I love Black Adder and there are many amazing one-liners. But my favorite is: "Millions have died, but our troops have advanced no further than an asthmatic ant with some heavy shopping." Funny, sad and thought-provoking, all in one line.
Ah, the acting abilities of Hugh Laurie. I am currently watching him here on Blackadder and at the same time my wife is watching him on House. A national treasure!
If you are English of course.... Cos the Yanks wouldn't have a clue about anything in this collage! (No...., college is something they went to and still came out as thick as fuck!) I've just Trumped for the World.... (sorry)....
Lets face it, he was the archytypical British Upper-crust knob-'ead commonly shown in many-a-comedy. BUT, based mostly on WW1's boss, Field Marshall Dougliss Haigh.
I loved the line "We don't want you missing the boat race do we?" - Hugh Laurie was a really good rower in his youth and was on course to become an Olympic-standard rower. He took part in the Oxford-Cambridge boat race of 1980 for Cambridge.
I remember years ago my dad showing me this programme, ever since I’ve been hooked. Honestly, Stephen Fry’s delivery of “THE FLANDERS PIGEON MURDERER” will never fail to make me laugh. These series’ belong in a museum!
@@MarlboroughBlenheim1 So you're saying Richard Curtis's writing for the first series was as good as Ben Elton's writing from the second series through to Goes Forth? ..... Really?
@@MarlboroughBlenheim1 It was Elton who came in after season 1 and transformed the show. In season 1, Blackadder was the buffoon and Baldrick was the smart one. It worked so much better when the roles were swapped. Tony Robinson was much better at playing the idiot, did it dead pan, and Rowan was a much better at playing the unscrupulous Blackadder.
The absolute God that is Stephen Fry, with an all star cast, in an absolute masterpiece. Grew up on a healthy diet of Blackadder, the Young Ones, and various quality British humour, but Blackadder was always my favourite. Still regularly quote it and reference it.
I have it permanently downloaded on my pc and keep rewatching it on occasion. If there wasn't a laugh track, it would've been the best comedy show ever. I mean it still is, but..
This is truly one of the all-time great British comedies, such fantastic writing & acting. The absurd line about Melchett & Darling being 'right behind you' to Baldrick is highlighted brilliantly by Blackadder's 'about 35 miles behind you.' response.
I think Blackadder was one of the few series that got better as it went on. The first seasons were great. The final two were out of this world, so funny, so true!
I doubt that the BBC would be allowed to make comedy of this type anymore. The internal and external thought killjoy police (otherwise known as the PC brigade) would stifle it at birth. I have an ex sister in law who has no sense of humour except her all consuming greed. She constantly makes snide remarks and giggles at her own perceived sense of humour involving her wealth (she owns 2 properties and has, from what I understand from her, considerable cash reserves in several accounts.) She is constantly getting estate agents round to give her valuations of her properties. I made a humorous remark by text a few days ago regarding my right eye which I'd had laser treatment for last year. I said that my eyeball was OK but the socket had to come out. She text me back saying don't let them do it. The joke went straight over her head. I thought she was joking as well but no, she was serious. I had to text her back to say I had been joking. Unbelievable! When I go to visit I'm not allowed to tell any jokes in case I tell a dirty one. I don't stay long, but feel obliged to visit because her husband recently died suddenly of cancer (not my brother, of course!). The point I'm trying to make is that there are people out there who are totally humourless!
@@timmceniry9536 To be moved to reply to my comment, you must be one of them, stung into making a snivelling remark such as "Pointless drivel". Are you an overweight gender identifier who dresses in women's clothing, complete with dirty blond wig, laddered stockings, smeared bright red lipstick and a stubble face, pockmarked with untreated acne, perhaps?
From NL, we were fortunate enough that we had cable TV at the time, allowing us to view the BBC channels (especially BBC2) and all the comedies on them. And from all of those, Blackadder was and after all these years, still is my absolute favorite comedy. 🇳🇱❤️🇬🇧
I quite like the idea of the german high command sending a letter to the british general in command reminding him it´s about time he changed his shirt.
Stepehen Frys part in this is one of the best ever acting performances I’ve ever seen. For someone with manic depression he’s certainly made many of my days. I don’t think he knows how great he is.
Oh, the first series had some brilliant moments too - such as Blackadder trying to explain how many people he'd killed at Bosworth Field, and the Spanish Infanta's translator in the bedroom....
Blackadder 3 aired in late 1987. Which makes Stephen Fry not yet 30 when playing Wellington, and younger still during the Elizabethan season. Impressive stature for such a young age 👍
This was AWESOME. I loved that Stephen Fry, Hugh Laurie AND Rowan Atkinson did many skits together! Thanks for this 11-minute sample of clips, and I'll end it here today or else I'm watching classic BBC comedy all day and speaking in my English accent all day! haha!
Over 200 British Generals became casualties in WW1. So there's that. Also, while the scripts for Blackadder are top notch, its the delivery of the lines that made them all so bloody funny. Good job everyone, good job.
@@martinkulkarni3569 Your chance of getting killed was about 50% higher if you were an officer. Don't know the figures for specific ranks, but generals were (a) much less numerous than other ranks (b) actually supposed to be in charge of things, co-ordinating tens of thousands of men along a front of several miles. That's the reason they were usually in a position a little behind the trenches, from there they could more easily work out what was going on and give orders. They had all been fighting soldiers themselves earlier in their careers, so the insinuation that they were fools and cowards who spent the war living it up in chateaux far from the front line where the real fighters died is a caricature.
