2023 marks a big anniversary for BBC comedy series Blackadder as the show celebrates its 40th year on our screens. Although there haven’t really - aside from the odd Comic Relief special - been any new episodes since 1999, fans have often called for the series to return.
In fact the closest thing to a celebration of Blackadder’s 40th birthday came on Red Nose Day this year. In a short special episode Baldrick (Tony Robinson) read about himself and Edmund Blackadder (Rowan Atkinson), who unfortunately didn’t make a cameo in the skit.
Told across multiple periods of history, Blackadder follows the escapades of titular anti-hero Edmund Blackadder and his dogsbody Baldrick. The series quickly became a fan favourite and in 2004 it was ranked the second-best sitcom of all time, beaten only by Only Fools and Horses.
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Since the series, most of the show’s cast have continued to work on our screens but what exactly happened to the cast of Blackadder?
Rowan Atkinson - Edmund Blackadder
Rowan played the self-serving and cynical lead character of the series - and will probably never escape the role. Following the show’s end the 68-year-old has regularly been hounded by people who want to see more from Edmund, Baldrick and co.
The actor, comedian and writer is not exactly short of famous roles, either, and is perhaps most recognisable as Mr Bean to audiences worldwide. He also played the James Bond parody, Johnny English, in three feature films.
Alongside these roles Rowan has made appearances in countless other well known films, including Love Actually, Four Weddings and a Funeral and the James Bond flick Never Say Never Again. He also voiced red-billed hornbill Zazu in The Lion King and played Fagin in the West End revival of the musical Oliver!
In 2003 The Observer listed Rowan as one of the top 50 funniest actors in British comedy. He has also been recognised by royalty as in 2013, he was appointed CBE in the late Queen Elizabeth II's Birthday Honours.
Rowan was married to makeup artist Sunetra Sastry, who he met in the late 1980s while she was working for the BBC. The share two children together and divorced in 2015 after Rowan met comedian Louise Ford, who was previously in a relationship with James Acaster. Rowan and Louise now also share a child together.
Blackadder’s lead star is also an avid car enthusiast and a lover of racing. One car Rowan has said he’ll not own, however, is a Porsche. "I have a problem with Porsches,” he’s previously admitted. “They're wonderful cars, but I know I could never live with one. Somehow, the typical Porsche people – and I wish them no ill – are not, I feel, my kind of people.”
Tony Robinson - Baldrick
One person who is far from their Blackadder character is Tony Robinson. Whereas Baldrick is incredibly dim, that’s one thing the 77-year-old is definitely not.
Aside from his iconic role in the BBC comedy series, Tony is best known for presenting Channel 4’s Time Team for 20 years. The series ran between 1994 and 2014 but last year it returned on online platforms.
In 2011 Tony married his third wife, Louise Hobbs, 41, who is two years younger than his daughter Laura. Quizzed on ITV's Loose Women about how his daughter took the age gap, he said at the time: “She was absolutely cool about it. We’ve been married a long time. It is just not an issue for us.”
The same year as Rowan Atkinson, Tony received an honour from the royals in 2013. Whilst his ‘master’ was appointed a CBE, he was knighted by the late Queen Elizabeth II. Tony recounted meeting the Queen and Prince Philip during a Time Team dig at Buckingham Palace in 2006. He explained: “I said to the Duke of Edinburgh, ‘What do you think we will find?’ And he said, ‘B****r all’, and he was right.”
Stephen Fry - Melchett
One of the most recognisable names on this list, Stephen Fry became a national treasure following the end of Blackadder. This was, in part, thanks to his work with comedy partner Hugh Laurie (more on him later) but also due to the fact that he hosted QI between 2003 and 2016 - before eventually being succeeded by Sandi Toksvig.
A man of many talents, Stephen has acted in a number of Hollywood films including Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows, V for Vendetta and Oscar Wilde in the 1997 film WIlde - for which he was awarded a Golden Globe. He has also made many TV appearances and featured in It’s a Sin, Bones and a cameo role in Doctor Who.
In 2015 Stephen wed Elliot Spencer, who is 30 years his junior. Two years later, his private life hit the headlines once again when he announced that he’d had his prostate removed after being diagnosed with cancer.
Over the course of his career Stephen has been outspoken about his mental health struggles. He's written and starred in a number of documentary series, including his Emmy-Award winning Stephen Fry: The Secret Life of the Manic Depressive, which followed his battle with bipolar disorder.
Hugh Laurie - Prince George
Hugh did what many of the other Blackadder cast members couldn’t do: he broke America. The actor’s role as Dr. Gregory House on Fox medical drama House led to countless other big roles. These include Disney’s 101 Dalmatians, The Man in the Iron Mask and Arthur Christmas. He also played Richard Roper in the BBC drama series The Night Manager opposite Marvel star Tom Hiddleston, which is due to release a second season.
Hugh married theatre administrator Jo Green in 1989 in the Camden area of London. The couple share three children together. Stephen Fry was the best man at his wedding and is godfather to his children.
Miranda Richardson - Queenie
Miranda played the childish Queen Elizabeth I (Queenie) in Blackadder II, but this wouldn’t be the actress’ only popular role. Following the series she went on to star in blockbusters like Harry Potter (as reporter Rita Skeeter) and was even been nominated for two Academy Awards.
The Queenie actress’ most recent part came in the second season of Amazon Prime’s Good Omens, which also starred Michael Sheen and David Tennant. Whilst Miranda did appear in the first season as well, she played an entirely different role in season two - the demon Shax.
In an interview with The Guardian Miranda revealed that aside from acting, her hobbies include dog walking, gardening and falconry. She also plays the cello in her down time.
Miriam Margoyles - Lady Whiteadder
Miriam is someone who you never know what she’ll say next. Over the years the actress, who played Lady Whiteadder in Blackadder, has been the cause of many viral moments from appearances on shows like The Graham Norton Show and This Morning.
Perhaps the actress’ most well known role is Professor Sprout in the Harry Potter film series. She's also starred in Call The Midwife, Miss Fisher's Murder Mysteries and Trollied, and even scooped a BAFTA for her role in Martin Scorsese's The Age of Innocence in 1993.
Miriam is in a civil partnership with Heather Sutherland, who likes to keep out of the public eye. The couple don't live together but they spend time with each other in London, Tuscany and Australia - which is something Miriam says is the reason for their long-lasting relationship.
In 2020 the Harry Potter actress sparked nearly 500 Ofcom complaints after saying she "wanted Boris Johnson to die" on Channel 4's The Last Leg during the pandemic.
Tim McInnerny - Lord Percy Percy and Captain Darling
Rounding up the Blackadder cast is Tim McInnerny, who played multiple roles over the the series' run. The actor has continued to work with his former co-stars on other occasions - notably Hugh Laurie in 101 Dalmations and Rowan Atkinson in Johnny English Reborn.
Tim previously admitted his biggest business mistake was "not trying to make it in America after my first film appearance in Wetherby". He said: "I was a little naive in those days and didn’t push myself like Tim Roth and Daniel Day-Lewis did around that time.”
All episodes of Blackadder are currently available to watch on BBC iPlayer. For more showbiz and television stories get our newsletter here.
