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	== Production ==		== Production ==
	[[File:Alnwick Castle - geograph.org.uk - 107711.jpg\|thumb\|right\|[[Alnwick Castle]], Northumberland, used as a filming location for King Richard's castle]]		[[File:Alnwick Castle - geograph.org.uk - 107711.jpg\|thumb\|right\|[[Alnwick Castle]], Northumberland, used as a filming location for King Richard's castle]]
	[[William Russell (English actor)\|William Russell]], best remembered as [[Doctor Who companion]] [[Ian Chesterton]], was a last-minute replacement for actor [[Wilfrid Brambell]] in the role of the Duke of Winchester. Brambell walked off set after becoming impatient with delays in shooting the scene. Russell was credited as Russell Enoch.~~{{citation needed\|date=January 2013}}~~		[[William Russell (English actor)\|William Russell]], best remembered as [[Doctor Who companion]] [[Ian Chesterton]], was a last-minute replacement for actor [[Wilfrid Brambell]] in the role of the Duke of Winchester. Brambell walked off set after becoming impatient with delays in shooting the scene. Russell was credited as Russell Enoch.

	Among the scenes cut from the final broadcast version of ''The Archbishop'' was a scene in which Prince Harry consults his newly consecrated brother on the pressing ecclesiastical issues of the day, such as the [[castration]] of choirboys and the [[Scold's bridle\|torture of talkative women]]. Also cut from the programme was a [[valediction\|valedictory]] [[soliloquy]] by Edmund as he prepares to go into exile, bidding farewell to the castle turrets,<ref>Roberts, pp.109–110</ref> and King Richard preaching an angry sermon from the pulpit at the funeral of the dead Archbishop Godfrey.<ref>Roberts, pp.124</ref>		Among the scenes cut from the final broadcast version of ''The Archbishop'' was a scene in which Prince Harry consults his newly consecrated brother on the pressing ecclesiastical issues of the day, such as the [[castration]] of choirboys and the [[Scold's bridle\|torture of talkative women]]. Also cut from the programme was a [[valediction\|valedictory]] [[soliloquy]] by Edmund as he prepares to go into exile, bidding farewell to the castle turrets,<ref>Roberts, pp.109–110</ref> and King Richard preaching an angry sermon from the pulpit at the funeral of the dead Archbishop Godfrey.<ref>Roberts, pp.124</ref>

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External links

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	{{Blackadder}}		{{Blackadder}}
	~~{{Rowan Atkinson}}~~

	{{DEFAULTSORT:Archbishop, The}}		{{DEFAULTSORT:Archbishop, The}}

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	~~{{other uses\|Archbishop (disambiguation)}}~~
	~~{{Use dmy dates\|date=September 2013}}~~
	{{Infobox television episode		{{Infobox television episode
	\| series = [[Blackadder]]		\| series = [[Blackadder]]
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	==External links==		==External links==
	~~{{Wikiquote\|Blackadder#The Archbishop\|The Archbishop}}~~
	* {{BBC ~~Online~~\|~~programmes/~~p00bf5d6\|"The Archbishop"}}		* {{BBC programme\|p00bf5d6\|"The Archbishop"}}
	* {{IMDb episode\|0526539}}		* {{IMDb episode\|0526539}}

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New page

{{other uses|Archbishop (disambiguation)}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=September 2013}}
{{Infobox television episode
| series = [[Blackadder]]
| image = Blackadder archbishop.jpg
| alt = Prince Edmund, Baldrick and Lord Percy in purplse clerical cassocks
| caption = Prince Edmund (Rowan Atkinson, right) conspires with Baldrick (Tony Robinson, left) and Lord Percy (Tim McInnerny, middle) to sell holy relics
| series_no = 1
| episode = 3
| writer = [[Rowan Atkinson]]<br>[[Richard Curtis]]
| director =
| airdate = {{Start date|1983|06|29|df=yes}}
| guests =
| prev = [[Born to Be King (Blackadder)|Born to Be King]]
| next = [[The Queen of Spain's Beard]]
}}

"'''The Archbishop'''" is the third episode of the first series of the [[BBC]] sitcom ''[[Blackadder]]'' (''[[The Black Adder]]''). It is set in [[Kingdom of England|England]] in the late 15th century, and follows the exploits of the fictitious [[Prince Edmund (Blackadder)|Prince Edmund]] as he is invested as [[Archbishop of Canterbury]] amid a [[Machiavelli]]an plot by the King to acquire lands from the [[Catholic Church]]. Most of the humour in the episode relies on [[religious satire]].