@@alemgas To be fair, at Waterloo, Napoleon ordered 9,000 cavalry against the allied lines. They attacked for 4 hours and the result was the same: thousands of dead horses. I guess it was just the thing to do 😉
It is funny but i think even funnier is the one in Blackadder Goes Forth where Gen Melchett explains what happens to George's rabbit when he visited him for his birthday...
@@terencej72 'You had a lovely rabbit' 'Flossy' 'Thats right Flossy. You remember what happened to him'? 'You shot him' 'Yes but it was the kindest thing to do after that car had ran over him' 'Your car sir' 'Yes my car but that to was an act of mercy after that dog had been set on him' 'Your dog sir'
Yes ! - And "Darling" is a real surname. Imagine being an unfortunate kid at school with that name. Almost as bad as being Jimmy Mycock. When the teacher shouts, "Stand up Mycock", one can imagine the class erupting in laughter. I know a bloke called Mycock. Shame I wasn't in his class at school.
@@and7barton A bit off the beaten track, as it were, when I was in the army in Germany in the 60s/70s, being gay was a military offence. One day a couple of guys were caught in bed together which caused a huge legal (militarily) row, in as much that it couldn't be ignored. However, I'm of the opinion that they weren't gay but just so drunk that they fell asleep in the same bed after a heavy night on the sauce. They were duly charged with whatever the army act was and put the regimental jail which was also the guard house at the main gate. There was also a pay office corporal who was known for his standard greeting of, "What's your query, lad?" if you had to go to the pay office for any reason. One of the prisoners had to go to the pay office and was greeted by this corporal with his standard "What's your query lad?" The whole place erupted with laughter, as you can imagine. We have Alastair Darling, the MP. Or did have. I haven't heard anything about him for a long time so maybe he's no longer an MP.
One can only hope that this bloody silly country of ours will grow a pair of testicles and return to some kind of normality. My fear is I may die long before this happens.
Stephen Fry and Hugh Lawrie being violent to each other (specifically Fry knocking Hugh about is so expertly done. Mainly thank's to Hugh being so good at playing at getting hit.).
@@Bobba8590 The person who made this comment spelt it as "Willington" intentionally. To imitate Melchetts pronunciation. If you watched the show, you probably would've picked it up.
I just LOVE Blackadder & watch all my boxed episodes whenever life gets abit iffy & im soon Tally Ho ! & all that. I used to go to school in Northern England with a girl called Catherine Darling & she was direct descendant to the famous Grace Darling who with her father launched the life boat in a terrible storm to rescue the people from a sinking ship off the Northumberland coast in the 1800's, & losing her life. Life around Catherine was jovial regarding her name & many situations funny like Capt Melchitts Darling! I also love Prince George disguising himself as Blackadder & Baldrick as a bridesmaid to Blackadders wedding! So funny when Sir Percy got besotted wth him/her 🤣🤣🤣
I live in Tyneside and a dental nurse in my street has a married name of Wouldhave, and she never knew that there is a Wouldhave public house in South Tyneside! That name comes from a famous family in the history of lifeboats on the north east coast.
@@martinkulkarni3569 lol, i used to have a neighbour years ago called Tom Gotobed ( go to bed) Good job he wasnt called Ted Also, my cousin married a copper stationed in Blyth, Northumberland & he booked a guy in for being palatic drunk & asked his name for the paperwork charge sheet, the guy said Donald Duck... well you can imagine the ensuing situation until another copper came in to the station forra cuppa, saw the protesting drunk saying he wasnt lying so cop had to tell my cousins hubby that indeed the lad was called Donald Duck! Said the parents were inbreds...u gota laff
@@tonyb5884 lol! No Tony, my cousins hubby that arrested mr donald duck was called sargent john pyle I believe the Duck family still live in Blyth though.
Elton and Curtis based all of their Blackadder situations on real English history, but with a twist. Its sad that the Americans while being generous and open people, really dont get this humour and cannot see Hugh Laurie as anything beyond a chastising doctor in House .
Well, you are, in a manner of speaking,every time you watch the series. I can't help feeling sorry for people with no sense of humour and I've met a few. They're missing out on so much in life. I try to find something amusing in every situation on a daily basis. When my brother moved up to Hull from London I said to him over the phone when he rang to tell me that it must have been a 'hull' of a journey. It went straight over his head! When my sister phoned to tell me that the son of the old lady who lived next and had just died, turned up in floods of tears I asked if they were tears of joy. Well, he was due to inherit, wasn't he! Yeah, I know, that was a bit mean, but I couldn't help it!
I never got it why he didn't get back to comedy, he was perfect at it. These and the 'Fry and Laurie' series (the part he played as the 'hairdresser' is hilarious) are 30 years old now so it's long overdue for him to return to comedy.
Oh! THANK YOU!... This frikkin COFFEE SHITE.... WTF... I hated all THAT CRAP.... Remember "Law & Order UK"? Walking down the road with a coffee cup...FFS...who insisted on that shite!!!! Like...lawyers on 20 million a year did not have access to a decent beverage within their own office..... FFS... They work in an office...but a Tea Lady is beyond them? Eh? I just do not get this idea of walking down the street with a cup of coffee in your hand...... Are you REALLY THAT SAD? I mean, REALLY? How...in the name of all that is reasonable.... does a coffee cup in your hand.... Improve your day? Please. Tell me. I really want to know. I am intrigued.
Some of my favorite scenes include when Melchiett tries to explain that elephants have gray skin instead of orange to Queenie and when he impersonates Christopher Columbus.
