Blackadder's Christmas Carol was a feature-length special made in between Blackadder the Third and Blackadder Goes Forth. It tells of the story of Ebenezer Blackadder, who against tradition is the nicest man in the whole of England.
It is a special that's become something of a Christmas comedy classic, and sees Jim Broadbent, Robbie Coltrane and Miriam Margolyes join the wonderful cast. Broadbent's Albert is actually a reprise of a similar character he played in Blackadder 1, or, to give it its proper title, The Blackadder. Miriam Margolyes was also part of that original cast, so it was something of a Blackadder reunion.
Here the story is reversed as Ebenezer Blackadder is the nicest man in England (perhaps even a bit too nice) and also the owner of a moustache shop, which I've always found amusing, although this seems to go unnoticed in the show.
Blackadder happens to be visited by a ghost (Robbie Coltrane), who is just 'passing by'. This cleverly gives us a chance to have a mini Christmas special from both Blackadder II and The Third through flashbacks as the ghost shows Ebenezer Blackadder what his ancestors were really like.
It also contains probably the best opening joke in any sitcom, as Blackadder walks in shouting, "Humbug, Humbug, Humbug, Mr Baldrick?" Then offers him a sweet!
Interestingly, most versions of this special edit out a line from the original broadcast. In the full version, when Baldrick talks about a dog being used as Jesus for the nativity play, he then mentions that the dog will be nailed to a cross for Easter. This was cut in almost every broadcast up until a few years ago when UKGold and Netflix started showing the original version again.
This is a Christmas special that we all know and love. UKGOLD screen this episode every year without fail (without the edit!) so you can't and mustn't miss it. I doubt many people do! So go on, enjoy!
Written by Rhianna Evans
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