Black Adder Slithers through the Centuries Black Adder Slithers through the Centuries

Black Adder Slithers through the Centuries: An analysis of the historical parody of Black Adder

The Black Adder television series, a grand adventure set forth by Richard Curtis and Rowan Atkinson in 1983, spans a course of British history beginning in the reign of Richard the Third (about 1485) and not concluding until the first World War (1917). It is a brilliantly conceived and hysterically funny "situation tragedy" which incorporates six different settings throughout the development of the story. The story itself focuses on the adventures and mishaps of two principal characters: Lord Edmund (Black Adder) and his manservant Baldrick. There are four series, a Christmas Special, and a short sketch in the Black Adder series, and these two characters are the principles in each of them. This jumping of characters from setting to setting is accomplished by a micronarrative in which Baldrick's family has sworn servitude to Edmund's family, thus each generation provides an Edmund/Baldrick pairing. No effort is made to give the characters of these different generations any individuality marking them as separate people, and the viewer's sense is that they are in fact the same people. This slight anomaly only serves to heighten the humorous thrust of the series as a whole, which takes the form of unabashed parody. The similarities of motives and conflicts which these characters face throughout the centuries serves to make them more immediately accessible to us and to reduce the more famous scenes and players of history to more commonplace experiences. All parody necessarily involves intertextuality, and Black Adder manages to incorporate more than most. A knowledge of the traditions and periods of England are necessary to access most of the humor. This fact, as well as the device by which we are transported from historical setting to historical setting, are the main mechanisms by which the series achieves its humorous intent, which is to maliciously parody those historical traditions and persons which Britain holds most dear and sacred, and to finally reduce them to absurdity.

One of the underlying textual strands which permeates the series in its entirety is the idea that history is frequently wrong, being constantly rewritten by persons with specific agendas and being easily misunderstood by those looking back at it throughout the centuries. This theme is first expressed in the introductory bit of The Foretelling, the first episode of Black Adder I:

History has known many great liars. Copernicus, Goebbels, St Ralph the Liar [he is shown holding a sign which reads 'St Benedict the Liar'] -- but there have been none quite so vile as the Tudor king Henry VII. It was he who rewrote history to portray his predecessor Richard III as a deformed maniac who killed his nephews in the Tower. But the real truth is that Richard was a kind and thoughtful man who cherished his young wards. In particular: Richard, Duke of York, who grew into a big, strong boy. Henry also claimed he won the Battle of Bosworth Field and killed Richard III. Again, the truth is very different; for it was Richard, Duke of York, who became king after Bosworth Field, and reigned for thirteen glorious years. As for who really killed Richard III and how the defeated Henry Tudor escaped with his life, all is revealed in < this, the first chapter of a history never before told: the history of The Black Adder! (BA I, episode 1)

The script therefore claims to be a correction of a much misunderstood history, a presentation of the facts as they actually occurred, rather than as they have been mistakenly preserved by historians. Of course, this is a humorous claim and not one that we are intended to take seriously, but this is the precise device by which Curtis and Atkinson manage to achieve the levels of parody which they do.

This level of parody is also facilitated by the representation of famous historical figures as comic types. Everyone from Richard the Third and Queen Elizabeth to Samuel Johnson and the Scarlet Pimpernel are portrayed as wickedly funny characitures. The general rule seems to be that the more venerated a figure is in the annals of history, the more ridiculously idiotic they are to be portrayed. These figures, as with the majority of characters in the series, readily fall into set comic types. This fact is one of the markers which led me to view the Black Adder narratives by light of Mikhail Bakhtin's carnival humor. Bahktin states

In spite of their variety, folk festivities of the carnival type, the clowns and fools, giants, dwarves, and jugglers, the vast and manifold literature of parody-- all these forms have one style in common: they belong to one culture of folk carnival humor. (qtd in Berger 79)

Black Adder certainly deserves its place in the 'literature of parody,' and it is fraught with fools, provides a clown every once in a while, and even showcases (in Black Adder I) a wonderfully enigmatic dwarf. In fact, this dwarf, who often appears in the scenes and yet only appears in the narrative once, seems to be included solely for the purpose of furthering the carnival flavor of the narrative. The diminutive fellow never speaks, and he spends all of his time in a large birdcage in Prince Edmund's room. No explanation is ever given for his presence, none of the character's ever really notice him, and the only direct reference to him appears in "The Archbishop." Edmund is attempting to leave the castle to avoid being appointed to the unlucky position of Archbishop, and he asks Baldrick if he has remembered to pack the dwarf (BA I, episode 3). Aside from this brief remark, the only notice the unfortunate dwarf ever gets is when someone goes over to his cage for a minute to make funny faces at him through the bars. The purpose of the dwarf might be to shed light on Edmund's character, Edmund being the type of man who would keep a dwarf in a cage for cheap amusement, however it seems to function more readily as a touch of the bizarre and carnivalesque than as a mark of character development.

