The Black Adder (pilot episode)

The Black Adder
Title screen of the pilot episode.
Genre	Period, Situational comedy
Created by	Richard Curtis Rowan Atkinson
Starring	Rowan Atkinson Philip Fox Tim McInnerny John Savident Elspet Gray Robert Bathurst Alex Norton
Theme music composer	Howard Goodall
Country of origin	United Kingdom
Original language(s)	English
No. of episodes	(list of episodes)
Production
Producer(s)	Geoff Posner
Camera setup	Multi-camera
Running time	32 min. approx
Production company(s)	BBC
Release
Picture format	PAL (576i)
Audio format	Monaural sound
Chronology
Followed by	The Black Adder

The Black Adder is the unaired pilot episode of the BBC television series Blackadder. Taped on 20 June 1982, it features the original incarnation of Rowan Atkinson's character Edmund Blackadder. Following this pilot, The Black Adder eventually went into production and the first six-part series was broadcast in 1983, but with a number of changes to the casting, characterisation and plot; while the transmitted series was set in 1485 and the years following the Battle of Bosworth Field, this untransmitted pilot was set in 16th century, apparently during the Elizabethan Era.

A close adaptation of the script of the pilot episode was used for the second episode of the first series, "Born to Be King", which contains many similar characters, situations and lines to the pilot.

Like the first series, The Black Adder, it was written by Richard Curtis and Rowan Atkinson. However, the episode features a number of major differences to the aired first series.

The pilot episode is introduced with on-screen scrolling text which announces that the setting is "Europe, 400 years ago" which, based on the date of production, places the episode during the reign of Queen Elizabeth I. In this respect, and in the design of the sets and costumes, the pilot bears much resemblance to the second series, Blackadder II (1986) which was also set during the Elizabethan era. However, the historical connections are vague in the pilot episode; while the costume, jewellery and hairstyle of the Queen bear a strong resemblance to that of Elizabeth I, the reigning monarchs are cast anonymously as "the Queen" and "the King" and no reference is made to their actual identities. Even if the character of the Queen is intended to be Elizabeth I, the King and their two sons, Princes Henry and Edmund, would be entirely fictitious characters, as Elizabeth I neither married nor bore offspring. (It is also worth noting that the episode states that Prince Harry was born in 1526 - seven years before the real Elizabeth I - which would imply the episode is set in around 1550 and that the "400 years ago" is only very approximate).