Question's in the title really. Which of the 4 series of Black Adder was your favourite? For the purposes of the poll I am not inluding any of the specials.

Black Adder 1 = Tudor
Black Adder 2 - Elizabethian
Black Adder 3 - Georgian
Black Adder 4 - WW1

"And Squirry the Squirrel went "neep neep neep"

Oh, that was great. Now then, how much do you charge for a good hard sh..."

..........

...so we've got sixpence "

So many to choose from for me.

I think over all the 2nd series has to be my favourite as it was the one I watched first. (Mum and dad thought I was too young to watch the original series when it came out). I love the Baby Eating Bishop of Bath and Wells episode the best I suppose, with that inexpensive prostitute called Molly who doesnt take any notice of something twice the size of the royal barge hoves into view.

But I also love The Queen of Spains Beard episode inthe first series.

4th series is extremely moving and the last scene is a choker. But very well made.

3rd series probably the weakest, but still good. SAUSAGE.... SAUSAGE.... CURSE YOUR EYES!

and all we have to do now is go down to the cock fights and put it all on a bird at 50,000 - 1


(and yes before you ask Blue Nosey, I do "know ye of such a bird"......)

You're as bad as me

Got to be II. To good all the way through, Lord Flashart being my favourite "Hello Bridesmaid, love the beard - gives me something to hang on to"

Blackadder goes forth for me.
The combination of Elton and Curtis complement each other exceptionally well - you only have to watch the first series (written by Curtis and Atkinson) to realise what Elton brought to the table. All the smut and knob gags aka the funny bits.

Any episode where Lord Flashheart makes an appearance.

Nursie's (aka Bernard's) beard, care of the late great Captain Rum.

"Nursie: You're so clever today, you better be careful your foot doesn't fall off.

Queenie: Does that happen when you have lots of brilliant ideas? Your foot falls off?

Nursie: It certainly does. My brother, he had this brilliant idea of cutting his toenails with a scythe, and his foot fell off "

Another great scene :-

annoyed that I spelt Georgian wrong in the poll though.

A new word for the Dictionary, a bit like "Contrafibularities"

Blackadder I = medieval, surely?

I remember having this discussion on here before (you know you've been on FISO too long when...), IMO Blackadder IV is far inferior to II and III - people remember it for the, admittedly very moving, ending, but in general the writing is a long way short of the previous two series.

The Bishop of Bath and Wells...

Also remember this thread from before. Always had a soft spot for I because I watched it from the start and it was therefore the benchmark. Ben Elton is /was a genius (Til Queen musical etc) and he did bring a lot to II, which was surely the best - the Queen is surely the best ever one series character then you have Nurse, Melchy, Flasheart, Tom Baker and everyone at the Lady Whiteadder booze up.

III was also great but suffered as II was the yardstick. IV was different and probably my 3rd fab.

2
1
4
3

Also seem to recall a previous thread and thinking that it'd be interesting to plot the age of the poster against their favourite. Roughly, 35-45 year olds (now) much more likely to say series 2. Under 30s probably in the 4 camp.

Might even have said that these idiot kids really need to appreciate how superior 2 was!

I'm 45 years old and prefer the maligned #4 series.
Perhaps it is because of my military background, but that preference really doesn't distract from the immense enjoyment I get from #s 2&3, where as the first series was somewhat lacking.

The prison scene when Flasheart tries to save Blackadder and von Richthoven enters the cell...

[von Richthoven enters the cell.]

von Richthoven: Ah, and the Lord Flasheart. This is indeed an honour.
Finally, the two greatest gentleman fliers in the world meet.
Two men of honour, who have jousted together in the
cloud-strewn glory of the skies, face to face at last. How
often I have rehearsed this moment of destiny in my dreams.
The panoply to encapsulate the unspoken nobility of a
comradeship.

[Flasheart shoots von Richthoven.]

Flasheart: What a poof! Come on!

Is this not another version of '1966 Football coming home'

well I'm 43 and I prefer 4. I watched Blackadder from the off and was a huge fan, loved II & IV not so much I & III. Surely it's just opinion, I don't consider myself to be an idiot kid, I just found IV funniest.

Ahhh no wonder people on here once thought I was german!

That explains a lot......

I'm 33, and my favourite is IV, very closely followed by III, very closely followed by II, with I miles behind. Surely everyone knows that the first series is rubbish? That stupid voice that Atkinson used, Brian Blessed doing his usual shouting. Much better from II onwards. Not sure how much the switching of idiot/genius between Blackadder and Baldrick had to do with that.

Not total rubbish. The 1st series had The Queen of Spain (and Jeremy of Estonia)

also introduced us to the Witch Smeller Persuivant.

I don't think it's all that far behind the other series at all.

The first series was also 'cleverer' with more plays on actual history and Shakespeare etc (Peter Cook saying 'horsey, horsey, kingdom for my horsey'). Plus you had the Jumping Jews Of Jeruslem (what do they do?)

Blackadder himself was also good being all weedy and snivelly, perhaps doesn't work if you have seen the other series first and he isn't the usual smug git.

Being mega pedantic, it could be more Plantagenet but it's close to Tudor times.

Interestingly there was a real life Edward (not Edmund) aka "The Black Prince". Fearless warrior and eldest son of Edward III. He died before his Dad and the knock on effect was that his son - Richard II came to the throne as a small boy. This indirectly kicked off the Wars of the Roses. Richard II may well have been the first king to abdicate (not Eddie the VIII as we all usually think of)

I bow to your greater wisdom

My favourite is 2, followed closely by 3 and then 4...the first series is way, waaaaaaay off the pace of the other three IMO...