Original Pilot

Pilots are routine for television production especially comedies. Ricky Gervais and Stephen Merchant used their own money to make the pilot for The Office.

It allows the production company to to analyse what works, what does not, what kinks need ironing out before vast sums of money is spent on whole production being greelit.

Sometimes the script is not fully polished, set and costumes are not fully realised.

The shock with the Blackadder pilot was how faithful it was to the second series onwards when Ben Elton was drafted in as co-writer with Richard Curtis.

The first series of Blackadder had Rowan Atkinson as co-writer. It was an expensive series as it had a lot of outside location shooting and expensive guest stars such as Peter Cook.

It was also uneven with its comedy, Blackadder was a simpering idiot. In the pilot he is more cunning and conniving although his plan which comes to fruition was originally an idea formulated by Baldrick. However another actor plays the manservant Baldrick.

The basis of the plot was used in the second episode of Blackadder. Edmund's Scottish lands are given to the heroic warrior, Douglas McAngus. He is played by Alex Norton in the pilot as well as the series.

The pilot was very good as a work in progress. It lacked polish here or there but they got the persona of Blackadder spot on. So it was surprising when it went to a full series production, the main character of Blackadder was altered so much.

It was also a shock to see Robert Bathurst playing Blackadder's older brother in one of his first main roles. He too was later replaced.

I was surprise to discover that the very first dialogue ever delivered on Blackadder was from "Uncle Fred" of "Coronation Street", there's a great question for a pub quiz. Compared to the later episodes this was not all that funny but pilots are made of course to iron out any faults and make the actual series a lot better. The sets looked very expensive for a pilot and it's mentioned that one of Blackadder's hats cost more than the writer was paid. Fans have to see this of course as this is where it all started and I'm looking forward to the documentary due on "Gold" channel in the next few days.

This pilot episode of "Blackadder" is listed under the first series, but it really bears far more similarity in style to the second. In many ways, it's like the "Born to Be King" episode from the first series filmed with characters much like those of the second. Edmund in particular is pretty much the same angry, conniving jerk he was in "Blackadder II" and it's set during this same time period.

As for the actors, it's not the wonderful mix you got from the actual shows. The biggest difference is Baldrick. Instead of the wonderfully stupid and pathetic guy played by Tony Robinson, here he is a normal looking guy and so the chemistry between him and his master, Edmund, is lacking--even when the dialog is identical to that of the later show. The king is also pretty dull--a pale shadow of the bombastic and bigger than life king played later by Brian Blessed. The only familiar faces, other than Rowan Atkinson, is Percy (who plays the same sort of moron he was in the first two series) and Edmund's mom.

As a result of these differences, the chemistry is a bit lacking--though the writing and quality still is evident. You cannot blame anyone for the flat and rough moments (such as during the play) in the pilot, as it IS a pilot and the show lacks polish--which is true of just about every pilot. For fans of the series, this is a must- see. For those not acquainted with the Blackadder series, WAIT--see the shows first as the pilot just isn't quite up to snuff.

In my opinion, this was a rare case of getting it right the first time. This pilot was made for the purpose of selling the series to the BBC. Watching it you can clearly see why they gave the show the green light. Everything about it is spot on. So much so that you wonder why they changed the setting, the personality of its title character, as well as the overall tone of the show when they made the first BlackAdder.

This pilot feels very much like an episode from "BlackAdder II." It features the same Elizabethan setting. Yet more importantly, Edmund is the same stylish and conniving rogue that he was in the second series as well. With the same sardonic verbal wit and nasty demeanor. Yet, the original BlackAdder ended up doing things much differently. Setting itself during the Middle Ages with our slimy protagonist being a sniveling coward instead. Personally, I prefer a BlackAdder that is devilishly cool as opposed to being a dunce.

It follows the same plot as the episode called "Born to be King," from the first series. However, it is done much better as the scripting and humor are solid throughout. It is very much like series II, III, and IV in its style. Considering how flawed the first BlackAdder was, you could say the show able to hit its stride when it reverted back to the format of this pilot.

A must see for fans. I do recommend watching it after you have seen all of the series. It was never broadcast and is not available on DVD but you can see it online.

It was really good. Better than some but not as good as others