The British talent for loopy humor (or humour, if you prefer) is unparalleled. When I started reading P.G. Wodehouse decades ago, I laughed myself silly - as I did when my Late, Great Ex-Landlady watched "Jeeves and Wooster" the first time around. Fry and Laurie were *M*A*D*E* for stuff like this! Brilliant, brilliant, *B*R*I*L*L*I*A*N*T*!! AND, one must NOT neglect the writers, the Beeb and ITV who make these possible! More, more, more!
I also prefer British comedy myself. Love the way they can diss something in a very irreverent yet witty and articulate manner. Monty Python is legendary and while the comedy these days can't match up to the 1970s-1990s era, some of the sketches and parodies done for Red Nose Day/Comic Relief are pretty good.
I am always amazed how they kept a straight face during the punching of poor Hugh ...the baffled face of Hugh alone would prevent me from acting any further. Wouldnt surprise me if that bit took a lot of takes to shot.
@@AthelstanEngland I read that vertually ALL script rehersals were impossible to get through, without hours of laughter and re-reads. They persisted so that they all got it out of their system for the final take.
If I remember right the last part where he boots him into the table, Fry did actually kick Laurie, and did slightly injure him. But all part of the dynamic between the pair. I have to say I was sad to see the end of "A bit of Fry and Laurie"
The British and the Germans should never have fought against each other during this useless war. Had they been allies, the Second World War would never have happened and both Britain and Germany would be much more prosperous today.
I love the episode where Melchett says he and George's Uncle Bertie went to Cambridge together, and he says, "We used to break wind for our college." XD
Contrary to popular belief, British Officers had a higher chance of dying on the battlefield than the average soldier 12% casualties for the soldiers 17% for the officers including 78 Generals killed and 146 injured, gassed and captured
@@andreww2098 I would have said this as well. Blackadder was very good, but it didn't do much to get an understanding of what the Army were doing there, and how they did eventually succeed.
@@laxeystu8096 the end of the final episode was very startling and sad. Made you think about the chaos and waste of life in not just this but all wars. Even though I have seen it numerous times it still makes me cry for wasted lives.
@@bernadettespeakman355 The ending was poignant, but I disagree that their lives were wasted. We have soldiers fighting wars today, in good causes we think. The soldiers in Blackadder were fighting to eject the Imperial German army from France and Belgium. Some of the battles fought in 1918 represent stunning victories by the British Army, yet there was still a cost in life.
Yes, that was a class move... "Mmmm, Trafalgar looks good" and so it proved! Defeated the French AND the Spaniards.... AGAIN! (Now, if only we could be so assertive over the French with their lousy policing of migrants and their sloppy attitudes to fishing.........)
Darling is a genuine surname in UK. Grace Darling (famous shipwreck rescuer) and Secretary of State for Transport was "A. Darling" (for real). The best humour is based on reality.
I always thought it hilarious when General Melchett says George’s Uncle Bertie says George can have a week off in April so as not to miss the boat race (Oxford and Cambridge), as Hugh Laurie rowed for Cambridge in the 1980 race. Hugh also appeared as Bertie Wooster, alongside Stephen Fry’s Jeeves in the 1990 remake of Jeeves and Wooster.
"University education...you can't beat it"..."she didn't recognize that only two of those three were truly great universities","quite right,Oxford's a complete dump!"....except for Series One Blackadder was just about the best Britcom ever!
There's a certain amount of speculation that he was offered a knighthood but turned it down a few years back. Either way in his biography he stated that he wouldn't accept one and he also was convicted and spent time in prison for credit card fraud when he was 17 which might exclude him from being offered an honour. He is certainly deserving of one at least an OBE but I think there have been petitions in the last year or two to try and get him a knighthood.
@@wmatth8750 never pooh pooh a pooh pooher! Yes it's true, read his biography he says in their that he doesn't like being in the public eye and felt that if he was offered a royal honour that he would likely turn it down. Whether he actually would though is another thing and the rest as I stated is speculation apart from the criminal conviction.
@@arrrgee Yep I read this too (I would like to disregard the criminal bit as I feel it extremely minor compared to what he as contributed and would be overlooked). Too humble for his own due, That I can believe. As much as we may wish that he was honored.
I love Black Adder and there are many amazing one-liners. But my favorite is: "Millions have died, but our troops have advanced no further than an asthmatic ant with some heavy shopping." Funny, sad and thought-provoking, all in one line.
Good shout.classic...
Poor ant. 🤣
The weird thing is is that loads of soldiers, airmen, and sailors loved Kitchener
Fear the Black Vegetable!
@@AlienPsyTing1
Apparently its not what you do but what you say.
"Well bugger me with a fish fork."
The one-liners in Blackadder are just the best.
"I don't care if he's been rogering the Duke of York with a prize-winning leek"
I use it myself on occasion :)
True, wish I could talk like that 😅
I still use that line
I believe Hugh Laurie uses this line as Bertie Wooster too
Melchett telling baldrick he’s behind him and Blackadder sarcastically adding about 35 miles behind you is genius
Ah, the acting abilities of Hugh Laurie. I am currently watching him here on Blackadder and at the same time my wife is watching him on House. A national treasure!
If you are English of course.... Cos the Yanks wouldn't have a clue about anything in this collage! (No...., college is something they went to and still came out as thick as fuck!) I've just Trumped for the World.... (sorry)....
He may be great here, but its a hard pass on another arrogant doctor show. Haven't seen it, haven't missed it.
*international treasure
see also: Veep and Avenue 5. dude doesnt stop.
@@3BoomtownKat Not every American is as you describe, or every Britain a smart arse.
Melchett was a genius character and played perfectly by Stephen Fry. 10/10 performance!!
