Overview: Blackadder II

"It isn't every day a man wakes up to find that he's a screaming bender with no more right to live on God's clean earth than a weasel. Ashamed of yourself?" - The Apocathary, Bells

After The Black Adder, the budget for the series was cut due to low viewing figures. Changes had to be made, and anyone that's read my Red Dwarf reviews will understand why they were for the better. More focus on writing and continuity made the show completely different - and certainly more laugh-out-loud that its predecessor. The series was now written with Ben Elton instead of Rowan Atkinson, and the loss of his slapstick nonsense meant that finally all of the humour came from the dialogue or the plot.
    We now find Edmund's grandson (The Black Adder had a child?), his surname incorporating his grandson's nickname. Unlike the stupidity of his relative, Edmund here is the far superior intellect when compared with the now repulsive Baldrick and Lord Percy. He is quite charming and witty, but is constantly pandering to the needs of Queen Elizabeth. Baldrick, on the other hand, has become the epitome of filth.
     The series has a good variety of episodes and themes, with a seemless introduction in Bells and a suitable finale in Chains. The new cast additions are of high quality as well - actors returning in later series include Steven Fry, Miranda Richardson (here playing the hysterically mad Queen Elizabeth), and Rik Mayall. The two most prominent guests are Tom Baker (the Fourth Doctor) and Hugh Laurie, who would later play a recurring part in later series.
     Overall Blackadder II is much funnier than it's predecessor, with better writing, character design and certainly a more interesting setting. Next week I follow Edmund's similarly named grandson, Edmund, in the Comic Relief Special, Blackadder - The Cavalier Years.

Thanks.