Edmund's character is probably the one character within the series who falls least readily into a comic type, although that is not to say that he does not fall into such a type. Edmund might be the closest thing we get to a straight character, but frankly that's not all that terribly straight. Edmund fits quite readily into the 'manipulative schemer' type, and his schemes, designed to better his political or economic station, provide meat for the plot throughout the entire series. To go through the various casts and designate the many comic types would be quite an enormous task, therefore we'll content ourselves with elucidating some of more prevalent comic types which appear throughout the series, most of which incorporates more than one character, which is a logical result of providing us with only characters who do fall into comic types. This fact calls to mind Bergson's theories about comic types presented in his essay entitled Laughter. Bergson, who likens set comic types unto machines, writes:

Every comic character is a type. Inversely, every resemblance to a type has something comic in it.... it is comic to fall into a ready-made category. And what is most comic of all is to become a category oneself into which others will fall, as into a ready-made frame; it is to crystallize into a stock character. (qt. in Berger 87)

The comic types most frequently found in Black Adder are those of the bumbling idiot, the scheming manipulator, the egomaniac, the flaming dandy, and the self-serving clergyman. These, at least, are the reoccurring types, and each one has at least several characters who easily fall within it's category throughout the series. Also, they seem to demand at least one character of each type to represent these personalities within each separate series. For instance, when Lord Percy fails to make a reappearance in Black Adder the Third, his character type (participating in both the bumbling idiot and the flaming dandy) is taken over by Prince George, the Prince of Whales. The same dynamic which we had become familiar with between Lord Edmund and Lord Percy comes into play between Mr Blackadder and Prince George. Lord Flashheart, the womanizing egomaniac who we see in several of the early series, comes back as Captain Flashheart in Black Adder Goes Forth, although this is a particular permeation of the egomaniac comic type which seems to be reserved for Flashheart alone, and almost always in conjunction with Kate/Bob, the woman pretending to be a man.

This brings us to another aspect of comic types which seems to be of great importance within the Black Adder series--comic pairs. We get many instances of this sort of pairing throughout the series, and, of course, Edmund and Baldrick comprise the quintessential comic pair; their interaction is always at the heart of the plot development and at the center of the scene. This pairing helps to define their characters in relation to one another. Berger writes:

It is easy to understand the creation of pairs of types when you think back to Saussure's discussion of concepts and how they only maintain their meaning differentially; if you provide characters who represent two opposing character and personality types, you help define and establish the typicality of each member of the pair. (Berger 86) The Edmund/Baldrick pairing is a superb combination of personality types. Edmund, while possessed of many serious character flaws, is not stupid. In fact, he has a clear insight into many of the machinations of court and society, sees well into the motivations of many of the characters, and seems to have something of a head on his shoulders--both in terms of education and common sense. For instance, when Samuel Johnson comes for Prince George's patronage for his new dictionary in Ink and Incapability, Edmund seems to be the only character who can understand a word Johnson says. This is because Johnson fits into the egomaniac category and is pompously utilizing an inflated vocabulary in an attempt to appear extremely intelligent and educated. Not only can Edmund follow Johnson's inflated speeches, but he succeeds in putting one over on Johnson by using made-up words which Johnson assumes he forgot to put into his dictionary (BA III, episode 3). In short, Edmund is rather intelligent and shrewd, which fits his type as manipulative schemer. Baldrick, on the other hand, is the utter epitome of stupidity, and his fondest dream is to someday own a very large turnip (BA III, episode 6). This disparity, which sets up an overriding script opposition of intelligent/unintelligent, sets the stage for so many jab and punch lines that they are uncountable. Other pairs which appear throughout the series are the demanding master and fawning subservient (the Edmund/Baldrick pair does not fit into this category as Baldrick is never fawning), The passionate lovers (Flashheart and Bob/Kate being the principle example), The statesman vrs. the clergyman (an example used best when they are each at the elbow of a dying lord trying to convince him to leave his lands to the appropriate entity), and the pair of kinsman who are as different as peaches and corn (the Blackadder/McAdder pairing in Duel and Duality being the most obvious example). Each of these comic pairs appear in several combinations and permeate the series as a whole.

