Quote:
Originally Posted by innerspaceboy
Massive confession: I've not seen a frame of either Blackadder nor Fawlty Towers.
What's the best course of action? Binge both series in their entirety?
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Oh. Dear. God!
You have GOT to see
Fawlty Towers! It's THE classic sitcom! Yes, my advice is binge from episode one (there are only twelve episodes) and you will be finished in no time, your sides aching and wishing there was more.
As for
Black Adder, that's a little different.
The Black Adder (the first series) is funny without much real rudeness. Edmund, the main character, the Black Adder, is a simpleton but thinks he's cool and the comedy comes from there. It's set in about the twelfth century, around the War of the Roses.
Blackadder II was when Ben Elton came on board, and immediately from episode one you can see a move more to the slightly smutty laughs - knob jokes etc. Edmund is now a cunning rogue. This is set in Elizabethan England.
Blackadder The Third is more of the same, but set in the reign of King George III.
Blackadder Goes Forth takes places in World War One.
There are some great supporting players - Steven Fry, Hugh Laurie, Miranda Richardson - with guest stars like Rik Mayall, Tom Baker and Ade Edmonson popping up too. Very British humour, eminently quotable and I think you would really enjoy it. It does follow a historical narrative, but that's not to say you can't watch the series out of order, as the one does not follow on from the other, ie nothing is mentioned in say series two that happened in series one etc; they're each pretty much self-contained. But if you want to see the evolution of Rowan Atikinson's character (to say nothing of Baldric, played by Tony Robinson, though this is more a devolution in his case!) then I would watch them in sequence, but be prepared for the shift towards toilet humour after the relatively tame first series.