Blackadder: Back & Forth - Revision history

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External links

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	{{Blackadder}}		{{Blackadder}}
	~~{{Paul Weiland}}~~
	{{Richard Curtis}}		{{Richard Curtis}}

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	~~{{short description\|2000 special based on the BBC mock-historical comedy series Blackadder directed by Paul Weiland}}~~
	~~{{Use British English\|date=August 2011}}~~
	~~{{Use dmy dates\|date=December 2020}}~~
	{{Infobox television		{{Infobox television
	\| image = Blackadder Back & Forth.jpg <!-- FAIR USE of Image:Blackadder Back & Forth.jpg : see image description page at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:Blackadder Back & Forth.jpg for rationale -->		\| image = Blackadder Back & Forth.jpg <!-- FAIR USE of Image:Blackadder Back & Forth.jpg : see image description page at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:Blackadder Back & Forth.jpg for rationale -->

Kurt: /* See also */

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Kurt: /* Rating, awards, and DVD release */

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Rating, awards, and DVD release

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	==Rating, awards, and DVD release==		==Rating, awards, and DVD release==
	Because of the film's intended audience (it is [[BBFC\|rated PG]] rather than 15) a number of scenes were cut from the final edit. Some of these were later shown in a corresponding "making of" documentary called ''Baldrick's Video Diary'' which was produced to accompany the DVD release, which also featured the Comic Relief special ''[[Blackadder: The Cavalier Years]]''.<ref name="DVD"/> All of this material, together with ''[[Blackadder's Christmas Carol]]'', was later included on Disc 5 of the ''Blackadder Remastered: The Ultimate Edition'' DVD box set. The DVD release does not include the laugh track.		[[File:BlackadderBackAndForthDVDCover.jpg\|200px\|thumb\|English DVD Cover for ''Blackadder : Back & Forth'' showing a selection of characters from the film.]]
			Because of the film's intended audience (it is [[w:BBFC\|rated PG]] rather than 15) a number of scenes were cut from the final edit. Some of these were later shown in a corresponding "making of" documentary called ''Baldrick's Video Diary'' which was produced to accompany the DVD release, which also featured the Comic Relief special ''[[Blackadder: The Cavalier Years]]''.<ref name="DVD"/> All of this material, together with ''[[Blackadder's Christmas Carol]]'', was later included on Disc 5 of the ''Blackadder Remastered: The Ultimate Edition'' DVD box set. The DVD release does not include the laugh track.

	The film was nominated for "Best Situation Comedy" at the [[British Academy Television Awards 2001]].<ref>[https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0212579/awards Awards] at the Internet Movie Database, URL accessed 20 April 2008</ref>		The film was nominated for "Best Situation Comedy" at the [[w:British Academy Television Awards 2001\|British Academy Television Awards 2001]].<ref>[https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0212579/awards Awards] at the Internet Movie Database, URL accessed 20 April 2008</ref>

	==See also==		==See also==

Kurt: /* Cast */

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Cast

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	==Cast==		==Cast==
	[[File:BlackadderBackAndForthDVDCover.jpg\|200px\|thumb\|English DVD Cover for ''Blackadder : Back & Forth'' showing a selection of characters from the film.]]<!-- FAIR USE of Image:BlackadderBackAndForthDVDCover.jpg: see image description page at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:BlackadderBackAndForthDVDCover.jpg for rationale -->
	The cast reunited most of the regulars of series two to four of the television series, who each played a variety of different incarnations of themselves, in a similar fashion to ''[[Blackadder's Christmas Carol]]''. The cast also included a number of cameos from British actors and celebrities.		The cast reunited most of the regulars of series two to four of the television series, who each played a variety of different incarnations of themselves, in a similar fashion to ''[[Blackadder's Christmas Carol]]''. The cast also included a number of cameos from British actors and celebrities.

