Another significant difference is that the character of Prince Edmund presented in the pilot is much closer to the intelligent, conniving Blackadder of the later series than the snivelling, weak buffoon of the original.

Prior to the production of the first Blackadder series, a pilot episode was shot in 1982 which was set in the Elizabethan Era.

The first portrayal of Prince Harry in the Blackadder story world was in the pilot episode which was shot in 1983 but never broadcast.

* Vivian Blackadder, a character on NCIS ( only pilot episodes from JAG )

His last television role was in the pilot episode for the comedy series Blackadder in 1982.

Also in the 2004 TV poll to find " Britain's Best Sitcom ", Blackadder was voted the second-best British sitcom of all time, topped by Only Fools and Horses.

This was followed by a second series, Blackadder II ( 1986 ) set during the reign of Elizabeth I, a third series Blackadder the Third ( 1987 ) set during the late 18th and early 19th centuries in the reign of George III, and finally Blackadder Goes Forth ( 1989 ) in 1917, set in the trenches of the Great War.

The Black Adder was the first series of Blackadder and was written by Richard Curtis and Rowan Atkinson, and produced by John Lloyd.

The second series was the first to establish the familiar Blackadder character: cunning, shrewd and witty, in sharp contrast to the bumbling Prince Edmund of the first series.

It was the following insult directed at Lord Percy by Edmund Blackadder: " The eyes are open, the mouth moves, but Mr. Brain has long since departed, hasn't he, Percy?

Blackadder: Back & Forth was originally shown in the Millennium Dome in 2000, followed by a screening on Sky One in the same year ( and later on BBC1 ).

Throughout the year, the specially-commissioned film Blackadder: Back & Forth was shown in Skyscape ( a separate cinema on the site sponsored by BSkyB ).

Later series ( Blackadder II, Blackadder the Third, Blackadder Goes Forth ) moved the duo through history and switched the relationship: the Edmund Blackadder of Blackadder II was a brilliant schemer, whereas Baldrick had devolved into a buffoon whose catchphrase was " I have a cunning plan " ( which he rarely had ).

A soldier under the pay of Bothwell, William Blackadder of the Clan Blackadder, was allegedly the first non-participant to happen upon the scene, and for that reason was initially treated as a suspect.

The castle is popular with film-makers: Harry Potter ; Blackadder and Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves are some of the films shot here.

In the final episode, after a saga which involved Edmund and the Prince swapping coats and assuming each other's identity to protect the Prince from the vengeance of the Duke of Wellington, Blackadder is shot at point-blank range by a cannon, but survives because of a metal cigarillo case that the Duke had given him.

Captain Blackadder claims to have joined the army in 1888, when " if you saw someone in a skirt, you shot him and nicked his country ".

After Baldrick and Blackadder are shot down and captured by the Imperial German Army, Flashheart and Lieutenant George mount a rescue mission.

It is implied in each series that the Blackadder character is a descendant of the previous one, although it is never mentioned how any of the Blackadders manage to father children.

In a twist on Charles Dickens ' A Christmas Carol, Ebenezer Blackadder is the " kindest and loveliest " man in England.

It is set on the turn of the millennium, and features Lord Blackadder placing a bet with his friends – modern versions of Queenie ( Miranda Richardson ), Melchett ( Stephen Fry ), George ( Hugh Laurie ) and Darling ( Tim McInnerny ) – that he has built a working time machine.

In addition to his acting on Blackadder, he also wrote and narrated several Jackanory-style children's programmes, encouraged by Richard Curtis.

After Blackadder, Robinson became the narrator and one of the lead actors for the British animated series Nellie the Elephant, based on a song of the same name.

Notable acting roles include the lead in the film Wilde, Melchett in the BBC television series Blackadder, the titular character in the the television series Kingdom, a recurring guest role as Dr. Gordon Wyatt on the crime series Bones and as Gordon Deitrich in the dystopian thriller V for Vendetta.