Lets face it, he was the archytypical British Upper-crust knob-'ead commonly shown in many-a-comedy. BUT, based mostly on WW1's boss, Field Marshall Dougliss Haigh.
0/10
Absolutely! 👍
@@davidashton2361 I wouldn't poo-poo that claim.
But a totally dreadful human being?
I loved the line "We don't want you missing the boat race do we?" - Hugh Laurie was a really good rower in his youth and was on course to become an Olympic-standard rower. He took part in the Oxford-Cambridge boat race of 1980 for Cambridge.
They lost.
👍Thanks for sharing that information.
He is the Most Interesting Man in the World.
Can you imagine how bloody insufferable it must be to be related, or friends, with him?
@@allenwilliams1306 so that was Hugh Laurie's fault was it?
Well bugger me with a pitchfork, I never knew that.
I remember years ago my dad showing me this programme, ever since I’ve been hooked. Honestly, Stephen Fry’s delivery of “THE FLANDERS PIGEON MURDERER” will never fail to make me laugh. These series’ belong in a museum!
Please tell me you've seen that QI episode about the 'Acropolis where the Parthenon is...' then?!
RIP speckled Jim. My favourite Melchett moment.
“My only childhood friend.”
The Firing Squad was superb. "I'm a gabbler see..."
These series’ belong in a museum!
"So do you Dr. Jones!"
Some of the best British comedy ever, still laughing after all these years.
make the most of it, real comedy died 15 years ago.
@@MrDaiseymay Yep!
@@MrDaiseymay Sadly I must agree with you Philip.
@@MrDaiseymay Brooklyn Nine Nine was very good for it's first 4 seasons. It was never the same when it was canceled and brought back
comedy/humour is entirely subjective. Blindly declaring the old thing is better than the new thing is just a ridiculously old fashion mindset.
the whole cast are comedy geniuses, and the writers were on point - Ben Elton did some great work
Richard Curtis too
@@MarlboroughBlenheim1 absolutely
@@MarlboroughBlenheim1 So you're saying Richard Curtis's writing for the first series was as good as Ben Elton's writing from the second series through to Goes Forth? ..... Really?
@@MarlboroughBlenheim1 Good point there. That man's often overlooked! ☹️
@@MarlboroughBlenheim1 It was Elton who came in after season 1 and transformed the show. In season 1, Blackadder was the buffoon and Baldrick was the smart one. It worked so much better when the roles were swapped. Tony Robinson was much better at playing the idiot, did it dead pan, and Rowan was a much better at playing the unscrupulous Blackadder.
The absolute God that is Stephen Fry, with an all star cast, in an absolute masterpiece.
Grew up on a healthy diet of Blackadder, the Young Ones, and various quality British humour, but Blackadder was always my favourite. Still regularly quote it and reference it.
A man of culture.
Try to encourage others to do the same.
I have it permanently downloaded on my pc and keep rewatching it on occasion. If there wasn't a laugh track, it would've been the best comedy show ever. I mean it still is, but..
Rowan Atkinson is the Absolute God of comedy. Fry and Laurie are archangels. Let's have no more heresy on this channel!
"Tally ho, yippididap, and zing-zang spillip!"
I gotta use that one more often
At least once a week for me, been that way for years lol.
@@christall2259 Same here, my wife (who is French) thinks I am bonkers...☺️
Thats just some goobelty gock
I’ve been saying it since I was 16 😂
@@sash0047gobbledygook
The Darling scene in front of the mirror is absolutely brilliant
Yep!
Aye, the heartfelt "Thank God" is such a sweet touch.
Givng him that surname was inspired. Tim McInnery plays the part masterfully, his pained expressions are priceless.
´How is my moustach? Bushy enough?´ -You will combing women out for weeks, sir! 😂🪮💂🏻♂️
has me in stitches too... the double meaning in every sentence was hilarious, just perfect. Darling also plays his part extremely well!
This is truly one of the all-time great British comedies, such fantastic writing & acting. The absurd line about Melchett & Darling being 'right behind you' to Baldrick is highlighted brilliantly by Blackadder's 'about 35 miles behind you.' response.
Fry in this role is absolutely brilliant. Thoroughly believable ...a crazy maverick that loves the sound of his booming voice.
I think Blackadder was one of the few series that got better as it went on. The first seasons were great. The final two were out of this world, so funny, so true!
And who could forget the last episode of Blackadder Goes Forth? Very poignant. 😢
@@dougieranger Well said ! Very moving .
I doubt that the BBC would be allowed to make comedy of this type anymore.
The internal and external thought killjoy police (otherwise known as the PC brigade) would stifle it at birth.
I have an ex sister in law who has no sense of humour except her all consuming greed.
She constantly makes snide remarks and giggles at her own perceived sense of humour involving her wealth (she owns 2 properties and has, from what I understand from her, considerable cash reserves in several accounts.)
She is constantly getting estate agents round to give her valuations of her properties.
I made a humorous remark by text a few days ago regarding my right eye which I'd had laser treatment for last year. I said that my eyeball was OK but the socket had to come out.
She text me back saying don't let them do it. The joke went straight over her head. I thought she was joking as well but no, she was serious.
I had to text her back to say I had been joking. Unbelievable!
When I go to visit I'm not allowed to tell any jokes in case I tell a dirty one.
I don't stay long, but feel obliged to visit because her husband recently died suddenly of cancer (not my brother, of course!).
The point I'm trying to make is that there are people out there who are totally humourless!
Pointless drivel David Ashton.