The script pays tribute to the real-life 12th century Archbishop of Canterbury, [[Thomas Becket]]. Edmund, faced with the threat of assassination, attempts to escape to France into self-imposed exile; and in a later scene, two drunk knights overhear [[King Richard IV]] exclaiming "[[Will no one rid me of this turbulent priest?|Who will rid me of this turbulent priest?]]", the words attributed to [[Henry II of England|King Henry II]] which led to Becket's death in 1170, and embark on a mission to murder Edmund.<ref>Roberts, p.110</ref><ref name="episode">{{Cite episode |title=The Archbishop |episode-link=The Archbishop |series=The Black Adder |series-link=The Black Adder |credits=Rowan Atkinson & Richard Curtis (writers) |network=[[BBC]] |station=[[BBC One]] |date=29 June 1983 |series-no=1 |number=3 |url=http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p00bf5d6}}</ref>

"The Archbishop" won an [[International Academy of Television Arts and Sciences|International Emmy Award]] in 1983 in the Popular Arts category.<ref>Roberts, pp. 128 & 246</ref><ref>Lewis, p.113</ref>

The Catholic Church was to be satirized again in the second series, ''[[Blackadder II]]'', in the 1986 episode "[[Money (Blackadder)|Money]]".

== Plot==
[[File:Meister Francke 011.jpg|thumb|right|The episode references the death of Archbishop Thomas Becket in 1170]]
In November 1487, the Duke of Winchester, the greatest landowner in the kingdom, is on his deathbed, with [[King Richard IV of England|King Richard]] and Godfrey, [[Archbishop of Canterbury]], sitting beside him. Winchester initially plans to leave his lands to [[the Crown]] in his [[Will (law)|will]].<ref name=episode /> but Godfrey threatens him with the [[Hell|eternal torments of Hell]] unless he [[Bequest|bequeaths]] his estate to the Catholic Church. Moments after the will is signed, Winchester dies, and his lands pass on to the Church. Enraged, the King has the Archbishop murdered.

[[Prince Edmund (Blackadder)|Edmund]] learns of Archbishop Godfrey's death from his brother [[Harry, Prince of Wales (Blackadder)|Harry]] and reflects on it scornfully with his companions [[Lord Percy Percy]] and [[Baldrick]], remarking that Godfrey was the third archbishop in a year to suffer such a fate, sarcastically referring to the other absurdly obvious murders as "tragic accidents". Edmund then hears of a rumour that Harry is to be appointed as the new archbishop and speculates gleefully that his brother will also be brutally murdered, thus leaving Edmund [[Succession to the British throne|next in line for the throne of England]]. The next day, to reduce his chances of being appointed, Edmund dresses up ridiculously, but to his horror, King Richard announces that he will be the new archbishop. Fearing for his life, Edmund tries to grovel his way out of the job, but Richard refuses, threatening to do to him "what God did unto the [[Sodom and Gomorrah|Sodomites]]" should he anger him.

Edmund attempts to flee to France with Baldrick and Percy, but is caught trying to escape by King Richard and Prince Harry, and claims he was going to [[Canterbury Cathedral|Canterbury]]. Harry accompanies Edmund to Canterbury, where he is [[Ordination|ordained]] as [[Archbishop of Canterbury|Archbishop of Canterbury and Primate of All England]]. Edmund takes on Baldrick as a [[monk]] and Percy is ordained as Bishop of [[Ramsgate]]. All three adopt [[Clerical clothing|clerical vestments]] and shave their heads with a [[tonsure]].

Some time later, news arrives that the wealthy Lord Graveney is on his deathbed. Edmund, fearing reprisals from his father, rushes to Graveney's castle to convince him to leave his lands to the Crown. However, the [[Bishop of London]] (the former archbishop's brother) is already there, attempting to convince Graveney to bequeath his estate to the Church by threatening him with the pains of Hell, just as his brother had done with the dying Duke of Winchester earlier. Graveney confesses to Edmund that he fears damnation for his many sins, which include killing his father so he could have an affair with his own mother over one thousand times. Edmund convinces Graveney that if he were to go to [[Heaven]] he would spend eternity "singing, talking to God and watering pot plants", contrasting it with a picture of Hell as an opportunity to spend eternity indulging in fornication, murder and pillage. Excited by the prospect of eternal sin, Graveney deeds his lands to the Crown just before dying. In his joy, King Richard embraces Edmund and addresses him as "my son".

