Sir Tony Robinson is fully aware that he would not have been a household name if it hadn’t been for Blackadder.
While the actor began his career at the age of 13, his career-defining part occurred over three decades later.
The first episode of Blackadder aired in 1983, and while the series would go on to become one of the most cherished of all time, Sir Tony reveals he felt it was absolute crap at the time.
‘I had always wanted to be associated with that kind of television- what I called Oxbridge television with the bright young lads, because it was all lads in those days, writing these funny things and I felt like I was a kindred spirit but that there was no chance of me being involved in something like that because I hadn’t been to university – I left school at 16,’ he explained in a wide-ranging conversation with Metro.co.uk ahead of the series’ 40th anniversary.
‘I got the script and thought it was great because I would be with these people (creators Richard Curtis and Rowan Atkinson), but as for the script itself, I thought it was a little bit rubbish.
‘I think everybody knew that and they hadn’t got it to where they wanted it to be and that is why you made pilots in those days…it was experimental and a petri dish to encourage you to take risks.’
While Sir Tony is closely tied to the programme as Blackadder’s sidekick Baldrick, many people are startled to learn that he was not engaged in the first episode ever filmed.
Despite being cast, the production was forced to halt due to a BBC strike, and by the time things resumed, Sir Tony was already committed to a show at the National Theatre.
Philip Fox played the character in The Black Adder pilot, but when the series was greenlit, Sir Tony received a call requesting him to return.
‘Months went by and eventually there was this telephone call out of the blue from the producer saying “hey we have the series” and I said “that’s wonderful will you congratulate Rowan for me I am pleased”,’ he recalled.
‘But he said “remember you are going to be playing Baldrick …we told you if we ever got the series we would like you to play him”.
‘Only in that moment did I vaguely remember they had said that, and I thought it was just the kind of bull**** producers always use when they want to get out of an embarrassing situation – I never took them seriously.’
Sir Tony, apparently unwilling to give up the post again, leaped at the chance.
Fans may recall that Blackadder aired for four seasons, with the final episode showing in 1989.
While there has been considerable discussion of a resurgence in the years afterwards, it seemed doubtful, Sir Tony gave specifics of one proposal that never quite took off.
‘There was a wonderful idea once that we would do one in the 1960s where Rowan would play the bastard son of Queen Elizabeth who was also in a rock band and I would have been the drummer Bald-Rick,’ he explained.
‘I would have loved to have done that one.’
As part of the celebrations for the show’s ruby anniversary, UKTV’s comedy channel Gold will be airing two specials over the next two nights.
Sir Tony will travel back in time to discover where Blackadder truly began, as well as the narrative of the never-before-broadcast Blackadder pilot episode, in Blackadder: The Lost Pilot, while Blackadder: A Cunning story will look back at the creation of the whole series.
Having the opportunity to witness the original episode was a game changer.
‘Yea it was very very strange, but it was also very interesting because he played it very differently to me,’ he said of Fox.
‘That character has a very different relationship with Blackadder – it was fascinating to see it could be played another way.’
The cast and crew knew they had an ambitious task on their hands when it came to recording the last episode, but as Sir Tony recounted, it was an utter disaster.
The episode, titled Goodbyeee, showed its main protagonists’ final hours before a massive British onslaught on the Western Front of World War I, a conclusion that was lauded for its emotional and unforgettable climax and is now regarded as one of the finest TV programme endings ever.
But as Sir Tony shared: ‘It wasn’t emotional at all because we had to be out of the studio.’
‘We had two studios for that episode; one for our normal set and the other for No Man’s Land, but getting all the cameras from one to the other took forever and we had to finish at 10 o’clock,’ he said.
‘It was a real scramble, and it didn’t work and it was rubbish and so we thought “oh god how are they are going to bail this out”.
‘Everything you see in that final scene was done in post-production because it couldn’t be shown as it originally was because it would have looked so pants.’
Despite his fears that the last scene would be “embarrassing,” the end outcome was a “wonderful illustration of how great art is formed out of hardship.”
Although fans have been clamouring for a Blackadder sequel in the years since the show ended, several of those involved have stated that they have no desire to bring it back.
While Sir Tony stated that he was certain there would be no more series, he stated that if the opportunity occurred, he would “leap at it.”
‘I think I have always felt slightly differently about Blackadder to the way the rest of them did because it was such a transformative experience in my life and I would have probably still been doing small parts in repertory theatres if it hadn’t had been for Blackadder,’ he said.
However, the actor recently reprised his role as Baldrick for CBeebies’ Bedtime Story and a Red Nose Day comedy.
Reflecting on the experience, he said: ‘Richard had written it so well that I didn’t have to sit down and search for the role again – it was just there in the script – every gag and arc of the seven minutes and the use of language…it just was Baldrick.
‘I read it out loud to my wife and we just looked at each other in amazement that this character was in the room for us again.’
Blackadder: The Lost Pilot premieres today at 9pm on Gold.
Blackadder: A Cunning Story airs tomorrow at 9pm on the same channel.
The series boxset will also be available on Sky, Virgin and Now.
