Blackadder's Christmas Carol - Revision history

Kurt at 01:36, 25 February 2023

2023-02-25T01:36:05Z

← Older revision		Revision as of 20:36, 24 February 2023
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	~~{{Short description\|1988 Christmas special of Blackadder}}~~
	~~{{Use British English\|date=August 2011}}~~
	~~{{Use dmy dates\|date=November 2020}}~~
	{{Infobox television		{{Infobox television
	\| image = Blackadder's Christmas Carol.jpg		\| image = Blackadder's Christmas Carol.jpg

Kurt: /* See also */

2023-01-18T19:08:34Z

Kurt: /* External links */

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External links

← Older revision		Revision as of 14:08, 18 January 2023
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	* {{IMDb title\|0094754\|Blackadder's Christmas Carol}}		* {{IMDb title\|0094754\|Blackadder's Christmas Carol}}
	* [http://www.blackadderhall.com/?page_id=272 Transcript] at Blackadder Hall website		* [http://www.blackadderhall.com/?page_id=272 Transcript] at Blackadder Hall website

	~~<!--spacing, please do not remove-->~~

	{{Blackadder}}		{{Blackadder}}
	~~{{A Christmas Carol}}~~
	~~{{Authority control}}~~

	[[Category:Blackadder]]		[[Category:Blackadder]]

Kurt: /* Edited version */

2023-01-18T19:07:43Z

Edited version

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	=== Edited version ===		=== Edited version ===
	~~{{Media IMDb refimprove\|article section\|date=August 2018}}~~
	Most versions{{specify\|date=December 2015}} of this special edit Baldrick's speech about a dog being used as Jesus for the Nativity play to remove a line in which Baldrick says the dog will be nailed to a cross for Easter.<ref>{{cite web \|url=https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0094754/alternateversions \|title=Alternate Versions \|work=Blackadder's Christmas Carol (1988 TV Movie) \|publisher=[[Internet Movie Database]] \|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20200106191727/https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0094754/alternateversions \|archivedate=2020-01-06 \|access-date=2020-01-06 \|url-status=live }}{{unreliable source?\|date=December 2015}}</ref> The earliest known case of this edit was on its first rerun in December 1989. The same version was used for later terrestrial broadcasts when the special aired on Christmas in the years 1998, 2007, 2008, 2010, and 2012. The edited version is also seen in the ''Blackadder Ultimate Edition'' DVD set, on the UK channel [[Gold (UK TV channel)\|Gold]] since 2018 (the uncut version was screened until 2017) and, as of 2016, is on Hulu Plus. The original uncut version can be seen on the Region 1 U.S. DVD set, and on the U.S. and UK versions of [[Netflix]].		Most versions{{specify\|date=December 2015}} of this special edit Baldrick's speech about a dog being used as Jesus for the Nativity play to remove a line in which Baldrick says the dog will be nailed to a cross for Easter.<ref>{{cite web \|url=https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0094754/alternateversions \|title=Alternate Versions \|work=Blackadder's Christmas Carol (1988 TV Movie) \|publisher=[[Internet Movie Database]] \|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20200106191727/https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0094754/alternateversions \|archivedate=2020-01-06 \|access-date=2020-01-06 \|url-status=live }}{{unreliable source?\|date=December 2015}}</ref> The earliest known case of this edit was on its first rerun in December 1989. The same version was used for later terrestrial broadcasts when the special aired on Christmas in the years 1998, 2007, 2008, 2010, and 2012. The edited version is also seen in the ''Blackadder Ultimate Edition'' DVD set, on the UK channel [[Gold (UK TV channel)\|Gold]] since 2018 (the uncut version was screened until 2017) and, as of 2016, is on Hulu Plus. The original uncut version can be seen on the Region 1 U.S. DVD set, and on the U.S. and UK versions of [[Netflix]].

Kurt at 15:15, 3 October 2022

2022-10-03T15:15:53Z

← Older revision		Revision as of 10:15, 3 October 2022
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	{{Short description\|1988 Christmas special of Blackadder}}		{{Short description\|1988 Christmas special of Blackadder}}
	~~{{more citations needed\|date=May 2019}}~~
	{{Use British English\|date=August 2011}}		{{Use British English\|date=August 2011}}
	{{Use dmy dates\|date=November 2020}}		{{Use dmy dates\|date=November 2020}}