There is also usually another main character who is on a par with him in terms of intelligence and serves as someone for him to play games of one-upmanship with, such as Lord Melchett and Captain Darling, but these characters are typically sycophantic toadies who suck up to their superiors like Queenie and General Melchett, whom Blackadder himself is also forced to reluctantly serve.

He made guest appearances on Blackadder as the painter Leonardo Acropolis and Shelley as pop star Hobo with Hywel Bennett as James Shelley.

Laurie appeared in the music videos for the 1986 single " Experiment IV " by Kate Bush, and the 1992 single " Walking on Broken Glass " by Annie Lennox, in full Georgian-period costume, a toned-down version of his Prince George character from Blackadder the Third, opposite John Malkovich, similarly reprising his role of the Vicomte Valmont from Dangerous Liaisons.

The opening theme for Blackadder Goes Forth includes Baldrick playing a single note on a triangle at the end of the song.

* Edmund Blackadder wrote on Sputnikmusic. com that Farewell was " Rush's masterpiece ( closely followed by Hemispheres )", describing the instrumentation as " absolutely brilliant, with every musician at the peak of their talents " and praised the album for its " wide variety of different song types and structures ".

In 1508 he as elected as Bishop of Galloway, in succession to George Vaus, but before his consecration he was chosen to succeed Robert Blackadder as Archbishop of Glasgow and was consecrated at Stirling on 15 April 1509.

Blackadder was appointed to become coach of the Crusaders on 23 July.

When Lieutenant George is injured and sent to the military infirmary, Captain Blackadder visits him with the ulterior motive of getting his hands on the food sent to George by his family, whom Blackadder refers to as a " collection of inbred mutants ".

When George retorts that his family are not inbred, Blackadder replies, " Come on, somewhere outside Saffron Walden there's an uncle who's seven feet tall with no chin and an Adam's apple that makes him look as though he's constantly trying to swallow a ballcock ", to which George replies, " I have not got any uncles like that!

Greenlaw is a small town situated in the foothills of the Lammermuir Hills on Blackadder Water at the junction of the A697 and the A6105 in the Scottish Borders area of Scotland.

* Leonardo Acropolis, a painter on the BBC sitcom Blackadder

Such was Hanna's identification with by-elections that in 1987 he was a guest star in Blackadder the Third, reporting on S. Baldrick's victory at the rotten borough of Dunny-on-the-Wold in the episode Dish and Dishonesty ( and credited as " his own great-great-great-grandfather ").

The Queen demonstrates feelings for Blackadder that, on occasion, the audience is given cause to believe may border on something deeper than casual flirting.

It is mentioned in the BBC TV Comedy Series Blackadder the Third in the episode where the Prince Regent believes that the Duke of Wellington is after him.

* " Money " ( Blackadder ), a TV episode

* Blackadder, comedy TV series

* Blackadder, comedy TV series

* Edmund Blackadder, butler to Prince George the Prince Regent, in the TV Series Blackadder the Third.

One of her first major TV appearances was in Blackadder II, which Elton co-wrote.

A more recent radio appearance was in The Ape That Got Lucky and has appeared in TV shows such as Press Gang, Chef !, Big Train, Blackadder the Third: Dish and Dishonesty, Chelmsford 123, Jonathan Creek, 15 Storeys High, Armstrong and Miller.

A number of notable comedy movers and shakers have produced the programme, including John Lloyd ( Blackadder producer and deviser of QI ), TV executive Geoffrey Perkins, Have I Got News for You producer Harry Thompson and writer and director Armando Iannucci.

HM King Edmund III, formerly Lord Blackadder is the modern day descendant of fictional character Edmund Blackadder in the Blackadder TV series.

The modern day Blackadder is linked with the descendants of the supporting characters in series 2-4 of the TV series.

In " Goodbyeee ", an episode of the TV series Blackadder, the main character pretends to be insane by answering every question with a word variously believed to be wibble or wubble.