Bells

This Episode: Season 2, Episode 1
Black Adder Overall: Episode 7
Airdate: 9 Jan 1986
Written by Ben Elton & Richard Curtis
Directed by Mandie Fletcher

Notes

• This was originally supposed to be the second episode of the season but was swapped with what aired second (Head), and that one became second when it was supposed to be first.
• The only episode of the series with location filming (at Wilton House). This is a concession to making Series II cheaper to produce than Series I.
• The first appearance of Rik Mayall as Lord Flashheart, one of my favorite overall characters of the series.  His other appearance as Flashheart comes in Series 4’s “Private Plane“.
• The first appearance of Gabrielle Glaister as “Bob”, who would return a few more times in Series 4.
• Glaister would later on appear in a 2016 episode of the series “Upstart Crow“.  She appears in 01×06 – “The Quality of Mercy” as “Robert Roberts”, a Judge.  That episode was also written by Ben Elton, as was this episode. There was a Radio Times article about the appearance here.
• The first appearances of Miranda Richardson (the Queen) Stephen Fry (Melchett), & Patsy Byrne (Nurse) in Black Adder.
• Music used in this episode is “Fantasia on Greensleeves“.

Closing Credits Lyrics

So Flashheart tweaked the Adders beard,
From now he always shall be single.
To fall in love with boys is weird,
especially boys without a tingle.

Blackadder, Blackadder.
His taste is rather odd.
Blackadder, Blackadder,
The randy little sod.

Lord Flashheart, Lord Flashheart,
I wish you were the star.
Lord Flashheart, Lord Flashheart,
You’re sexier by far.

Links

[ Wikipedia | Blackadder Wiki | IMDB | BBC Website | BBC Alternate | Amazon US DVD | Amazon UK Blu-Ray ]