@@timmceniry9536 To be moved to reply to my comment, you must be one of them, stung into making a snivelling remark such as "Pointless drivel".
Are you an overweight gender identifier who dresses in women's clothing, complete with dirty blond wig, laddered stockings, smeared bright red lipstick and a stubble face, pockmarked with untreated acne, perhaps?
"Tea?"
"Yes. Immediatley."
That's just like my dad.
Your dad sounds like my kinda person :)
Fantastic 😂
My boss used to say this every time i asked him! 🤣
What happens if you bring him coffee?
@@wessmoore7894 You get massive derogatory rants about 'bloody Americans'.
From NL, we were fortunate enough that we had cable TV at the time, allowing us to view the BBC channels (especially BBC2) and all the comedies on them.
And from all of those, Blackadder was and after all these years, still is my absolute favorite comedy. 🇳🇱❤️🇬🇧
Thanks very much, most appreciated . We thank You Tube for allowing these GEMS to be seen without ludicrous woke interference.
I quite like the idea of the german high command sending a letter to the british general in command reminding him it´s about time he changed his shirt.
Beloved enemies the Germans...
Stepehen Frys part in this is one of the best ever acting performances I’ve ever seen. For someone with manic depression he’s certainly made many of my days. I don’t think he knows how great he is.
Unbelievably funny, witty and talented yet so humble. Small wonder he's considered a national treasure.
Quite right... I wished he had capitalised more on his comedy talent in recent years
People suffering from depression rarely see their own worth, i think that's the issue.🤔
I think he knows he's much greater that. And then much worse.
Muhammad Ali said his (Ali's, not Fry's) only fault was not knowing how really great he was.
Great bit of stunt work by Mr Laurie at 10:16 The audience reaction is great - a mix of laughs and shock.
Apart from the first series, Blackadder was consistently brilliant both for its writing and acting. Nobody with a sense of humour would poo-poo that.
Oh, the first series had some brilliant moments too - such as Blackadder trying to explain how many people he'd killed at Bosworth Field, and the Spanish Infanta's translator in the bedroom....
You can't poo poo the poo poo 😁
I believe the spelling is pooh-pooh
@@john.premose only if it's Winnie-the- Pooh Pooh 😀
@@stewarthill3891 I especially loved the role of the King as played by Brian Blessed in the first series! All Blackadder episodes are a joy. Legends.
Blackadder 3 aired in late 1987. Which makes Stephen Fry not yet 30 when playing Wellington, and younger still during the Elizabethan season. Impressive stature for such a young age 👍
Dear BBC, please remaster this properly in Full HD as this classic beauty deserves 5 star treatment on a HD TV
This was AWESOME. I loved that Stephen Fry, Hugh Laurie AND Rowan Atkinson did many skits together! Thanks for this 11-minute sample of clips, and I'll end it here today or else I'm watching classic BBC comedy all day and speaking in my English accent all day! haha!
Excellent! British humour at its best with a magnificent cast.
Over 200 British Generals became casualties in WW1. So there's that.
Also, while the scripts for Blackadder are top notch, its the delivery of the lines that made them all so bloody funny. Good job everyone, good job.
Out of how many millions of none generals?
@@martinkulkarni3569 Your chance of getting killed was about 50% higher if you were an officer. Don't know the figures for specific ranks, but generals were (a) much less numerous than other ranks (b) actually supposed to be in charge of things, co-ordinating tens of thousands of men along a front of several miles. That's the reason they were usually in a position a little behind the trenches, from there they could more easily work out what was going on and give orders. They had all been fighting soldiers themselves earlier in their careers, so the insinuation that they were fools and cowards who spent the war living it up in chateaux far from the front line where the real fighters died is a caricature.
@@plunketgreene3646 that's why they ordered horse charges against heavy machine guns, upper class twats
@@alemgas Well, no-one would ever accuse you of being upper class.
@@alemgas To be fair, at Waterloo, Napoleon ordered 9,000 cavalry against the allied lines. They attacked for 4 hours and the result was the same: thousands of dead horses. I guess it was just the thing to do 😉
Fry is a master of his art.
Nothing will ever come close to Black Adder! Simply bloody marvelous!
When the bbc had a comedy department 👍🏻🇬🇧😂🎄
they still do. Its called the BBC headquarters
bend the knee lefties now
Now they have diversity department with nothing to offer just arguments and generating more gap and massive confusion.
No black faces....oh dear BBC
Are you suggesting that in anyway the "relentless panel shows" department might not give the same value for money in some way?
"Darling" ALWAYS cracks me up.
a word for Rick Mayall RIP who bossed all the scenes he was ever in.
And a "WOOF"!!! RIP to the late and great Rik Mayall.
WOOF!
WOOF
The court scene has to be the funniest scene of all time. DENY EVERYTHING BALDRICK!!!
'Are you private Baldrick'
'No'
'Come on Baldrick it's me
'No it isn't'
No
@@ozosmanlitorunu But you are Captain Blackadder's batman?
No I'm not
It is funny but i think even funnier is the one in Blackadder Goes Forth where Gen Melchett explains what happens to George's rabbit when he visited him for his birthday...
@@terencej72
'You had a lovely rabbit'
'Flossy'
'Thats right Flossy. You remember what happened to him'?
'You shot him'
'Yes but it was the kindest thing to do after that car had ran over him'
'Your car sir'
'Yes my car but that to was an act of mercy after that dog had been set on him'
'Your dog sir'
A brilliant performance from Stephen Fry . Perfection.