Kurt: 1 revision imported

2022-09-16T14:34:59Z

1 revision imported

← Older revision	Revision as of 09:34, 16 September 2022
(No difference)

en>Ollieisanerd: Improved article description

2022-08-18T10:26:29Z

Improved article description

New page

{{Short description|1988 Christmas special of Blackadder}}
{{more citations needed|date=May 2019}}
{{Use British English|date=August 2011}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=November 2020}}
{{Infobox television
| image = Blackadder's Christmas Carol.jpg
| caption = Title screen of ''Blackadder's Christmas Carol''.
| genre = [[Period piece|Period]], [[Situational comedy|sitcom]]
| writer = [[Richard Curtis]] [[Ben Elton]]
| director = [[Richard Boden]]
| starring = [[Rowan Atkinson]] [[Tony Robinson]] [[Stephen Fry]] [[Hugh Laurie]] [[Robbie Coltrane]] [[Miranda Richardson]] [[Miriam Margolyes]] [[Jim Broadbent]]
| theme_music_composer = [[Howard Goodall]]
| country = United Kingdom
| language = English
| list_episodes = List of Blackadder episodes
| producer = [[John Lloyd (writer)|John Lloyd]]
| camera = [[Multi-camera]]
| runtime = 42 minutes
| network = [[BBC One|BBC1]]
| picture_format = [[PAL]] ([[576i]])
| audio_format = [[Monaural|Mono]]
| preceded_by = ''[[Blackadder: The Cavalier Years]]''
| followed_by = ''[[Blackadder Goes Forth]]''
}}
'''''Blackadder's Christmas Carol''''', a one-off episode of ''[[Blackadder]]'', is a parody of [[Charles Dickens]]' 1843 novella ''[[A Christmas Carol]]''. It is set between ''[[Blackadder the Third]]'' (1987) and ''[[Blackadder Goes Forth]]'' (1989), and is narrated by [[Hugh Laurie]]. Produced by the [[BBC]], it was first broadcast on [[BBC One|BBC1]] on 23 December 1988.


==Plot==
[[Ebenezer Blackadder]] ([[Rowan Atkinson]]), the Victorian proprietor of a "[[moustache]] shop", is the nicest man in England.<ref name=transcript>{{cite web |url=http://www.blackadderhall.com/?page_id=272 |title=Blackadder's Christmas Carol |website=Blackadder Hall |date=12 October 2011 |type=transcript |url-status=live |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20190531133447/http://www.blackadderhall.com/?page_id=272 |archivedate=2019-05-31 |access-date=2020-01-06 }}</ref> He is everything that [[Ebenezer Scrooge]] was by the end of the original story: generous and kind to everybody, and sensitive to the misery of others. As a result, people take advantage of his kindness – Mrs. Scratchit and an orphan take all his money, his god-daughter Millicent takes his presents and Christmas tree, and a [[beadle]] takes his food. All but [[Baldrick|Mr. Baldrick]] ([[Tony Robinson]]) view him as a victim. His business turns no profit, all his earnings go to charity and con artists, and despite his positive attitude, he lives a lonely, miserable life.

One Christmas Eve, Blackadder's destiny changes when the Spirit of Christmas ([[Robbie Coltrane]]) visits him to congratulate him for his ways. The Spirit lets him see two shades of the past: his Blackadder ancestors (the protagonists of ''[[Blackadder II]]'' and ''[[Blackadder the Third]]''). Instead of providing [[positive reinforcement]] that Ebenezer is better than his forefathers, these visions lead him to admire them and their wit. He asks the Spirit to show him what could happen if he became like them. He sees a vision of a distant future where his descendant, [[Grand Admiral]] Blackadder, is a successful and ruthless official of a [[galactic empire]], about to marry the similarly ruthless and insanely ambitious Queen Asphyxia XIX ([[Miranda Richardson]]) after murdering her "triple husbandoid". The future Baldrick, wearing a [[loincloth]], is Blackadder's slave. Blackadder asks the Spirit what will happen if he stays as he is. He is shown an alternative future in which his descendant is the loincloth-clad slave of the incompetent Admiral Baldrick.

Contrary to the Spirit's intended point, Blackadder takes "the very clear lesson that bad guys have all the fun". On Christmas morning, he wakes up a different man: bitter, vengeful, greedy, and insulting to everyone he meets. Now feeling in control of his life, he misses an opportunity when he insults two strangers who claim to be [[Queen Victoria]] ([[Miriam Margolyes]]) and [[Albert, Prince Consort|Prince Albert]] ([[Jim Broadbent]]) and throws them out of his home. The episode ends on Blackadder's extravagant Christmas dinner, which is ruined when Baldrick shows him the royal seal left behind by the strangers, proving Baldrick's story that the Queen and Prince Albert had planned to award Blackadder a gift of £50,000 and the title of Baron Blackadder for being the "nicest man in England".<ref name=transcript/>

=== Edited version ===
{{Media IMDb refimprove|article section|date=August 2018}}
Most versions{{specify|date=December 2015}} of this special edit Baldrick's speech about a dog being used as Jesus for the Nativity play to remove a line in which Baldrick says the dog will be nailed to a cross for Easter.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0094754/alternateversions |title=Alternate Versions |work=Blackadder's Christmas Carol (1988 TV Movie) |publisher=[[Internet Movie Database]] |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20200106191727/https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0094754/alternateversions |archivedate=2020-01-06 |access-date=2020-01-06 |url-status=live }}{{unreliable source?|date=December 2015}}</ref> The earliest known case of this edit was on its first rerun in December 1989. The same version was used for later terrestrial broadcasts when the special aired on Christmas in the years 1998, 2007, 2008, 2010, and 2012. The edited version is also seen in the ''Blackadder Ultimate Edition'' DVD set, on the UK channel [[Gold (UK TV channel)|Gold]] since 2018 (the uncut version was screened until 2017) and, as of 2016, is on Hulu Plus. The original uncut version can be seen on the Region 1 U.S. DVD set, and on the U.S. and UK versions of [[Netflix]].