Yet another example of typical comic strategy which Richard Curtis proves extremely adept at is that of skillful repetition. This repetition runs the spectrum from the recycling of effective micronarratives to the repetition of stock catchphrases. The repetition of micronarratives is most effective when they occur in different settings and centuries. This serves to tie these different time periods together and to make the incidents and motivations of the characters more accessible and common place. A good example of this type of micronarrative repetition is the micronarrative in which Flashheart makes of with Bob/Kate. The first time this happens is in Black Adder II, in which Lord Flashheart is to be Edmund's best man in his wedding to Bob/Kate, but Flashheart and Kate fall in love at first sight and run off with each other (BAII, episode 1). This micronarrative is repeated in Black Adder Goes Forth, when Captain Flashheart, the downed ace fighter pilot, falls for Bob, who is really Kate once again pretending to be a man so that she might join the army (yet another repeated micronarrative). The effect of this strategy is mainly to equate the situations and persons of history with the selfish motivations and low behavior which we are all familiar with from our own lives. This serves to deflate the mysteries of history and the presumed nobility of so many of its greatest figures.

The other form of repetition which pervades the series, the catchphrase, is also brilliantly executed throughout the series. There are several of them, yet they are all subsumed under one dominating motif--'the cunning plan.' This is Baldrick's line, but it also involves a typical pattern of reaction on Edmund's part. The strategy basically goes like this: Edmund is faced with a dilemma which he cannot figure out how to get out of. He thinks and thinks and yet cannot come up with a solution. Baldrick, who has also been thinking (after a fashion), says something like "M'lord, you may not have to marry the Queen of Spain after all" (BA I, episode 4). To which Edmund replies along the lines of "Oh no... don't tell me." Baldrick invariably comes back with "Yes m'lord, I have a cunning plan." The humor in this motif essentially comes down to one repeated micronarrative: Edmund has a problem which he cannot surmount, and Baldrick comes up with a plan. Edmund knows, even before Baldrick explains his plan, that it is going to be incredibly inane and will not work. However, because Edmund is in trouble and has no plan of his own, he decides to go along with Baldrick's plan, which invariably gets him deeper into trouble. Aside from the Christmas Special and the Comic Relief skit, which I could not find and therefore have not seen, I think that it is safe to say that Baldrick has a cunning plan in every single episode of Black Adder. This fact takes the catch phrase and the repeated micronarrative to new heights, and, despite the obvious expectation that arises in the viewer, It always works and is always funny. In fact, the viewer tends to get excited at the first hint of a cunning plan, a fact which seems to run contrary to the common axiom that a joke gets less funny with familiarity. This pattern is brilliantly deflated by Curtis in the very last episode of Black Adder Goes Forth, in which Baldrick finally comes up with a plan that is sound and has a strong likelihood of success (BA IV, episode 6). This is in direct opposition of the common reaction to Baldrick's cunning plans, which goes something like "Baldrick, You wouldn't know a cunning plan if it painted itself purple and danced on top of a mandolin singing 'cunning plans are here again'" (BA IV, episode 2). True, it unfortunately fails, but the fact that Baldrick is capable of coming up with a cunning plan which is not essentially ridiculous is startling, and fits in well with the pattern breaking force of the last episode.

The last episode of the series is something of an enigma. Here, within a long standing series which had never once taken itself seriously, we are presented with an episode which does seem to take itself seriously and, more than that, ends on a truly depressing note. The last episode in each of the previous three series did contain some plot development which essentially changed the nature of relationships within the plot. In The Black Seal Edmund plots to dethrone his father and become king himself, only to succeed in killing the entire royal family along with himself (BA I, episode 6). In Chains, Lord Blackadder barely manages to avoid losing his head as a Royalist by having Baldrick killed in his place(BA II, episode 6). In Duel and Duality, Mr. Blackadder, Butler to the Prince of Whales, manages to switch places with Prince Goerge after he had been killed in a duel; the king is portrayed as completely insane and doesn't know the difference(BA III, episode 6). And, of course, in Goodbyeee Captain Blackadder's entire platoon finally goes over the wall and are all killed by machine guns within seconds(BA IV, episode 6). These major changes in the structure of the plot resemble punch lines of the macronarrative encompassing each separate series. Even the last instance, which is presented most solemnly and without any accompanying jokes, produces the same effect as a punchline; it essentially changes and closes any further development of the narrative.

Black Adder is a well conceived and artfully written series of narratives which succeeds at being hilariously funny. It is essentially a parody of all that is valued in traditional English history and utilizes an engenious technique, founded in a micronarrative, to skip through the centuries, widening it's force and varying the targets of its aggressive parodies. The many uses of comic types, and particularly comic pairs, afford a great number of possible jab lines based on the intertextuality of character types. Repetition, both of micronarratives and of catch phrases, is skillfully used to heighten the humor and structure the plot development. Finally, the separate macronarratives which encompass each individual series are given the structure of jokes, each ending in a punchline the irrevocably alters the narrative. In my opinion, the level of humor and artfulness of production involved in Black Adder is equaled only by the crew of Monty Python, and will remain as one of the funniest comedies of the British Invasion.

