started in 1929, using an electromechanical 30-line system developed by John Logie Baird . Limited regular broadcasts using this system began in 1932, and an expanded service (now named
20838-605: Was awarded the title, although the title of the Earl of Northumberland was granted to a Percy in 1377. Introduced in its fourth iteration, Blackadder Goes Forth , Captain Kevin Darling ( Tim McInnerny ) is main character Captain Edmund Blackadder ( Rowan Atkinson )'s intellectual peer and bitter rival (just like Melchett was in season 2); while Blackadder reluctantly serves in World War I trenches , Darling
20989-519: Was divided on how to handle the BBC, but ended up trusting Reith, whose opposition to the strike mirrored the PM's own. Although Winston Churchill in particular wanted to commandeer the BBC to use it "to the best possible advantage", Reith wrote that Stanley Baldwin 's government wanted to be able to say "that they did not commandeer [the BBC], but they know that they can trust us not to be really impartial". Thus
21140-671: Was followed by the Government's acceptance of the recommendation made by the Crawford Committee (1925–26) that the British Broadcasting Company be replaced by a non-commercial, Crown-chartered organisation: the British Broadcasting Corporation. The British Broadcasting Corporation came into existence on 1 January 1927, and Reith – newly knighted – was appointed its first director general. To represent its purpose and (stated) values,
21291-479: Was formed on 12 February 1950, in Torquay with the BBC among the 23 founding broadcasting organisations. Competition to the BBC was introduced in 1955, with the commercial and independently operated television network of Independent Television (ITV) . However, the BBC monopoly on radio services would persist until 8 October 1973 when under the control of the newly renamed Independent Broadcasting Authority (IBA),
21442-509: Was its first director of music. The company was to be financed by a royalty on the sale of BBC wireless receiving sets from approved domestic manufacturers. To this day, the BBC aims to follow the Reithian directive to "inform, educate and entertain". The financial arrangements soon proved inadequate. Set sales were disappointing as amateurs made their own receivers and listeners bought rival unlicensed sets. By mid-1923, discussions between
21593-596: Was left to BBC Radio broadcasters such as Reginald Foort to keep the nation's spirits up. The BBC moved most of its radio operations out of London, initially to Bristol , and then to Bedford . Concerts were broadcast from the Bedford Corn Exchange ; the Trinity Chapel in St Paul's Church, Bedford was the studio for the daily service from 1941 to 1945, and, in the darkest days of the war in 1941,
21744-543: Was made explicit for the duration of its current broadcast licence, as was the prohibition on advertising. To avoid competition with newspapers, Fleet Street persuaded the government to ban news bulletins before 7 pm and the BBC was required to source all news from external wire services. The Radio Times , the world's first and longest-running radio and television listings magazine, was launched by Reith in September 1923. The first edition, subtitled "The official organ of
21895-400: Was modified later on in its life to offer documentaries. In 2002, several television and radio channels were reorganised. BBC Knowledge was replaced by BBC Four and became the BBC's arts and documentaries channel. CBBC , which had been a programming strand as Children's BBC since 1985, was split into CBBC and CBeebies , for younger children, with both new services getting a digital channel:
22046-475: Was only borrowing for losing his own steed. Not recognizing the king, Edmund thinks Richard is stealing it and cuts his head off. The late King's nephew, Richard, Duke of York (played by Brian Blessed ) who is Lord Edmund Plantagenet 's father, is then crowned as Richard IV. Lord Edmund himself did not take part in the battle after arriving late, but later claims to have killed 450 peasants and several nobles, one of whom had actually been killed by his brother in
22197-461: Was reorganised and relaunched in 1995, as BBC Worldwide Ltd. In 1998, BBC studios, outside broadcasts, post production, design, costumes and wigs were spun off into BBC Resources Ltd. The BBC Research & Development has played a major part in the development of broadcasting and recording techniques. The BBC was also responsible for the development of the NICAM stereo standard. In recent decades,
22348-479: Was replaced by BBC Two HD in the same month. On 18 October 2007, BBC Director General Mark Thompson announced a controversial plan to make major cuts and reduce the size of the BBC as an organisation. The plans included a reduction in posts of 2,500; including 1,800 redundancies, consolidating news operations, reducing programming output by 10% and selling off the flagship Television Centre building in London. These plans were fiercely opposed by unions, who threatened
22499-482: Was surprised when they asked me. Very honouring that they asked me. 'Alright,' I said, 'I'll do it, as long as I get more laughs than Rowan. ' " The writing for Lord Flashheart seems to have been at least in part inspired by George MacDonald Fraser ’s, adaptation of Harry Flashman . The character of Robin Hood in Blackadder: Back and Forth , also played by Mayall, is essentially another version of Flashheart, with
22650-420: Was the first to do so, with Atkinson second. Laurie would later join the main cast for Blackadder the Third and Blackadder Goes Forth ; possibly, they all share a common ancestor. (Lt. George had a German uncle, so this is not out of the question.) King Richard IV ( Brian Blessed ) is the father of Prince Harry and Prince Edmund Plantagenet ("The Black Adder") and features in the first series. The character
22801-409: Was therefore bullied by his classmates, who gave him the nickname, "Shorty Greasy Spot-Spot". He despises the name to such an extent that he flies into a rage whenever it is mentioned in his presence. As a result, he became a power-hungry megalomaniac, determined to fulfil his goal of becoming King of England by any means necessary. Once his men capture Blackadder and Melchett, he keeps them imprisoned in
#266733