Later, Baldrick reveals a plan to profit from their ordination by [[Commercialization|commercialising]] religious artefacts – selling [[curse]]s, [[Papal bull|papal pardons]] and religious artifacts. He proposes a new [[Product lining|product line]] of [[relic|holy relics]] including a set of [[Turin Shroud|Shrouds from Turin]], a range of anachronistic gifts (such as a [[Smoking pipe (tobacco)|pipe racks]] or a [[coffee table]]) purportedly from the carpentry workshop of [[Jesus Christ]], along with a variety of bones and other bodily parts of [[saint]]s – all revealed to be [[Counterfeit|counterfeit items]] produced by Baldrick himself. Despite his initial displeasure, Edmund starts to settle in as archbishop, given the benefits the position brings him: he is gaining great new wealth for himself and the crown, for the first time his father actually respects him, and even without needing to kill his brother he has already become a politically powerful man in his own right.

That night, King Richard and [[Gertrude of Flanders (Blackadder)|Queen Gertrude]] drink a toast to Edmund, and Richard remarks that he is grateful that he will never again have to say "who will rid me of this turbulent priest?" The end of the sentence is overheard by two drunken [[knight]]s who take it literally as instructions to murder the current archbishop of Canterbury. The two assassins surprise Edmund, Baldrick and Percy and attempt to kill them. The trio escape by disguising themselves as [[nun]]s, for which they are caught by the Mother Superior. Edmund is promptly [[excommunication|excommunicated]] by the [[pope]] (and also two other [[antipopes]]), and walks away into a bright, holy light – revealed to be the glow from the fire he set in the [[nunnery]].

In the epilogue, the Mother Superior laments the corruption of the world, and suggestively informs another nun that she won't be needing "the [[unicorn]]" that evening – the true nature of which is not revealed.

== Production ==
[[File:Alnwick Castle - geograph.org.uk - 107711.jpg|thumb|right|[[Alnwick Castle]], Northumberland, used as a filming location for King Richard's castle]]
[[William Russell (English actor)|William Russell]], best remembered as [[Doctor Who companion]] [[Ian Chesterton]], was a last-minute replacement for actor [[Wilfrid Brambell]] in the role of the Duke of Winchester. Brambell walked off set after becoming impatient with delays in shooting the scene. Russell was credited as Russell Enoch.{{citation needed|date=January 2013}}

Among the scenes cut from the final broadcast version of ''The Archbishop'' was a scene in which Prince Harry consults his newly consecrated brother on the pressing ecclesiastical issues of the day, such as the [[castration]] of choirboys and the [[Scold's bridle|torture of talkative women]]. Also cut from the programme was a [[valediction|valedictory]] [[soliloquy]] by Edmund as he prepares to go into exile, bidding farewell to the castle turrets,<ref>Roberts, pp.109–110</ref> and King Richard preaching an angry sermon from the pulpit at the funeral of the dead Archbishop Godfrey.<ref>Roberts, pp.124</ref>

Location shooting for King Richard's castle was at [[Alnwick Castle]] in Northumberland and the surrounding countryside in February 1983.<ref name=alnwick>{{cite web|title=TV programmes at Alnwick Castle |url=http://www.alnwickcastle.com/television.php|work=Alnwick Castle website|accessdate=7 January 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20051217225209/http://www.alnwickcastle.com/television.php|archive-date=17 December 2005}}</ref><ref>[https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0084988/locations Locations] at the [[Internet Movie Database]]. Retrieved 17 April 2008</ref> [[Brinkburn Priory]], an authentic reconstruction of a mediaeval monastery church, was used for the scenes of Edmund's consecration at Canterbury Cathedral.<ref>[https://www.english-heritage.org.uk/visit/places/brinkburn-priory/ Brinkburn Priory], URL accessed 9 August 2010</ref>

==Critical assessment==
The depiction of the [[Middle Ages|medieval world]] in ''The Black Adder'' has been the subject of some critical commentary for drawing on [[Popular culture|popular perceptions]] of the period which are not always entirely accurate. While the series uses absurdly comic situations to mock religion and belief, the scripts of both ''The Archbishop'' and the later episode ''[[Witchsmeller Pursuivant]]'' have been attributed to a post-[[English Reformation|Reformation]] perception of Medieval Catholicism; Archbishops were not routinely assassinated and [[Witch-hunt|hysteria about witches]] was not widespread in England until the 1640s.<ref>Lewis, p.121</ref>