Darling is such a simply yet brilliant premise for comedy 🤣
Yes ! - And "Darling" is a real surname. Imagine being an unfortunate kid at school with that name. Almost as bad as being Jimmy Mycock. When the teacher shouts, "Stand up Mycock", one can imagine the class erupting in laughter. I know a bloke called Mycock. Shame I wasn't in his class at school.
@@and7barton A bit off the beaten track, as it were, when I was in the army in Germany in the 60s/70s, being gay was a military offence.
One day a couple of guys were caught in bed together which caused
a huge legal (militarily) row, in as much that it couldn't be ignored.
However, I'm of the opinion that they weren't gay but just so drunk that they fell asleep in the same bed after a heavy night on the sauce.
They were duly charged with whatever the army act was and put the regimental jail which was also the guard house at the main gate.
There was also a pay office corporal who was known for his standard greeting of, "What's your query, lad?"
if you had to go to the pay office for any reason.
One of the prisoners had to go to the pay office and was greeted by this corporal with his standard "What's your query lad?"
The whole place erupted with laughter, as you can imagine.
We have Alastair Darling, the MP.
Or did have. I haven't heard anything about him for a long time so maybe he's no longer an MP.
"How DARE you sit sir in the presence of your betters!"
Sounds like something members of the Royal family would say
For those who complain about series one, I give you the Spanish enfanta, one of the greatest Blackadders
Brilliant. I love this kind of humour. Shame there is nothing like this around these days.
Makes me want to watch Blackadder all over again :)
1:18 "university education, you can't beat it"
;-) The sarcastic "stabs" are so funny to me.
Even better when you realise Rowan is a Oxford graduate.
And even more so when you realise Hugh Laurie competed in the University Boat Race!!
@Tim DyerOne of my favourite swipes was Melchets claim that---'' Oxford is a right DUMP'
@@MrDaiseymay because Hull was a great university haha
@@Kar4ever3and also Newcastle
so cool that the only one with a knighthood in real life is...Baldrick
A great example of stooping to conquer.
Because he had the cunning plan :P
He was the only one to accept it.
I thought he traded it for a turnip of his very own.
@@sbaxter4207 he should have held out for a great big turnip in the country!
its sad that comedy like this will likely never be made again
Give it 100 years or so...😬
One can only hope that this bloody silly country of ours will grow a pair of testicles and return to some kind of normality. My fear is I may die long before this happens.
Never is a long time.
I absolutely adore your British sense of humour😍unique and crazy! Awesome super talented actors)
Stephen Fry and Hugh Lawrie being violent to each other (specifically Fry knocking Hugh about is so expertly done. Mainly thank's to Hugh being so good at playing at getting hit.).
My favorite scenes I like when the Duke of Willington and blackadder start beating up george 😂
It's even funnier if one has seen "A Bit of Fry and Laurie" where they often ended sketches with Stephen Fry belting Hugh Laurie in the face. 😆
*Wellington
@@Bobba8590 No, it's Willington.
@@CKM1909 I think you should do some research.
@@Bobba8590 The person who made this comment spelt it as "Willington" intentionally. To imitate Melchetts pronunciation. If you watched the show, you probably would've picked it up.
Three of the funniest chaps ever! Atkinson, Fry and Laurie!
if only the bbc still had comedy like that... someone might actually watch it.
@All hail Biden Not EVERYONE does. I know people who don't.
@@Trev359 I think you may have missed the point but I do believe a brain transplant would help.
@@ndev8593 Lol !!!
"someone might actually watch it." I have stopped watching it, the BBC is 100% tory propaganda now.
A VAIN HOPE
I always loved the Duke's regimental motiff: two crossed dead frenchmen emblazoned on a mound of dead frenchmen.
“Bugger me with a fish fork” The writing is phenomenal.
Still the absolute gold standard for comedy after all these years. Baldrick's cooking : rat-au-vin is a "rat that's been run over by a van"🤣
"How do I look, Darling?"
"Girl-bait, sir. Pure bloody girl-bait!"
"Moustache? Bushy enough?"
"Like a privet hedge, sir!"
The very last scene of the very last show will always be a memory for me.
The beating on George pretending to be Black Adder kills me everytime......TEA !!!!!!!!! 😂
I just LOVE Blackadder & watch all my boxed episodes whenever life gets abit iffy & im soon Tally Ho ! & all that.
I used to go to school in Northern England with a girl called Catherine Darling & she was direct descendant to the famous Grace Darling who with her father launched the life boat in a terrible storm to rescue the people from a sinking ship off the
Northumberland coast in the 1800's, & losing her life. Life around Catherine was jovial regarding her name & many situations funny like Capt Melchitts Darling!
I also love Prince George disguising himself as Blackadder
& Baldrick as a bridesmaid to Blackadders wedding! So funny when Sir Percy got besotted wth him/her 🤣🤣🤣
I live in Tyneside and a dental nurse in my street has a married name of Wouldhave, and she never knew that there is a Wouldhave public house in South Tyneside! That name comes from a famous family in the history of lifeboats on the north east coast.
@@martinkulkarni3569 lol, i used to have a neighbour years ago called Tom Gotobed ( go to bed)
Good job he wasnt called Ted
Also, my cousin married a copper stationed in Blyth, Northumberland & he booked a guy in for being palatic drunk & asked his name for the paperwork charge sheet, the guy said Donald Duck... well you can imagine the ensuing situation until another copper came in to the station forra cuppa, saw the protesting drunk saying he wasnt lying so cop had to tell my cousins hubby that indeed the lad was called Donald Duck! Said the parents were inbreds...u gota laff
@@itallia666 the copper wasnt Sgt Bytheway was it?...steve bytheway's dad
@@tonyb5884 lol! No Tony, my cousins hubby that arrested mr donald duck was called sargent john pyle
I believe the Duck family still live in Blyth though.