Work Cited Berger, Arthur Asa. Blind Men and Elephants. New Brunswick: Transaction Publishers.

1995.

CBS Fox Video. Black Adder Boxed Set. Beverly Hills. 1995*

*Note: all episodes are referred to in parenthetical documentation by their series and episode numbers.

Bibliography Berger, Arthur Asa. Blind Men and Elephants. New Brunswick: Transaction Publishers.

1995. "Blackadr-L Sounds-A-Bit-Rude Page." URL: http://valentina.com/ba2.htm. 3/10/97 CBS Fox Video. Black Adder Boxed Set. Beverly Hills. 1995 "Fact sheet--Rowan Atkinson." URL:

http://el.eonline.com/facts/people/0,12,909,00.html. 3/10/97.

"Krosis'CunningBlackadderPage."URL:htp://www.louisville.edu/~atjewel01/blackadder.

html. 3/10/97.

"Rhino's Black Adder Page." URL: http://village.vossnet.co.uk/r/rhino/bladder.htm.

3/8/97.

"Rowan Atkinson's Biography." URL: htp://www.prarienet.org/~hellox/beanbio.html.

3/8/97.

"WWW>Black Adder Page." URL: http://www.unit.no/~vhrisvik/blackadder/. 3/8/97.

Episode Guide

Series 1: The Black Adder (1983) Written by: Richard Curtis and Rowan Atkinson
Director: Martin Shardlow
Producer: John Lloyd

Edmund is the son of King Richard IV (1485-1498)

Main Cast:

Edmund Blackadder: Rowan Atkinson

Baldric: Tony Robinson

Percy: Tim McInnerny

King Richard IV: Brian Blessed

The Queen: Elspet Gray

Prince Harry: Robert East

1. The Foretelling (1485)

Edmund accidentally kills King Richard III (Peter Cook), making his father King while he hides Henry Tudor in his room.

2. The Queen of Spain's Beard (1492)

In order to prevent a war with Spain, Edmund must marry a Spanish Princess.

3. The Archbishop (1487)

Edmund is made the Archbishop, which has not been a very safe office to hold,
especially when the King doesn't agree with the church.

4. Born To Be King (1486)

With King Richard off to the crusades, Edmund comes across evidence that casts
doubt on Prince Harry's stature as next in line to the throne.

5. Witchsmeller Pursuivant (1495)

Edmund gets accused of being a witch by a witchsmeller (Frank Finlay).

6. The Black Seal (1498)

With the help of the "six most dangerous men in England", Edmund attempts to
take over the throne.
Series 2: Black Adder II
Written by: Richard Curtis and Ben Elton
Director: Mandie Fletcher
Producer: John Lloyd

E. Blackadder is a Lord in Queen Elizabeth's court.
Main Cast:

Lord Edmund Blackadder: Rowan Atkinson

Baldric: Tony Robinson

Lord Percy: Tim McInnerny

Lord Melchett: Stephen Fry

Queen Elizabeth I: Miranda Richardson

Nursie: Patsy Byrne

1. Bells ( Jan 9, 1986)

Edmund falls in love with his new man-servant (Gabrielle Glaister), who is really a girl in disguise. Lord Flashheart (Rik Mayall) turns up to spoil the wedding.

2. Head ( Jan 16, 1986)

Edmund is appepisdes ointed Head Executioner and accidently executes the wrong man, which causes a slight problem when his wife is given permission by the Queen to see him.

3. Potato ( Jan 23, 1986)

Sir Walter Raleigh (Simon Jones) returns from exploring the New World. Edmund decides to do some exploring to impress the Queen with the aid of Captain Rum (Tom Baker).

4. Money ( Feb 6, 1986)

The Bishop of Bath & Wells (Ronald Lacey) arrives to collect on a debt that Edmund owes.

5. Beer ( Feb 13, 1986)

Edmund has his Aunt and Uncle Whiteadder over for dinner, as well as hosting a drinking party at the same time.

6. Chains ( Feb 20, 1986)

Edmund and Melchett are kidnapped by a German (Hugh Laurie) who plans to overthrow England's Queen.

Blackadder: The Cavalier Years (part of a BBC Comic Relief Telethon)

Edmund Blackadder is a friend of King George (1648).
Main Cast:

Sir Edmund Blackadder: Rowan Atkinson

Baldric: Tony Robinson

King George: Stephen Fry

Oliver Cromwell: Robbie Coltrane

Edmund attempts to rescue King George from being executed by the round-heads.