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en>Ser Amantio di Nicolao: /* External links */add Category:1990s British films

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External links: add Category:1990s British films

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	[[Category:Fiction featuring the turn of the third millennium]]		[[Category:Fiction featuring the turn of the third millennium]]
	[[Category:1999 comedy films]]		[[Category:1999 comedy films]]
			[[Category:1990s British films]]

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86.167.245.179 at 12:35, 29 August 2022

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New page

{{short description|2000 special based on the BBC mock-historical comedy series Blackadder directed by Paul Weiland}}
{{Use British English|date=August 2011}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=December 2020}}
{{Infobox television
| image = Blackadder Back & Forth.jpg 
| caption = Title card
| director = [[Paul Weiland]]
| executive_producer = [[Peter Bennett-Jones]] [[Geoffrey Perkins]]
| producer = Sophie Clarke-Jervoise
| writer = [[Richard Curtis]] [[Ben Elton]]
| starring = [[Rowan Atkinson]] [[Tony Robinson]] [[Stephen Fry]] [[Hugh Laurie]] [[Tim McInnerny]] [[Miranda Richardson]] [[Patsy Byrne]] [[Rik Mayall]] [[Kate Moss]] [[Colin Firth]]
| composer = [[Howard Goodall]]
| cinematography = [[Tony Pierce-Roberts]]
| editor = Guy Bensley
| company = [[Tiger Aspect Productions]]
| distributor = [[Sky (United Kingdom)|Sky]] (Theatrical) [[BBC Worldwide]] ([[2 Entertain|VCI Home Video]])
| picture_format = [[4:3]]
| audio_format = [[Dolby Surround]]
| released = {{Film date|df=y|1999|12|6}}
| runtime = 33 minutes
| country = United Kingdom
| language = English
| budget = £3 million
}}
'''''Blackadder: Back & Forth''''' is a 1999 [[science fiction comedy]] [[short film]] based on the [[BBC]] [[historical drama|period]] [[sitcom]] ''[[Blackadder]]'' that marks the end of the ''Blackadder'' saga. It was commissioned for showing in the specially built SkyScape cinema erected southeast of the [[Millennium Dome]] on the [[Greenwich peninsula]] in [[South London]].<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20110608042528/http://www.film-tech.com/warehouse/pics/skyscape/skyscape.html SkyScape auditorium and operating equipment], URL accessed 20 April 2008</ref> The film follows Lord Edmund Blackadder and his idiotic servant, Baldrick, on a [[time travel]] adventure that brings the characters into contact with several figures significant to British history.<ref>{{cite web|title=Blackadder Back & Forth (1999)|url=http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/blackadder-back-forth/|publisher=Rotten tomatoes|access-date=4 June 2012}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=Blackadder Back and Forth(1999)|url=https://movies.yahoo.com/movie/blackadder-back-and-forth/|publisher=Yahoo movies|access-date=4 June 2012}}</ref>

In a 1999 interview, Richard Curtis described it as "an irreverent trek through British history – a time travel adventure story consisting entirely of people who are either rude or stupid."<ref name="BBC"/> [[Rowan Atkinson]] and [[Tony Robinson]] reprised their roles as the series' core characters [[Edmund Blackadder|Blackadder]] and [[Baldrick]], respectively. In an interview, Atkinson stated that making a ''Blackadder'' film had always been an ambition.<ref name="BBC">''[http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment/445805.stm Blackadder back to the future]'', BBC News, 13 September 1999</ref> Joining Atkinson and Robinson are other main cast members from the last three series, [[Stephen Fry]], [[Hugh Laurie]], [[Tim McInnerny]] and [[Miranda Richardson]].<ref>[https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0212579/fullcredits Cast & Crew] at the [[Internet Movie Database]], URL accessed 20 April 2008</ref>

==Production==
''Blackadder: Back & Forth'' was produced almost 10 years after the final episode of the ''Blackadder'' television series, but reunited almost the entire cast and writers of series 2–4 of the television programme, with the exception of the original series producer, [[John Lloyd (writer)|John Lloyd]]. Due to the increased budget, it is the only ''Blackadder'' story to be shot entirely on film and with no [[laugh track]], although one was added for the [[BBC One]] broadcast in 2002. It is also the only ''Blackadder'' to be filmed in [[widescreen]]; 2.20:1 [[aspect ratio (image)|aspect ratio]] for cinema showings, and [[16:9]] (1.77:1) for the DVD and television screenings.<ref>[https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0212579/technical Technical specs] at the Internet Movie Database, URL accessed 20 April 2008</ref>