Reviewer Katherine J. Lewis draws similarities between Baldrick's relics scene and ''[[The Pardoner's Tale]]'' from [[Geoffrey Chaucer]]'s ''[[The Canterbury Tales|Canterbury Tales]]'', whose [[protagonist]] also has a trade in fake relics. While ''The Black Adder'' satirises the supposedly unquestioning credulity of the Mediaeval Christian, Lewis suggests that Chaucer's story, by offering a satirical commentary on the relic trade, shows that the teachings of the Church were open to question and ridicule even in the 14th Century.<ref>Lewis, p.122</ref>

In the 2008 documentary ''Blackadder Rides Again'', Richard Curtis and Tony Robinson both mention the relics scene as a particular highlight. Curtis was generally critical of the first series, stating that while comedy writers hone their craft first by writing [[sketch comedy|sketches]] and then progress to writing situation comedy, the most successful parts of ''The Black Adder'' were in essence just sketches. He points to Baldrick's scene with the holy relics as an example of one of those sequences – entertaining, but ultimately self-contained. Robinson felt that, because he, Rowan Atkinson and Tim McInnerny had just begun to work together, this scene was the first time that the three of them truly "gelled" as an ensemble of performers.<ref>{{Cite episode |title=Blackadder Rides Again |credits=Matt O'Casey (producer) |network=[[BBC]] |station=[[BBC One]] |date=25 December 2008 |minutes=11 |url=http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b00gbjgm }}</ref>

== Cast ==
The closing credits of this episode list the cast members "in order of reverence".<ref name="episode" /><ref>Roberts, p.420</ref>

* Paul McDowell as Herbert, Archbishop of Canterbury
* [[Arthur Hewlett]] as Godfrey, Archbishop of Canterbury and William, Bishop of London
* [[Tim McInnerny]] as [[Lord Percy Percy|Percy, Bishop of Ramsgate]]
* [[Joyce Grant]] as Mother Superior
* Carolyn Colquohoun as Sister Sara
* [[Robert East (actor)|Robert East]] as [[Harry, Prince of Wales (Blackadder)|Harry, Prince of Wales]]
* [[Elspet Gray]] as [[Gertrude of Flanders (Blackadder)|The Queen]]
* [[William Russell (English actor)|Russell Enoch]] as The Duke of Winchester
* [[Bert Parnaby]] as [[List of minor Blackadder characters#Cain & Abel|Cain, a Peasant]]
* [[Roy Evans (actor)|Roy Evans]] as [[List of minor Blackadder characters#Cain & Abel|Abel, a Peasant]]
* [[David Nunn (actor)|David Nunn]] as the Messenger
* [[Bill Wallis]] as [[List of minor Blackadder characters#Sir Justin de Boinod|Sir Justin de Boinod]]
* David Delve as [[List of minor Blackadder characters#Sir George de Bouef|Sir George de Bouef]]
* [[Leslie Sands]] as Lord Graveney
* [[Tony Robinson]] as [[Baldrick#The Black Adder|Brother Baldrick]]
* [[Brian Blessed]] as [[King Richard IV of England|King Richard IV]]
* [[Rowan Atkinson]] as [[Edmund Blackadder|Edmund, Archbishop of Canterbury]]

==References==
* {{cite book|last=Roberts|first=JF|title=The True History of the Black Adder : The complete and unadulterated history of the creation of a comedy legend|publisher=Preface|location=London|isbn=9781848093461|year=2012}}
* {{cite book|last=Lewis|first=Katherine|title=Mass Market Medieval : Essays on the Middle Ages in Popular Culture|year=2007|publisher=McFarland|location=Jefferson, N.C. [u.a.]|isbn=9780786429226|chapter-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=LroNNbbvcBoC&pg=PA113|chapter=8. Accident, my Coddlings}}

{{Reflist}}

==External links==
{{Wikiquote|Blackadder#The Archbishop|The Archbishop}}
* {{BBC Online|programmes/p00bf5d6|"The Archbishop"}}
* {{IMDb episode|0526539}}

{{Blackadder}}
{{Rowan Atkinson}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Archbishop, The}}
[[Category:Blackadder episodes]]
[[Category:1983 British television episodes]]
[[Category:Fiction set in the 1480s]]
[[Category:Television shows written by Rowan Atkinson]]
[[Category:Religious parodies and satires]]
[[Category:Television shows written by Richard Curtis]]

The Archbishop - Revision history

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