Elton and Curtis based all of their Blackadder situations on real English history, but with a twist. Its sad that the Americans while being generous and open people, really dont get this humour and cannot see Hugh Laurie as anything beyond a chastising doctor in House .
Hahaha,this is hilarious, the best of england's comedians, there's nothing better than blackadder,period...
Brilliant but how can you not include the trial of blackadder when he shot the pigeon... that's himmm!!!!!!!
SPECKLED JIM!
The Flanders Pigeon Murderer.
You shot my Speckled Jim!
Captain blackadder definitely did not shoot this delicious plump breasted pigeon!
'Before we pass sentence on the deceased.. mm I mean the defendant.. mahahahaha..'
What a voice. Hilarious, Brilliant, just a pleasure to watch.
Imagine being in a room with this much IQ and comedic genius.
It is said that they took ages to get used to the script readings, before they could control their laughter, and record the shows.
Well, you are, in a manner of speaking,every time you watch the
series.
I can't help feeling sorry for people with no sense of humour and I've met a few.
They're missing out on so much in life.
I try to find something amusing in every situation on a daily basis.
When my brother moved up to Hull from London I said to him over the phone when he rang to tell me that it must have been a 'hull' of a journey.
It went straight over his head!
When my sister phoned to tell me that the son of the old lady who lived next and had just died, turned up in floods of tears I asked if they were tears of joy. Well, he was due to inherit, wasn't he! Yeah, I know, that was a bit mean, but I couldn't help it!
Fry is an exceptional actor.
I never got it why he didn't get back to comedy, he was perfect at it. These and the 'Fry and Laurie' series (the part he played as the 'hairdresser' is hilarious) are 30 years old now so it's long overdue for him to return to comedy.
@@terrythekittieful They do say, to be good at comedy you have to be a fine actor.
Brilliant Stephen Fry and all the cast. My very favourite series.
British humor and comedy at its best... 😊
I have zero time for 'coffee culture' and ergo adore the moment when Wellington screams 'TEA!!!!' at 'Blackadder'.
Oh! THANK YOU!... This frikkin COFFEE SHITE.... WTF... I hated all THAT CRAP.... Remember "Law & Order UK"?
Walking down the road with a coffee cup...FFS...who insisted on that shite!!!! Like...lawyers on 20 million a year did not have access to a decent beverage within their own office..... FFS... They work in an office...but a Tea Lady is beyond them? Eh?
I just do not get this idea of walking down the street with a cup of coffee in your hand...... Are you REALLY THAT SAD? I mean, REALLY?
How...in the name of all that is reasonable.... does a coffee cup in your hand.... Improve your day?
Please. Tell me. I really want to know. I am intrigued.
"About 35 miles behind you..." Lol
Fry does an excellent impression of Jeremy Clarkson, right down to the treatment of the staff !
Some of my favorite scenes include when Melchiett tries to explain that elephants have gray skin instead of orange to Queenie and when he impersonates Christopher Columbus.
Fry is a total genius! Love it :)
The British talent for loopy humor (or humour, if you prefer) is unparalleled. When I started reading P.G. Wodehouse decades ago, I laughed myself silly - as I did when my Late, Great Ex-Landlady watched "Jeeves and Wooster" the first time around. Fry and Laurie were *M*A*D*E* for stuff like this! Brilliant, brilliant, *B*R*I*L*L*I*A*N*T*!! AND, one must NOT neglect the writers, the Beeb and ITV who make these possible! More, more, more!
I also prefer British comedy myself. Love the way they can diss something in a very irreverent yet witty and articulate manner. Monty Python is legendary and while the comedy these days can't match up to the 1970s-1990s era, some of the sketches and parodies done for Red Nose Day/Comic Relief are pretty good.
"Never ignore a poo poo"
Sound advice.
Every day in at work.. so much💩💩💩💩💩
Pooh-pooh.
i feel one coming right now
They dont make comedy like this anymore! Pure quality.
I am always amazed how they kept a straight face during the punching of poor Hugh ...the baffled face of Hugh alone would prevent me from acting any further. Wouldnt surprise me if that bit took a lot of takes to shot.
Agreed... his face is the highlight for me, a fantastic bit of acting.
@@AthelstanEngland I read that vertually ALL script rehersals were impossible to get through, without hours of laughter and re-reads. They persisted so that they all got it out of their system for the final take.
If I remember right the last part where he boots him into the table, Fry did actually kick Laurie, and did slightly injure him. But all part of the dynamic between the pair. I have to say I was sad to see the end of "A bit of Fry and Laurie"
Oh my god... Stephen Fry is just awesome! I miss him
You make it sound as if he's dead.
Weren’t life much happier back in the 80s and 90s
one of these actors loved trenches so much he went on build loads more with a team of time.
When Stephen Fry as Wellington says "what in the name of Bonaparte's balls is this fellow doing now?" Brilliant one liner.
Hugh Laurie getting some grief here. They way he falls under the blows is pure gold.
We will never see this level of comedy again. Makes me sad. Then I watch more blackadder and I'm happy again.
They never showed this in Italy - what a pity but I can catch up now!
Mr.Fry at the top of his game …Fantastic
Never poo-poo a poo-poo. I carry this lesson with me through life.
Why did you sell our gold at a knock down price
"No sir i am absolutely terrified" likely most of poor men that had to fight this mad war probably felt like that.