The film was co-financed by [[Sky (United Kingdom)|Sky]] and the BBC, with sponsorship from, among others, [[Tesco]], with Blackadder trying to offer his [[Tesco Clubcard|loyalty card]] to [[Queenie (Blackadder)|Queenie]].<ref name="DVD">{{cite video | people = P.Weiland
| title = Blackadder: Back and Forth
| medium = DVD
| publisher=Cinema Club
| location = United Kingdom
| date = 15 September 2003}}</ref>

The opening sequence features various depictions and photographs of historical scenes, edited to contain a Blackadder, accompanied by a full orchestral version of the [[Howard Goodall]]'s ''Blackadder'' theme. The closing theme is a reprisal of the heroic version of [[The Black Adder|the first series]], with new lyrics sung by [[Giles Underwood]]; the lyrics appear onscreen with Blackadder's head as a [[bouncing ball (music)|bouncing ball]].

==Plot==
At Blackadder Hall in 1999, [[Edmund Blackadder|Lord Blackadder]] ([[Rowan Atkinson]]) is entertaining four guests on New Year's Eve. He informs them he has built a [[Time travel|time machine]] using plans drawn by [[Leonardo da Vinci]] and wagers £10,000 each that he can bring back any item from history they request. [[Archbishop]] [[Melchett (Blackadder)|Melchett]] ([[Stephen Fry]]), [[Archdeacon]] [[Kevin Darling]] ([[Tim McInnerny]]), [[George (Blackadder character)|Major George]] ([[Hugh Laurie]]), and [[Queenie (Blackadder)|Lady Elizabeth]] ([[Miranda Richardson]]) agree to this and challenge him to bring back a Roman [[centurion]]'s helmet, wellingtons worn by the [[Arthur Wellesley, 1st Duke of Wellington|Duke of Wellington]] on the day of the [[Battle of Waterloo]], and an ancient pair of 200-year-old underpants. The whole voyage is actually a scam, as Blackadder has, in fact, had [[Baldrick]] ([[Tony Robinson]]) retrieve the items from his storage, and the time machine is a prop. Blackadder stages the time machine travelling through time for his guests, with himself and Baldrick hiding inside, but when he opens the door he finds it has actually worked.

They are now in the [[Cretaceous|Cretaceous Period]], where they are confronted by a ''[[Tyrannosaurus]]''. They throw away their wager items but are eventually able to defeat it using the underpants. Baldrick admits that, as he never got round to writing the dates on the dials, they cannot return to the present.

Blackadder and Baldrick return to Blackadder Hall but during the reign of Queen Elizabeth I ([[Miranda Richardson]]) who, mistaking him for his ancestor, orders his beheading unless he has a present for her. While rummaging through his pockets, Blackadder drops some [[Polo (confectionery)|Polo]] mints onto the floor which he then offers to the Queen. She loves them, rewards him with her crown and orders him to go forth and bring back lots more "minty things". On his way back to the time machine, Blackadder meets [[William Shakespeare]] ([[Colin Firth]]). He hits him saying "that is for every schoolboy and schoolgirl for the next four hundred years" and leaves.

Blackadder tries to remember how the dials were set. They eventually land in [[Sherwood Forest]] and are captured by [[Robin Hood]] ([[Rik Mayall]]). Blackadder asks the [[Merry Men]] why they steal from the rich, facing certain death if caught, live in the forest with lack of toilet facilities, and yet are willing to give all they steal to the poor who themselves may view it as a reason to not work. As a result, the Merry Men shoot Robin. After having sex with [[Maid Marian]] ([[Kate Moss]]), Blackadder leaves, taking Robin's hat as a souvenir.

Next, the time machine lands at the [[Battle of Waterloo]], killing the Duke of Wellington (just before he announces his plan to defeat Napoleon's forces) in the process. Blackadder steps out to steal the Duke's boots, feeling he may as well try to win his wager. This is followed by them landing at [[Hadrian's Wall]] in [[Roman Britain]], where they spy their Roman ancestors. After stealing a helmet, Blackadder and Baldrick escape from a charging group of [[Picts]].

