Blackadder
The Foretelling
TV Flash files “The Foretelling” as a desk essential hour — Blackadder (1983–1989) on BBC One, season 1, episode 1, aired 1983-06-15, 30 min.
From the desk
How this hour is filed
This leaf is S01E01: listed hour 1 of 24 in the Blackadder guide, first listed hour of season 1. It aired 1983-06-15 (30 min). No earlier hour is listed in this guide. Next is “Born to Be King” (S01E02).
Essential hour: “The Foretelling”. The Foretelling is the medieval first rung: Atkinson's historical snark, Robinson's dogsbody already the secret engine, cunning plans not yet trench-true.
Catalog log
Broadcast listing — not a TV Flash recap.
Edmund accidentally kills King Richard III but, unexpectedly, the tragedy makes him a prince - so Edmund decides he now needs a more striking name for himself. But the mood of celebration is shattered when he realises the identity of the nobleman Lord Percy has agreed to shelter in the castle.
Viewer FAQ
Where does The Foretelling sit in the Blackadder guide?
S01E01 is listed hour 1 of 24 — first listed hour of season 1, season 1 episode 1.
When did Blackadder S01E01 air?
The Foretelling aired 1983-06-15 and is listed at 30 minutes.
Do I watch in historical order?
The series eras escalate: medieval, Elizabethan, Regency, then the trenches. Start anywhere for the snark; finish in the mud. Goes Forth's last episode still drops the floor out of the joke.
In the series
Why this series still plays
Rowan Atkinson's historical snark escalator: medieval, Elizabethan, Regency, then the trenches. Baldrick's cunning plans, Hugh Laurie's upper-class vacancy, and a final Goes Forth episode that still drops the floor out of the joke. Peak 1980s UK comedy export — start anywhere, but finish in the mud. Tony Robinson's dogsbodies are the secret engine.
The escalator is the form. BBC, 1983–1989 across four series eras: cunning antihero Blackadder schemes through English history with idiot sidekick Baldrick — medieval snark to a WWI gut-punch. Blackadder is Rowan Atkinson with Tony Robinson, plus Stephen Fry and Hugh Laurie in rotating upper-class vacancy, from Richard Curtis, Atkinson, and Ben Elton. Escalating quality across series; global cult via PBS and video. Baldrick's cunning plans as eternal meme. If you came for a blotter item about a finale that still…
Filed against
- Rowan Atkinson as Edmund Blackadder
Rowan Atkinson’s Edmund Blackadder rode a historical snark escalator from medieval to the trenches — Baldrick’s cunning plans, a Goes Forth closer that still drops the floor — then traveled without a translator as Mr. Bean’s almost-silent…
- Tony Robinson as Baldrick
Tony Robinson’s Baldrick turned Blackadder’s historical snark escalator into cunning plans that never were — medieval, Elizabethan, Regency, then the trenches. Rowan Atkinson’s sneer needed a servant with a turnip for a scheme. TV Flash…
- Stephen Fry as Melchett / various
Stephen Fry’s Melchett bellowed Blackadder’s historical snark — upper-class vacancy beside Atkinson’s insult escalator, a Goes Forth closer that still drops the floor — then entered The Dropout’s turtleneck scam as prestige limited-series…
- Hugh Laurie as George / Prince Regent
Hugh Laurie’s George / Prince Regent made Blackadder upper-class vacancy a blood sport — 1980s catalog historical snark, then House stretching the instrument into a cane, Vicodin, and a whiteboard America could not quit. TV Flash files…