12 May 2023
|
Eight stamps capture moments spanning four series of the classic British sitcom 'Blackadder' which first aired in 1983. A further four stamps depict Edmund Blackadder in his various guises over each of the four series of the classic sitcom.
The Royal Mail stamps feature some of the show’s best-loved characters, played by familiar names including Tony Robinson, Hugh Laurie, Stephen Fry, Tim McInnerny, Miranda Richardson, Brian Blessed and the late Patsy Byrne.
The stamps go on general sale on 17 May 2023.
Launched in 1983 by writer Richard Curtis and star Rowan Atkinson – with the vital assistance of BBC producer John Lloyd and co-author Ben Elton – the series went on to win an International Emmy Award and is regularly named among the finest sitcoms of all time - while its scheming, amoral hero has become one of our most adored TV characters.
Blackadder co-creator, Richard Curtis, said:
“We’re very amused and delighted. It’s a great relief for Blackadder to have his head on a stamp, instead of on a stake.”
John Lloyd, Producer, Blackadder, said:
“The entire team behind Britain’s leading situation tragedy is deeply honoured by Royal Mail’s magnificent stamps of approval. In the words of General Sir Anthony Cecil Hogmanay Melchett, VC KCB; ‘Let’s give them a damn good licking!’”
The Black Adder
Penned by university friends Richard Curtis and Rowan Atkinson – who also starred as the title character, the devious Prince Edmund – The Black Adder was set in the 15th century during the fictional reign of King Richard IV, a time of poverty, plague, religious hysteria and bloody battles over the royal succession.
Blackadder II
Moving the action forward a century and with Ben Elton on scriptwriting duties alongside Richard Curtis, Blackadder II tracks the shifting fortunes of Lord Edmund Blackadder, an ambitious courtier to the giddy young Queen Elizabeth I with a bumbling retinue of blockheaded sidekicks.
Blackadder the Third
Set in the early 19th century during the Regency of the impressively trousered royal heir, Prince George, Blackadder the Third follows the adventures of crafty butler Mr E Blackadder, who spends his days tormenting his lice-infested minion Baldrick and cooking up cunning plans to improve his social standing.
Blackadder Goes Forth
The final series, Blackadder Goes Forth, takes us to the mud-swamped trenches of the First World War, where Captain Blackadder and his doomed cadre of fellow soldiers try every trick they can think of to evade the inevitable order to go ‘over the top’. The final scene is one of the most haunting and memorable endings in TV history.