"Blackadder the Third"
Dish and Dishonesty (1987)

Director:

Mandie Fletcher

Writers:

Richard Curtis (written by) &
Ben Elton (written by)

TV Series:

"Blackadder the Third" (1987)

Original Air Date:

17 September 1987 (Season 1, Episode 1)

Genre:

Comedy

Plot:

Blackadder enters politics in an attempt to avoid Pitt the Younger from striking the Prince off the Civil List.

Plot Keywords:

Cunning Plan | Role Reversal | 1700s | 1790s | Black Comedy

Cast

Rowan Atkinson	...	Edmund Blackadder
Tony Robinson	...	Baldrick
Hugh Laurie	...	The Prince Regent
Helen Atkinson-Wood	...	Mrs. Miggins
Vincent Hanna	...	Vincent Hanna, His Own Great Great Great Grandfather
Denis Lill	...	Sir Talbot Buxomly
Simon Osborne	...	Pitt the Younger
Geoffrey McGivern	...	Ivor Biggun (as Geoff McGivern)
Dominic Martelli	...	Pitt the Even Younger

Country:

UK

Language:

English

Colour:

Colour

Quotes:

[first lines]
Blackadder: Oh, God, bills, bills, bills...! Honestly, Baldrick, sometimes I feel like a pelican. Whichever way I turn, I still have an enormous bill in front of me!

Good start to the third series!

Blackadder is back - and he's just as good as ever. The absence of Stephen Fry and Percy Percy may put a slight damper on things, but Hugh Laurie's role as the stupid Prince George makes up for this loss with hilarity and character. Baldrick is just as stupid as ever, and Blackadder's sharp, dry wit and sarcasm are just as hilarious as they ever were. The third series is off to a good start, and is probably the most historically accurate of them all.

This episode takes a slight while to get properly funny, but is strong on introducing character from the start - Mrs. Miggins is another new character - though she isn't hilarious or particularly significant, she does give the series some spark (we've heard her name a few times in the second series). Pitt the Younger is also funny, and there isn't a single weak scene in this episode. The plot is intelligent, and the sets are grander and better-designed than in Series 2 - it captures the Regency period very well. Of course, it isn't absolutely hilarious, but it is good, and is a good start to a great series. The script may not be absolute genius, but Blackadder's charm is in its constant hilarious lines and non-stop humour, and on that tone, it succeeds.

On the whole, this episode is good - Ben Elton has once again done wonders for Blackadder. Bravo! 9/10