Baldrick mentions that [[Life review|dying people have their lives flash before them]] and that if Blackadder was about to drown, he might see how the dials were originally set. Blackadder agrees with this and shoves Baldrick's head into the time machine toilet. The plan succeeds and Baldrick remembers how to set the dials to return home. On the way back, Baldrick suggests that anyone can change the world for the better, though Blackadder argues that all most people can do is make money.

Returning to 1999, the party guests are impressed by what Blackadder has returned with, but due to his [[Alternate history|interference with history]], Robin Hood is unknown, Shakespeare is only known as the inventor of the [[ballpoint pen]] (which he had left with him after punching him), and Britain has been ruled by the French since Napoleon's victory at Waterloo. Realising that he is to blame, Blackadder gets back into the time machine to try and reinvigorate history. He champions Shakespeare, charms Robin Hood, and saves the Duke of Wellington.

They return home to ensure that the original timeline has been restored and to collect Blackadder's winnings from his guests. He tells them to go upstairs and watch the New Year's festivities on television, assuring them he will soon return. He informs Baldrick he has a "very, very, very cunning plan", and they set off again in the time machine. The guests watch the broadcast of the [[British royal family]] and the [[Prime Minister of the United Kingdom|prime minister]] arriving at the [[Millennium Dome]]. Blackadder is shown to now be King Edmund III, who is married to Marian of Sherwood ([[Kate Moss]]) and is joined by Prime Minister Baldrick.

==Cast==
[[File:BlackadderBackAndForthDVDCover.jpg|200px|thumb|English DVD Cover for ''Blackadder : Back & Forth'' showing a selection of characters from the film.]]
The cast reunited most of the regulars of series two to four of the television series, who each played a variety of different incarnations of themselves, in a similar fashion to ''[[Blackadder's Christmas Carol]]''. The cast also included a number of cameos from British actors and celebrities.

* [[Rowan Atkinson]] as [[Edmund III|Lord Blackadder]], [[Edmund III|King Edmund III]] and [[Edmund Blackadder#The Blackadder Dynasty|Centurion Blaccadius]]
* [[Tony Robinson]] as [[Baldrick]], [[Baldrick|Prime Minister]] and [[Baldrick#The Baldrick dynasty|Legionary Baldricus]]
* [[Stephen Fry]] as [[Melchett (Blackadder)|Archbishop Melchett]], [[Melchett (Blackadder)|General Flavius Melchius]], [[List of Blackadder characters#Melchett|Lord Melchett]] and the [[Melchett (Blackadder)|Duke of Wellington]]
* [[Hugh Laurie]] as [[George (Blackadder character)|Major George]] and [[George (Blackadder character)|Consul Georgius]]
* [[Tim McInnerny]] as [[Kevin Darling|Archdeacon Darling]], [[Kevin Darling|Duke of Darling]] and [[Kevin Darling|Duc de Darling]]
* [[Miranda Richardson]] as Lady Elizabeth and her relative [[Queenie (Blackadder)|Queen Elizabeth I]]
* [[Patsy Byrne]] as [[Nursie]]
* [[Colin Firth]] as [[William Shakespeare]]
* [[Rik Mayall]] as [[Robin Hood]] (aka [[Lord Flashheart#Blackadder: Back and Forth|Lord Flashheart]])
* [[Kate Moss]] as [[Maid Marian]]
* [[Simon Russell Beale]] as [[Napoleon]]
* [[Jennie Bond]] as Royal Reporter
* [[Sacha Bennett]] as [[Will Scarlet]] (uncredited)
* Crispin Harris as [[Friar Tuck]] (uncredited)

==Screening rights dispute==
In 1999, before ''Back & Forth'' had premiered at the Millennium Dome, a dispute broke out between Sky and the BBC over who had the right to broadcast the one-off special after the Millennium year. Sky claimed that they had paid £4 million for exclusive rights while the BBC argued that it was absurd that the channel from which the programme originated would not be screening it and that "[t]he stars agreed to do it on the basis that it would be on BBC One."<ref>''[http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment/419247.stm Blackadder's millennium duel]'', [[BBC News]], Friday, 13 August 1999</ref>