Series 3: Black Adder the Third (1760 - 1815)

Written by: Richard Curtis and Ben Elton
Director: Mandie Fletcher
Producer: John Lloyd

Edmund Blackadder is a butler to the Prince Regent.

Main Cast:

Edmund Blackadder: Rowan Atkinson

Baldric: Tony Robinson

Prince George: Hugh Laurie

Mrs. Miggins: Helen Atkinson-Wood

1. Dish and Dishonesty ( Sep 17, 1987)

Parliment is about to cut off the Prince Regent's support and Edmund takes action to save him.

2. Ink and Incapability ( Sep 24, 1987)

Dr. Samual Johnson (Robbie Coltrane) asks the Prince for support of his dictionary. which accidentally gets used for firewood. Edmund must re-write it before Dr. Johnson finds out.

3. Nob and Nobility ( Oct 1, 1987)

The Scarlet Pimpernel is the talk of London, much to Edmunds chagrin. He is captured by French revolutionaries and held captive. Tim McInnerny and Nigel Planer guest as Lord Topper and Lord Smedley.

4. Sense and Senility ( Oct 8, 1987)

The Prince Regent enlists the aid of two actors to help him write a speech. But are the actors really anarchists?

5. Amy and Amiability ( Oct 15, 1987)

The Prince is low on cash and Edmund sets out to find a suitable dowry for the Prince Regent to marry. Amy Hardwood (Miranda Richardson) looks to be the answer.

6. Duel and Duality ( Oct 22, 1987)

The Prince Regent "soils" two of the Duke of Wellington's (Stephen Fry) nieces and is challenged to a duel. Edmund volunteers to fight for the Prince and attempts to get his cousin, McAdder to fill in for him.

Blackadder's Christmas Carol (Dec 23, 1988)

Written by: Richard Curtis and Ben Elton
Director: Richard Boden
Producer: John Lloyd

Ebenezer Blackadder is the proprietor of a moustache shop in Victorian London.

Main Cast:

Ebenezer Blackadder: Rowan Atkinson

Baldrics: Tony Robinson

Lords Melchett/Frondo: Stephen Fry

Queens Elizabeth I/ASphyxia XIX: Miranda Richardson

Nursie/Bernard: Patsy Byrne

Princes Regent/Pigmot: Hugh Laurie

Spirit of Christmas: Robbie Coltrane

Mellicent: Nicola Bryant

Queen Victoria: Miriam Margolyes

Prince Albert: Jim Broadbent

Ebenezer Adder is the kindest man in England. A visit from the Spirit of Christmas helps him to see the error of his ways.

Includes Christmas scenes of "Black Adder II" and "Black Adder the Third", plus a "Star Adder" scene.

Series 4: Blackadder Goes Forth

Written by: Richard Curtis and Ben Elton
Director: Richard Boden
Producer: John Lloyd

Edmund Blackadder is a Captain in the trenches along the Western Front in 1917.

Main Cast:

Captain Blackadder: Rowan Atkinson

Private Baldric: Tony Robinson

Lt. George Barleigh: Hugh Laurie

General Melchett: Stephen Fry

Captain Darling: Tim McInnerny

1. Captain Cook ( 28-Sep-89 )

General Melchett is looking for an artist for a special assignment.

2. Corporal Punishment ( 5-Oct-89 )

In avoiding orders from Geneepisdes ral Melchett, Edmund eats a messenger pigeon, which turns out to be a court-martial offense.

3. Major Star ( 12-Oct-89 )

In order to boost the troop's morale, Edmund organizes a show with hopes of taking the revue to London.

4. Private Plane ( 19-Oct-89 )

Edmund joins the Air Corp and crashes behind the enemy lines with Baldrick. Lord Flashheart (Rik Mayall) battles Baron von Richthoven (Adrian Edmondson) to rescue him.

5. General Hospital ( 26-Oct-89 )

Edmund is assigned to find a spy in a hospital, which has a beautiful nurse (Miranda Richardson) and a man with a strong German accent called "Smith".

6. Goodbyeee ( 2-Nov-89 )

The big push is coming, so Edmund goes mad. Will a last minute call to Field Marshal Haig (Geoffrey Palmer) save him?

