The True History of the Blackadder
The Unadulterated Tale of the Creation of a Comedy Legend
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The complete history of the series, with the cooperation of writers Richard Curtis and Ben Elton, producer John Lloyd, and cast and crew. Hitherto unseen material includes extracts from a previously unseen and unproduced Christmas special. This is the very first in-depth examination of the creation of a British institution like no other--arguably the greatest sitcom of all time--not to mention the first historical investigation into the lives of the Blackadder family, one of the UK's most vilified dynasties. Using existing archive footage and rare literature, plus new revelations from personal interviews with the makers including John Lloyd, Tony Robinson, Richard Curtis, Ben Elton, Stephen Fry, Brian Blessed, Rowan Atkinson, and many more, this history relates the full scope of the tale of how the 1970s alumni of three great universities--Oxford, Cambridge, and not Hull, but Manchester--discovered a unique chemistry that would see them build a timeless comic masterpiece. At last Blackadder enthusiasts can now uncover THE cunning plan, in all its hideous hilarity.
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So this is definitely not a book for the casual Black Adder fan. To benefit from this book one must be a definite fan of British comedy, or a Black Adder nerd.
While a big fan of Black Adder, I suspect I am not quite a ‘big enough' fan to really have enjoyed this book.
For a 400 page book, there was probably 100 pages worth of good stuff for me, the rest was filler. There is so much crossover in British comedy with the 50 or so acting comedians, it really was just an ego stroking, self congratulatory romp through who did what with who when, how well it was received, and how much we all did for charity.
But, before I get carried away, this was my favourite part: (P200)
“... that when the present incumbent the Right Reverend Peter Price took up the post in 2001, he felt obliged to tell the House of Lords in his maiden speech “In the aftermath of the Blackadder television series, there are always perils for the bishops of Bath and Wells. I am constantly reminded of the alleged activities of one of my predecessors as a baby-eater... Entering your Lordships' House has proved no exception, and the greeting from the doorkeeper on my first day was capped only by the Bishop of Southwark seeing my five year-old granddaughter arrive and remarking “The bishop has brought his own lunch!””
So three stars for me.