==Cast==
* [[Rowan Atkinson]] as [[Ebenezer Blackadder]]/Lord Edmund Blackadder/Mr. E. Blackadder [[Esquire|Esq.]]/Grand Admiral Blackadder
* [[Tony Robinson]] as [[Baldrick|Mr. Baldrick]] and his ancestors and descendants
* [[Stephen Fry]] as [[List of Blackadder characters#Melchett|Lord Melchett]]/Lord Frondo
* [[Hugh Laurie]] as [[George IV of the United Kingdom|Prince George]]/Prince Pigmot
* [[Miranda Richardson]] as [[Elizabeth I of England|Queen Elizabeth]]/Queen Asphyxia XIX
* [[Robbie Coltrane]] as the Spirit of Christmas
* [[Miriam Margolyes]] as [[Queen Victoria]]
* [[Jim Broadbent]] as [[Albert, Prince Consort|Prince Albert]]
* [[Patsy Byrne]] as [[Nursie]]/Bernard
* [[Denis Lill]] as Beadle
* [[Pauline Melville]] as Mrs. Scratchit
* [[Philip Pope]] as [[Horatio Nelson, 1st Viscount Nelson|Lord Nelson]]
* [[Nicola Bryant]] as Millicent, Blackadder's goddaughter ("Awful Screeching Woman" on BBC DVD cover)<ref name=DVD>{{Cite AV media notes |publisher=BBC|title=Blackadder's Christmas Carol [1988] [DVD] |website=Amazon.co.uk |date=18 November 2002 |url=https://www.amazon.co.uk/Blackadders-Christmas-Carol-Rowan-Atkinson/dp/B00006JI22 |url-status=live |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20200106194041/https://www.amazon.co.uk/Blackadders-Christmas-Carol-Rowan-Atkinson/dp/B00006JI22 |archivedate=2020-01-06 }}</ref>
* [[Ramsay Gilderdale]] as Ralph, Millicent's fiancé ("Giggling Ninny" on BBC DVD cover)<ref name=DVD/>
* David Barber, [[Erkan Mustafa]] and [[David Nunn (actor)|David Nunn]] as the Enormous Orphans

==See also==
* [[Adaptations of A Christmas Carol|List of ''A Christmas Carol'' adaptations]]
* ''[[Merry Christmas, Mr. Bean]]'' – another Christmas show starring [[Rowan Atkinson]]

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
* {{BBC programme}}
* {{IMDb title|0094754|Blackadder's Christmas Carol}}
* [http://www.blackadderhall.com/?page_id=272 Transcript] at Blackadder Hall website



{{Blackadder}}
{{A Christmas Carol}}
{{Authority control}}

[[Category:Blackadder]]
[[Category:Television shows based on A Christmas Carol]]
[[Category:British Christmas television episodes]]
[[Category:British supernatural television shows]]
[[Category:Television shows set in London]]
[[Category:British television specials]]
[[Category:Television shows written by Ben Elton]]
[[Category:1988 television specials]]
[[Category:Television shows written by Richard Curtis]]
[[Category:1988 British television episodes]]
[[Category:Cultural depictions of Albert, Prince Consort]]
[[Category:Cultural depictions of Queen Victoria on television]]

← Older revision		Revision as of 14:08, 18 January 2023
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	* [[Ramsay Gilderdale]] as Ralph, Millicent's fiancé ("Giggling Ninny" on BBC DVD cover)<ref name=DVD/>		* [[Ramsay Gilderdale]] as Ralph, Millicent's fiancé ("Giggling Ninny" on BBC DVD cover)<ref name=DVD/>
	* David Barber, [[Erkan Mustafa]] and [[David Nunn (actor)\|David Nunn]] as the Enormous Orphans		* David Barber, [[Erkan Mustafa]] and [[David Nunn (actor)\|David Nunn]] as the Enormous Orphans

	~~==See also==~~
	* [[Adaptations of A Christmas Carol\|List of ''A Christmas Carol'' adaptations]]
	* ''[[Merry Christmas, Mr. Bean]]'' – another Christmas show starring [[Rowan Atkinson]]

	==References==		==References==