Misc Notes on The Black Adder

The four series and the Christmas special aired on cable's Arts and Entertainment network (A&E). The Black Adder II episode "Beer" did not air on A&E, nor did the Black Adder The Third episode "Nob and Nobility." Each episode in the first series varied in length (30 to 34 minutes), while the episodes in the other three series ran 29 minutes each. The Christmas special ran 45 minutes. A&E edits the episodes to 22.5 minutes to make room for commercials, and they also cut 45 seconds out of the Christmas special for some unknown reason.
The syndicated order of the episodes in the first series is based on the date given in the episode, not on the episode number which appears onscreen with the title. Thus, the second and fourth episodes ("The Queen of Spain's Beard" and "Born to be King") are switched, running fourth and second.
Black Adder II and Black Adder the Third each won the cable ACE award for best comedy series. The third series also won an ACE award for costume design. The first three series are available to PBS stations. Some stations have not aired "The Archbishop," while other stations have skipped over "Beer." "Nob and Nobility" is not available due to some legal problems concerning the copyright of the name "The Scarlet Pimpernel." The episode is available on home video, however.
CBS/Fox has released two "Blackadder III" tapes in the US, with the first tape containing the first three "Black Adder the Third" epsiodes ("Dish and Dishonesty", "Ink and Incapability", and "Nob and Nobility") and the second tape containing the other three episodes ("Sense and Senility", "Amy and Amiability", and "Duel and Duality"). All four series have been released in the UK by BBC Video with "Black Adder: The Cavalier Years" appearing on a UK Comic Relief tape "Exclusive Relief".
"Blackadder Goes Forth" is the last series, according to Richard Curtis and John Lloyd in an article in The Times in Nov '89.

Rowan Atkinson's Biography

This is a copy of the film press release for Rowan Atkinson when he portrayed Ron Anderson in The Tall guy Take a look at the Complete Guide to RowanAtkinson's Video/Audio/Book Appearances Rowan Atkinsonwas born in Newcastle upon Tyne in 1955. He attendedNewcastle University before going to Oxford in 1975, and it was atOxford that he met screenwriter Richard Curtis, with whom he wrote and performed comedy revues at the Oxford Playhouse and later at theEdinburgh Fringe.
After an acclaimed revue at the Hampstead Theater in 1978, Atkinson was offered starring roles in two British television series, but chose instead to join the BBC's legendary "Not The Nine O'Clock News" team, where he first performed with Tall Guy director Mel Smith. The show recorded hugely successful albums, released several best-selling books, won an International Emmy Award, and the British Academy Award for "Best Light Entertainment Program of 1980." For his performance in "Not the Nine O'Clock News," Atkinson personally won the "British Academy Award" and was named "BBC Personality of the Year." His show at London's Globe Theater was sold-out for its entire run, and he won the Society of West End Theaters award for "Comedy Performance of the Year."
In 1983, he began working with The Tall Guy screenwriter Richard Curtis on their "situation tragedy" -- "Black Adder" -- for BBC Television. After touring the world with his own show and appearing in "The Nerd" in London's West End, Atkinson co-wrote and starred in two new seasons of the innovative series "Black Adder."
While filming The Tall Guy during the day, Atkinson could be found in the theater in the evenings starring in "The Sneeze," a collection of Checkov adaptations. Atkinson played a British consul opposite Sean Connery in the James Bond film "Never Say Never Again," and in 1989 co-starred with Steven Wright in the Academy Award-winning short film "The Appointments of Dennis Jennings." He was most recently seen in Nicholas Roeg's "The Witches" alongside Angelica Huston, in which he is once again cast as a villian.

