Blackadder writer "interested" in bringing it back with original play
"Who knows if we could ever make it happen?"
Blackadder writer Ben Elton has expressed interest in revisiting the popular BBC sitcom in the form of a stage show, following recent live productions of Only Fools and Horses, Fawlty Towers and his own Upstart Crow.
The legendary programme starred Rowan Atkinson and Tony Robinson as Edmund Blackadder and his dim-witted accomplice Baldrick, reimagining the characters for several different historical eras across its four seasons.
The show formally ended with the moving First World War-set Blackadder Goes Forth, but has returned several times in the years that followed – most recently in 2023, for a Red Nose Day sketch starring Robinson.
Now, Elton has told The Sun that one potential route for Blackadder to return would be an original story on the stage, but added that it's not a decision he could make alone.
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He explained: "A Blackadder play, if Richard [Curtis, co-creator] was keen on it, I’d be interested. Not an adaptation of episodes, it would be an original play.
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"When I wrote Upstart Crow, I did three series and three Christmas specials for TV, which was a load of writing, but I’m proud of the fact I then did an original play. If we were to do that with Adder, it would be the same."
The prolific writer went on to say that the Blackadder team is wary that they don't wish to "f**k up" the show's legacy with a less-than-stellar revival, so careful planning would be needed for any potential follow-up.
Asked whether Atkinson, Robinson and their co-stars Stephen Fry and Hugh Laurie would return for the stage production, Elton simply said it was "up to them".
He added: "But with Blackadder, there’s four figures who have a say in it: Me, Richard, Rowan and John Lloyd, who was the producer. So, if anything happens, it’s down to us. Who knows if we could ever make it happen?"
Last year, Blackadder reached its 40th anniversary and was voted the funniest sitcom of all time in a poll by UKTV channel Gold.
Blackadder is available to stream on BBC iPlayer.
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