The film was shown at the 'SkyScape' cinema eight times a day throughout the celebratory year 2000, after which it was aired on [[television]], first on [[Sky 1|Sky One]] on 1 October 2000,<ref>'[http://www.blackadderhall.com/library/skyview.html Black to the Future – Interview with Tony Robinson]' in ''Skyview'', January 2000 {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071230094903/http://www.blackadderhall.com/library/skyview.html |date=30 December 2007 }}</ref> and then on [[BBC One]], where it was scheduled to be shown on [[Easter|Easter Sunday]] in 2002, but was postponed until 21 April because of the death of [[Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother]].<ref>[http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p00bf6kr BBC Programmes]</ref>

==Rating, awards, and DVD release==
Because of the film's intended audience (it is [[BBFC|rated PG]] rather than 15) a number of scenes were cut from the final edit. Some of these were later shown in a corresponding "making of" documentary called ''Baldrick's Video Diary'' which was produced to accompany the DVD release, which also featured the Comic Relief special ''[[Blackadder: The Cavalier Years]]''.<ref name="DVD"/> All of this material, together with ''[[Blackadder's Christmas Carol]]'', was later included on Disc 5 of the ''Blackadder Remastered: The Ultimate Edition'' DVD box set. The DVD release does not include the laugh track.

The film was nominated for "Best Situation Comedy" at the [[British Academy Television Awards 2001]].<ref>[https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0212579/awards Awards] at the Internet Movie Database, URL accessed 20 April 2008</ref>

==See also==
*[[List of fictional prime ministers of the United Kingdom]]

==References==

===Notes===
{{reflist}}

===Bibliography===
* Richard Curtis and Ben Elton. ''Blackadder: Back & Forth''. Penguin Books, 2000. {{ISBN|0-14-029135-0}}

==External links==
*{{BBC programme}}
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20090505225041/http://www.blackadderhall.com/specials/2.html ''Blackadder: Back and Forth''] at Blackadderhall.com
* {{IMDb title|id=0212579|title=Blackadder: Back & Forth}}



{{Blackadder}}
{{Paul Weiland}}
{{Richard Curtis}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Blackadder: Back and Forth}}
[[Category:Blackadder]]
[[Category:1999 films]]
[[Category:Films about time travel]]
[[Category:1990s science fiction comedy films]]
[[Category:British television films]]
[[Category:Fiction set in Roman Britain]]
[[Category:British science fiction comedy films]]
[[Category:Films with screenplays by Ben Elton]]
[[Category:Robin Hood films]]
[[Category:Robin Hood parodies]]
[[Category:Films about William Shakespeare]]
[[Category:Cultural depictions of Elizabeth I]]
[[Category:Cultural depictions of Arthur Wellesley, 1st Duke of Wellington]]
[[Category:Films with screenplays by Richard Curtis]]
[[Category:Depictions of Napoleon on film]]
[[Category:Works about the Battle of Waterloo]]
[[Category:Films set around New Year]]
[[Category:Films set in 1815]]
[[Category:Films set in 1999]]
[[Category:Films directed by Paul Weiland]]
[[Category:Television episodes about time travel]]
[[Category:Fiction featuring the turn of the third millennium]]
[[Category:1999 comedy films]]

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	The film was nominated for "Best Situation Comedy" at the [[w:British Academy Television Awards 2001\|British Academy Television Awards 2001]].<ref>[https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0212579/awards Awards] at the Internet Movie Database, URL accessed 20 April 2008</ref>		The film was nominated for "Best Situation Comedy" at the [[w:British Academy Television Awards 2001\|British Academy Television Awards 2001]].<ref>[https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0212579/awards Awards] at the Internet Movie Database, URL accessed 20 April 2008</ref>

	~~==See also==~~
	*[[List of fictional prime ministers of the United Kingdom]]

	==References==		==References==