Rowan Atkinson - Interview

Transcribed and provided by the ever-Bladderish artist soon to be formerly known as GenMelchit, from a Canadian radio interview sometime in the recent past.
------------------------------------------------------------------------ RA: Very well, thank you.
... INT: When did you discover your face?
... RA: That's a good question. I think I was about 20. It was when I first -I had just arrived a Oxford University. I had already got a degree in electrical and electronic engineering, which is my background. And I'd just arrived from another University, arrived at Oxford, and towards the end of my first month there, someone was doing or was staging a show, was, was staging a review, you know, one night stand, at a theater in Oxford and they asked me if I'd do something in it, because they knew that I'd been in school plays or they had heard that I'd been interested in theater and performing. So they said, "Would you like to do a sketch?", and I, um, and I, I had never written any words before in my life, and I just looked in the mirror and started to improvise. Really it was the first time I had just stood in front of a mirror and had a look at my face, and explored it and stretched it, and tweaked it, and just had fun with it. Suddenly this, sort of, attitude and this character and this absurdity started to evolve, and this bizarre little five minute sketch evolved, which was really the precursor to 'Mr. Bean' as he now is, about this guy who didn't speak but just burbled and came out and tried to give away this piece of paper to anyone in the audience who would have it. And this burblblb (does Mr. Bean mumble). He was just this man who came out on stage in this most peculiar way. And that was it, really. That was the sketch. That was, to be honest, the first time and the last time, really, that I looked in the mirror, and explored my facial range.
... INT: But, were you used to being a funny person, at this point, or were you only funny on stage?
... RA: No, no, I was only funny on stage, really. I, I, think I was funny as a person toward my classmates when I was very young. You know, when I was a child, up to about the age of 12.
... INT: Intentionally funny?
... RA: Yes, intent-well, heheh, yes. Good question. I think intentionally funny, until I was about 12. I remember I used to stand up in school changing rooms and did something that used to entertain...........
... INT: You're leaving much to the imagination, there now!
... RA: Can't imagine what, but anyway it seemed to cause amusement. But, of course, as soon as the adolescent self consciousness set in, really, I, I, I haven't done it since. I mean I can do it when I'm very relaxed, and with good friends, then I think I can be amusing. But generally speaking, I tend to be quiet and introspective.
... INT: What is it about Oxford University that produced such great comic minds, over the years? 'Beyond the Fringe' came out of Oxford, did it not?
... RA: I don't know what it was, the, the people who, at least in my eyes, started the tradition was the 'Beyond the Fringe' era, was Peter Cook and Dudley Moore, and-
... INT: Jonathan Miller
... RA: -and Jonathan Miller, and Alan Bennet who's now best known as a playwright and filmwriter. And, so that was the late 50's. But when I was at Oxford, I mean half of those that we've mentioned were at Cambridge, and indeed it was the same with Monty Python's Flying Circus. Monty Python crowd; half of them came from Cambridge, and half of them came from Oxford. But, there seems to be this jewel, this sort of two headed tradition of doing comedy, of doing sketches, and that kind of thing. ...
INT: Is it a British thing where we think that, you know, there's so much of British culture that's held back, and the class system sort of hold everyone rigidly in place, and-
... RA: Yea, I mean, I think there must be a degree to which it's a relief, to people who are studying philosophy, or law, or electronic engineering, like I was, who sit and think, "God, I want to do something else. I want to express myself in a different way. I have a performing inclination." Of course, some would say if you have a performing inclination, then you should become a lawyer. That's a platform we use, or a priest. You know, anywhere you lecture and pontificate to people. Or you can become an actor, and I suppose it might have started as an escape valve, and I sometimes feel that myself, because some of the joy I get from playing Mr. Bean, and why, I think some of the joy that people get from watching Mr. Bean is the fact that he does things that you would never dare do. Even though he is an adult, he behaves in the most outrageous and childish way, with no -totally self centered- with no sensitivity, no idea of social conventions whatsoever- ...
INT: But sometimes he is aware he is breaking social conventions, and he tries to pull himself back in-
... RA: Yes, but, but sometimes he is very happy to leave people in the dung, you know. Quite happy to cause a problem. And what's interesting about him as a comic character is that the custard pie hardly ever ends up on his face. You know he's always just dodging [inaudible because the interviewer will not shut up], and then he'll be off, out of it. And that sort of reinforces to me that fact that he causes so much trouble, and never really pays a price for it, which I think he should.
... INT: We know you first from 'Black Adder', at least that's the way you came to us in North America.
... RA: Yes, that's right.
... INT: 'Black Adder' is a literate program. It helps if you have some sense of historical perspective when you watch it.
... RA: [again interviewer talks over] -and you need a good understanding of English because it's full of English idiom and cynicism and irony and metaphors and, you know, bizarre sort of- so , I mean the Spanish wouldn't find it easy to immediately pick up on the comedy-
... INT: Like Mr. Bean-
