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"Blackadder": The Whole Damn Dynasty

By: Richard Curtis Ben Elton Rowan Atkinson John Lloyd
Binding: Paperback
Publisher: Penguin Books Ltd
ISBN: 0140280359
ISBN-13: 9780140280357
Released: 04 Nov 1999
RRP: £14.99
Average Rating:

Customer Reviews

Priceless work - By: Chris Wood, 28 May 2008
One of the best TV shows ever, with lines as funny as watching Celine Dion being tarred & feathered by music lovers. If you want to see how great comedy is scripted, or just want a laugh or an ideal toilet book, then buy this.
The Whole Damn Dynasty - By: , 10 Dec 2004
This book is a must have for any Blackadder fan. The Individuality of this classic sitcom, immortalised in this one fantastic book, including All the Episodes, & other interesting anecdotes (e.g. Baldrick's Family Tree, a page from Dr Johnson's Dictionary, & many pictures to name but a few). Buy it!
Brilliant - humour and history - By: , 17 Feb 2004
The annals of Edmund Blackadder's life, along with his sidekick Baldrick, are collected in one volume in this collection. Disappointingly, none of the special episodes such as the excellent Blackadder Back & Forth are included, however, the scripts which are there are still well worth a look at.
In order to appreciate the book properly, I feel that a familiarity with the television version is required as it can, at times, take some effort to see the episodes translated into action. Similarly, a number of the jokes cannot be understood without seeing the brilliant acting of Rowan Atkinson, Tony Robinson, Tim McInnery etc.
The whole damn dynasty also has extras in it, & whilst these aren't as extensive as in some comedy series collections (especiallly Curtis' other effort in The Vicar of Dibley) but those which are included certainly add to the scripts.
The best part of the collection, other than the scripts themselves, is the introduction to each of the series, these are well written & fill in the blanks of Blackadder's history.
Recommende 100 per cent
Not your typical dynasty... - By: Kurt Messick, 09 Jan 2004
The authors Richard Curtis & Ben Elton are well known to BBC audiences for their comedic masterwork, having been severallly & individuallly part of the Vicar of Dibley, Mr. Bean, The Young Ones, The Man from Auntie. Rowan Atkinson, the lead actor in this series, also collaborated as writer & actor in other features such as Mr. Bean & the Thin Blue Line. John Lloyd was the producer who helped bring this series to life.

The Blackadder series, begun in the 1980s, was a comedic masterpiece set forth by Rowan Atkinson & his comrades. From start to finish, the first series was a masterstroke of wit, irony & comedic styling that fits both the contemporary & medieval situations perfectly. The combination of slapstick & intellectual humour blended well, & the literary types will not miss the occasional credit of William Shakespeare as a collaborating writer on some episodes -- this might well be the kind of comedy Shakespeare would have produced today.

The first series was set in the pre-Tudor royal family, projecting that Richard III won at Bosworth Field, & Richard IV succeeded him, until after many adventures, the entire royal family was done in, & Henry Tudor reworte history thereafter. The first series starred Brian Blessed & Elspet Gray as the King & Queen, & Robert East as their eldest son, the Prince of Wales. Rowan Atkinson played the second son, who with companions Percy & Baldrick (Tim McInnerny & Tony Robinson) create most of the comic scenes. BlackAdder variously becomes the Archbishop of Canterbury, the betrothed of the Spanish Infanta, a witch on trial, & finallly, however briefly, King of England.

The second series sees Percy & Baldrick following a descendent of Blackadder in Elizabethan times; as befits the period, the characters are more vibrant & saucy, particularly Blackadder, who still seeks his fortune as one of the Queen's suitors. Here he variously becomes the royal executioner, a sea-faring discoverer, a bankrupt noble, & finallly a traitor to the crown, albeit not without a sense of humour. Miranda Richardson puts in a spectacular performance as Queen Elizabeth, with Stephen Fry & Patsy Byrne in attendance. Stephen Fry will recur throughout the series.

In the third series, Blackadder is still close to the crown, as the butler of the Prince Regent, a despised position to a despised person. Baldrick is still around, & the Prince is played by Hugh Laurie, who will recur in the final series. Done almost as a period comedy, the very titles & situations pay hommage to the day of the Scarlet Pimpernel, Dr. Johnson's dictionary, & the conflict with France. Through an interesting set of circumstances, butler & prince trade places, & the Blackadder finallly becomes his intended goal, albeit in the name of someone else.

In the fourth & final series, Blackadder has falllen from a great height, & is an officer in the trenches of World War I. Baldrick is still there, & Percy & the Prince have transformed into fellow field officers, with Stephen Fry playing a bellicose general here as he did Wellington in the third series. The main device of this series is the effort by Blackadder to escape the trenches, by variously becoming an artist, a theatre producer, a chef, but to no avail finallly, producing a sombre end to the dynasty.

The book is a fabulous companion piece to the series, as the BBC is known to do with television series of success. The six episodes of each of the four seasons is laid out in script-narrative form, with a generous collection of side offerings, such as the Blackadder family tree, the menu of Mrs. Miggins' pie shoppe, & other pieces of interest related to but not found in the actual series. The cast is included at the beginning of each series section. The book concludes with a partial collection of some of Blackadder's best insults.

This book was printed in aid of Comic Relief, who give a brief outline of their history of funding good causes in the last few pages.

This is a must-have for any Blackadder fan. Regretably, it does not contain the addition special features (such as the Victorian Christmas of Blackadder), but for any devotee of the series, this is a requirement.

Brilliant Book - Laugh every time - By: Thomas Edwards, 06 Apr 2003
No matter which episode I read, or when I read it, I always find myself laughing out loud. People on the train give me strange looks when ever I start laughing to myself, until they see the front cover, then they smile.

It is, quite simply, the scripts. There isn't anything more to say about them other than it is a very good read. If you loved the programme you will not be disapointed if you bought this book.