The British and the Germans should never have fought against each other during this useless war. Had they been allies, the Second World War would never have happened and both Britain and Germany would be much more prosperous today.
@@theodoravonwied5441 true
There would be even better advantages if you know what I mean
Agreed the greatest people killing each other over the worst
@@theodoravonwied5441 True! But you can't change history.
My favourite Melchet line was his apparent ad-lib (after Blackadder had discovered the spy in hospital) of "Oxford's a dump" 😂😂
2:04 “about 35 miles behind you” 😂 perfect timing!
So funny I laughed the whole way through. my kind of humour
Best show ever made. Shame the BBC are finished. I've not tuned in in years.
As Carlsberg would say…”Probably the best comedy on the bbc……Ever”…
OR ANYWHERE ELSE
When he's the judge in the trial of who killed Speckled Jim, it is by far his funniest thing I'd ever seen
Stephen Fry looked so dashing as the Brigadier ❤
I just read stephen fry biography books. the rowing of BOATS and universities gives me a whole new meaning. Hugh, you silly sod, awesome
Fry exemplifying the brazen attitude of WW1 top brass.
General Melchette is my favorite Stephen Fry role.
Mine too... absolutely so spot on..... The guy knows exactly how he is going to portray a character...and just GOES for it...Full Tilt. Brilliant.
I love the episode where Melchett says he and George's Uncle Bertie went to Cambridge together, and he says, "We used to break wind for our college." XD
Poor Laurie they nearly beat him to death lol that was brilliant
Its so funny when Rowan says I think you hit him very hard.. and thumps Hugh again....
So brilliant, goood old Blacky and Baldrick this is British humor at it`s best!!!
About 35 miles behind you. Yep.......
Contrary to popular belief, British Officers had a higher chance of dying on the battlefield than the average soldier 12% casualties for the soldiers 17% for the officers including 78 Generals killed and 146 injured, gassed and captured
@@andreww2098 I would have said this as well.
Blackadder was very good, but it didn't do much to get an understanding of what the Army were doing there, and how they did eventually succeed.
@@laxeystu8096 the end of the final episode was very startling and sad. Made you think about the chaos and waste of life in not just this but all wars. Even though I have seen it numerous times it still makes me cry for wasted lives.
@@bernadettespeakman355 The ending was poignant, but I disagree that their lives were wasted.
We have soldiers fighting wars today, in good causes we think.
The soldiers in Blackadder were fighting to eject the Imperial German army from France and Belgium.
Some of the battles fought in 1918 represent stunning victories by the British Army, yet there was still a cost in life.
@@andreww2098
That may be, but what is the percentage of soldiers to officers, i think that would change those statistics quite a bit.
"harry him midships, perhaps Trafalgar" one of the best lines
Yes, that was a class move... "Mmmm, Trafalgar looks good" and so it proved! Defeated the French AND the Spaniards.... AGAIN!
(Now, if only we could be so assertive over the French with their lousy policing of migrants and their sloppy attitudes to fishing.........)
The 'Darling' character is brilliantly conceived. So many verbal misconscrusions (!!!)
It was only supposed to be a one-off gag, but they liked it so much they made Cpt. Darling a series regular.
Darling is a genuine surname in UK. Grace Darling (famous shipwreck rescuer) and Secretary of State for Transport was "A. Darling" (for real). The best humour is based on reality.
He was called captain Cartwright, before they changed it, thank god
For me, watching Steven Fry punch & kick Hugh is hilarious as he is in reality a big softy, it must have been traumatic for him.
It was so fascinating to hear them talk about how hard it is to take a fake punch and sell it and how Hugh is an absolute master at it.
I always thought it hilarious when General Melchett says George’s Uncle Bertie says George can have a week off in April so as not to miss the boat race (Oxford and Cambridge), as Hugh Laurie rowed for Cambridge in the 1980 race.
Hugh also appeared as Bertie Wooster, alongside Stephen Fry’s Jeeves in the 1990 remake of Jeeves and Wooster.
"University education...you can't beat it"..."she didn't recognize that only two of those three were truly great universities","quite right,Oxford's a complete dump!"....except for Series One Blackadder was just about the best Britcom ever!
Series One was great!
@@andyclayton9204 the black Russian is the greatest codpiece of all time
@@andyclayton9204 "Mind the weasel pit..."
Rowan Atkinson: CBE
(2013)
Hugh Laurie: OBE (2007), Later CBE (2018)
Tony Robinson: OBE (2013)
Stephen Fry: ....
There's a certain amount of speculation that he was offered a knighthood but turned it down a few years back. Either way in his biography he stated that he wouldn't accept one and he also was convicted and spent time in prison for credit card fraud when he was 17 which might exclude him from being offered an honour. He is certainly deserving of one at least an OBE but I think there have been petitions in the last year or two to try and get him a knighthood.
@@arrrgee Is that All True. . . . . . Or Just Pooh-Pooh. . . . . ?
@@wmatth8750 never pooh pooh a pooh pooher! Yes it's true, read his biography he says in their that he doesn't like being in the public eye and felt that if he was offered a royal honour that he would likely turn it down. Whether he actually would though is another thing and the rest as I stated is speculation apart from the criminal conviction.
@@arrrgee Yep I read this too (I would like to disregard the criminal bit as I feel it extremely minor compared to what he as contributed and would be overlooked). Too humble for his own due, That I can believe.
As much as we may wish that he was honored.
@@arrrgee Pooh-Pooh ! You're right. If you haven't already, check out Stephen Fry in America. Baaaaaah
Hang on this is bloody coffee I ordered tea 😂 only 30 but plays a intimidating character like Wellington so well