... RA: -of 'Black Adder', but Mr. Bean furnishes, uhh, you know people whose first culture is not England or the English. I don't know why that is, because you cannot, I mean even though there are hardly any words spoken in Mr. Bean, as you know. But, merely removing the words from comedy in no way guarantees international acceptability. You can't presume, "Oh he's not saying anything, therefore the Venezuelans will love it.". You can't say that. It's unreasonable. Yet, for some reason the Venezuelans and the Spanish, and the Germans, and the Australians or Canadians or whatever- DO seem to find something in Mr. Bean that they can identify with. And I think it is this child in him, actually I think, it's this selfless kind of innocence, but vindictiveness -this selfishness, which I think is so fascinating.
... INT: I have some facts here about Mr. Bean: 2 million Mr. Bean tapes have been sold in the UK; Mr. Bean's Diary reached #1 on the Sunday Best Seller's List; it's been sold to 82 countries; in 1990, it won the Golden Rose at Montreaux; in 91, an international Emmy; it's won the Canadian Rocky Award three times; the American Cable Ace Award. It has won no British awards. What do you make of that?
... RA: I think that's true isn't it? What a good point. Umm, I don't know- There is a sort of a, there is a cynicism about 'Mr. Bean', in Britain. Certainly amongst the, what used to be called the chattering classes, you know the educated, middle class, or media people, who write newspapers and who tend to run award ceremonies. They simply prefer their comedy to be more verbal, to be more cynical, to be harder, more ironic. They like the 'The Black Adder', far more. 'The Black Adder' was occasionally awarded something. They find 'Mr. Bean' too easy, too accessible. There's something too manifest about it. He's too much 'there'. I mean, it doesn't worry me greatly, because I know- I think I've tried to explain why there isn't this sort of liking. It's not that it isn't a liking in Britain. It's just that it isn't a liking amongst a certain sector of society, who seem to be a little more cynical, or just don't enjoy it.
... INT: Which do you prefer? You moved from- you did 'Black Adder', then you did 'Mr. Bean'. Now you're back doing very, very verbal comedy in 'Thin Blue Line'.
... RA: Yes, that's right, yes.
... INT: So, for you was doing 'Mr. Bean' sort of taking off the shackles of this very high verbiage and irony, and doing this childlike character, was that a release for you? Or, or-
... RA: It's always a release whenever you do anything different. I mean it's nice, well we haven't done anything in 'Black Adder' since I started doing 'Mr. Bean'. But it's great to go, as you mentioned, this new police sitcom called 'The Thin Blue Line', which we did a series of in England last year, and we're gonna do another series this summer. And that is very verbal, more in a Black Adder tradition, and no doubt it's fun going from one to the other. It's fun going from 'Black Adder to 'Mr. Bean', but it's fun going from 'Mr. Bean' to 'The Thin Blue Line', which is- it's just fun doing something new and different. Which is why, sadly, I'm not sure we're going to be doing many more Mr. Bean. ... INT: At least not for television. You're doing the movie. ... RA: TV show. We are trying to do the movie. We've been trying to do it for about 3 or 4 years, and it's taken a long time to get around to it, but we've gotten to a second draft screenplay which is really looking kind of good. ... INT: This is the thing that amazes us in North America: British people know when something is finished. Jennifer Saunders, who did Absolutely Fabulous said, "I'm done, it's over. I'm finished, don't expect any more." With you, with Mr. Bean, now, are you telling us that this character, not exhausted, but it's time to finish him before he becomes- ... RA: There comes- I suppose we have a bit more respect for creativity, and the importance of creativity to the individual. And, we put a lot more value, or at least I personally put a lot more value, on the creative values and creative challenges of something than the commercial necessities. Not so much in Canada, but certainly in the US, as I'm sure you know, money is all, and if they can get another 26 programs of the same thing even though it advances the culture or those actor's careers not at all it doesn't matter. The only important thing is it's big bucks, and you've got to make the programs. We still have a tradition certainly in English television; it's faded a bit in the last five years, but we still have a tradition where the important thing is the quality and the challenging nature of the programming. Get that right, then- if you get the quality right, then the marketability or whatever; your ability to sell videos or your ability to earn money or whatever, will follow naturally. But try to be creatively lead rather than market lead. And that's important to me. ... INT: You've certainly done that right. The market has been very kind to Mr. Bean, and Mr. Bean has obviously produced just enough material for the market. You are so unlike your character, in person, but there's a- ... RA: (laughs) Well, thank you. ... INT: (laughs) There was a scene in an Italian restaurant with you and your wife, that is very Mr. Bean-like, that I read about. Do you know the one I'm talking about? ... RA: A scene in Mr. Bean? ... INT: No, in your own life. I read a story in- ... RA: Where did you read that? ... INT: I think it had to do with the tablecloth. ... RA: Uhhhhhh..... did I spill the wine? Or did I put the tablecloth in my.... ... INT: I think you put it into your pants. ... RA: I uh.... no I don't recall it well. I might have put it in my sweater. ... INT: (laughs) Are you prone to such incidents in real life? ... RA: I try to avoid them if I can, because I don't think- I'll tell you this much. I don't think I'm any more prone than anyone else is, but.... the problem is that because you're known for acting characters who are prone to those kinds of things. Then they think, Oh he's just like Mr. Bean, you ought to see him. He spilled his wine, or he knocked that table over, or he went in that door instead of that door. Which, I mean, we're all prone to that kind of mishap. But it is excruciatingly embarrassing when it happens to me, because people tend to notice you doing it. You know, shoplifting, if it was ever something to which you were inclined, certainly goes out of the window when you become famous. And so I just try and lead as normal and as straight and as clean a life as I can. ... INT: Well, thank you for Mr. Bean and thank you for talking with us. ... RA: My pleasure. Thank you very much for your time. Thank you.