The Queen of Spain’s Beard

This Episode: Season 1, Episode 4
Black Adder Overall: Episode 4
Airdate: 6 Jul 1983
Written by Rowan Atkinson & Richard Curtis
Directed by Martin Shardlow

Notes

• The castle scenes were filmed at the real life location “Alnwick Castle“.  The same castle appeared in Downton Abbey as Brancaster Castle.
• Princess Infanta was played by Miriam Margolyes, who was in Doctor Who as the voice of “The Meep” in the episode “The Star Beast“.
• Don Speekingleesh is played by Jim Broadbent, who was in the non canon Doctor Who story “The Curse of the Fatal Death” as one of the Doctors that Rowan Atkinson’s Doctor regenerates into.
• Broadbent & Margolyes would appear together again in Black Adder in “Blackadder’s Christmas Carol“.
• It is established that Edmund Blackadder is a virgin in this episode.
• Some repeats of this episode and an earlier DVD release swapped this episode with the second for some reason.

Closing Credits Lyrics

The sound of hoofbeats cross the glade
Good folk lock up your son and daughter
Beware the deadly flashing blade
Unless you want to end up shorter

Black Adder Black Adder
He rides a pitch black steed
Black Adder Black Adder
He’s very bad indeed

Black his gloves of finest mole
Black his codpiece made of metal
His horse is blacker than a vole
His pot is blacker than his kettle

Black Adder Black Adder
With many a cunning plan
Black Adder Black Adder
You horrid little man

Links

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