Tony Robinson: Character Baldrick would have ‘high status’ in current government
Hit comedy Blackadder is marking its 40th anniversary with two new shows exploring the origin of the programme and the making of its four series.
Sir Tony Robinson has said he feels his Blackadder character Baldrick would have “very high status” in the current British government as he reflected on the hit sitcom during its 40th anniversary.
The 76-year-old actor starred as the hapless but trusty sidekick to Rowan Atkinson’s cunning Edmund Blackadder in the classic BBC period show from 1983 to 1989 for four series, each set in a different historical period.
As the sitcom marks 40 years, Sir Tony revealed whether a fifth series could be on the horizon with Atkinson.
Reflecting on what time period he would like to see Baldrick explore, he told the PA news agency: “I could do that character anywhere. The great thing about Baldrick is he is every man and every man as it were since the Middle Ages, it just travelled through everywhere being deadpan and making remarks.
“An enormous amount of people say that they would like to see Baldrick somewhere within the current British government, and I can see why that is such a seductive idea. Although, he could equally be in the White House.
Asked what he thinks Baldrick’s commentary on the current state of British politics would be, he added: “I think it would have been run on his cunning plans certainly for the last year or so.
“It’s one of the few periods of time in which he would have very high status.
“Indeed, he might not always be a man, it might be a female Baldrick in the current or the last iteration of Conservative politics.”
Launched in 1983 by writer Richard Curtis and star Atkinson, with the assistance of BBC producer John Lloyd and co-author Ben Elton, the show is often cited as one of the best British sitcoms of all time.
Sir Tony said that he feels too close to the show to pinpoint why it has been so beloved for decades but feels the comedy being set in different historical moments is one factor.
“Although it’s about the issues and the comedy of today, it’s set in a distant time,” he said.
“It’s much easier to view it objectively through the parameters of another time and it doesn’t date precisely for that reason.
“Also, you can get away with more rude stuff because if it’s now times it doesn’t feel quite so rude.”
The actor revealed that despite feeling a great “fondness” towards Baldrick, he does not feel a new series of Blackadder is a possibility.
“The idea of us (Rowan Atkinson) doing something together, it’s always been there or thereabouts, it just has never quite happened,” he said.
“Will it be reuniting to make another television series Blackadder? I very much doubt it. I just don’t think the will is there.
“I’d do it but there’s an awful lot of people that wouldn’t. And I understand and sympathise with that and I respect it.
“But will Rowan and I do something together? It’s a real possibility and I think he’ll probably say the same thing.”
Sir Tony added that feels that a new series would not be possible as people think it would be difficult to top the previous series, as well as attitudes changing since it first aired.
He said: “If you looked at it now and you think, ‘Well the voices of women are very slight, aren’t they? The voices of other races than the Imperial white man of a certain age are very slight’, that would be the first thing that would leap to mind.
“So certainly whatever you did, it wouldn’t be the same as what we wrote 30 years ago.”
To mark the 40th anniversary of the hit sitcom, Gold has commissioned two new shows which will air in June, with Blackadder: The Lost Pilot bringing Sir Tony on a journey to find the story behind the show’s origin.
Meanwhile Blackadder: A Cunning Story will take a look back at the making of all series featuring contributions from fans of the show including Jack Whitehall, Darren Harriott, Sarah Hadland, Ardal O’Hanlon and Nina Wadia.
