Editing Blackadder (section)

==Future==
Despite regular statements denying any plans for a fifth series, cast members are regularly asked about the possibility of a new series.

In January 2005, Tony Robinson told [[ITV (TV network)|ITV]]'s ''[[This Morning (TV programme)|This Morning]]'' that Rowan Atkinson was more keen than he has been in the past to do a fifth series, set in the 1960s (centred on a rock band called the "Black Adder Five", with [[Baldrick]]&nbsp;– a.k.a. 'Bald Rick'&nbsp;– as the drummer). In the documentary ''Blackadder Rides Again'', Robinson stated that the series would present Blackadder as the bastard son of Queen Elizabeth II and running a Beatles-like rock band. Rowan Atkinson, Tony Robinson, Hugh Laurie, Stephen Fry, Tim McInnerny and Miranda Richardson would have reprised their roles, and reportedly, Brian Blessed, Elspet Gray and Robert East would have returned from the first series to play Blackadder's biological family. Robinson in a stage performance 1 June 2007, again mentioned this idea, but in the context of a movie.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Rowan Atkinson reveals details of "Redadder" - the Russian Revolution-themed Blackadder that never was |url=https://www.radiotimes.com/tv/comedy/rowan-atkinson-reveals-details-of-redadder-the-russian-revolution-themed-blackadder-that-never-was/ |access-date=2022-06-29 |website=Radio Times}}</ref>

One idea mentioned by Curtis was that it was Baldrick who had accidentally [[John F. Kennedy assassination|assassinated]] [[John F. Kennedy]].<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/newstopics/celebritynews/3178382/Richard-Curtis-Blackadder-was-lined-up-to-be-Sixties-entrepreneur.html|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081015022348/http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/newstopics/celebritynews/3178382/Richard-Curtis-Blackadder-was-lined-up-to-be-Sixties-entrepreneur.html|url-status=dead|archive-date=15 October 2008|title=Richard Curtis: Blackadder was lined up to be Sixties entrepreneur|work=[[The Sunday Telegraph]]|date=12 October 2008|access-date=12 October 2008}}</ref> However, aside from a brief mention in June 2005,<ref name="bbc-faces">{{cite news
 | url = http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/magazine/4606743.stm
 | title = Faces of the week: Richard Curtis
 | publisher=BBC News
 | date = 3 June 2005
| access-date = 6 February 2008
| quote =...&nbsp;Rowan Atkinson, whose collaborations with Curtis include television and cinema's Mr Bean and TV's Blackadder, which is to enjoy a fifth series next year.
}}</ref>
there have been no further announcements from the BBC that a new series is being planned. Furthermore, in November 2005, Rowan Atkinson told ''[[BBC Breakfast]]'' that, although he would very much like to do a new series set in [[Colditz]] or another [[prisoner-of-war camp]] during World War II, something which both he and Stephen Fry reiterated at the end of ''Blackadder Rides Again'', the chances of it happening are extremely slim.<ref>{{Citation|last=theoldonearethebest|title=Blackadder Rides Again Documentary pt 6 6|date=5 September 2011|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YjOoncjwXgg&list=PL398BAFDB3C5E2009&index=7| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180117202847/https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YjOoncjwXgg| archive-date=2018-01-17 | url-status=dead|access-date=18 January 2017}}</ref>

There were a couple of ideas that had previously floated for the fifth series. ''Batadder'' was intended to be a parody of ''[[Batman (TV series)|Batman]]'' with Baldrick as the counterpart of [[Robin (comics)|Robin]] (suggested by [[John Lloyd (producer)|John Lloyd]]). This idea eventually came to surface as part of the ''[[Comic Relief (charity)|Comic Relief]]'' sketch "[[Spider-Plant Man]]" in 2005, with Atkinson as [[Spider-Man|the title hero]], Robinson as Robin, [[Jim Broadbent]] as Batman and [[Rachel Stevens]] as [[Mary Jane Watson|Mary Jane]].<ref>{{cite web|title=The Greatest Red Nose Day sketches – Part 1|url=https://adoseofdavidmitchell.wordpress.com/2019/02/27/the-greatest-red-nose-day-sketches-part-1/|last1=Evans|first1=Rhianna|date=27 February 2019|accessdate=10 February 2025}}</ref> ''Star Adder'' was to be set in space in the future (suggested by Atkinson).<ref>{{cite web |url=http://filmtv.eserver.org/black-adder.txt |title=Black Adder Program Guide |access-date=29 October 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121120155502/http://filmtv.eserver.org/black-adder.txt |archive-date=20 November 2012 |url-status=dead }}</ref>

On 10 April 2007, ''[[Hello! (magazine)|Hello!]]'' reported that Atkinson was moving forward with his ideas for a fifth series. He said, "I like the idea of him being a prisoner of war in Colditz. That would have the right level of authority and hierarchy which is apparent in all the Blackadders."<ref name="Hello-Colditz">{{cite magazine
 | url = http://www.hellomagazine.com/celebrities/2007/04/10/blackadder-return/
 | title = Rowan toys with idea of 'Blackadder' return
 | magazine=Hello Magazine
 | date = 10 April 2007
| access-date = 6 February 2008
}}</ref>

Stephen Fry has expressed the view that, since the series went out on such a good "high", a film might not be a good idea.<ref>[https://archive.today/20120529151802/http://www.darkhorizons.com/news06/060620k.php "Atkinson Developing "Black Adder" Film"], Darkhorizons.com</ref>

During his June 2007 stage performance, chronicled on the Tony Robinson's Cunning Night Out DVD, Robinson states that, after filming the ''Back & Forth special'', the general idea was to reunite for another special in 2010. Robinson jokingly remarked that Hugh Laurie's success on ''[[House (TV series)|House]]'' may make that difficult.<ref>{{cite web|title=DVD Review: Tony Robinson's Cunning Night Out|url=https://blogcritics.org/dvd-review-tony-robinsons-cunning-night/|last1=Bennett|first1=Barbara|date=7 February 2008|publisher=Blogcritics|accessdate=10 February 2025}}</ref>

On 28 November 2012, Rowan Atkinson reprised the role at the "We are most amused" comedy gala for the [[Prince's Trust]] at the Royal Albert Hall. He was joined by Tony Robinson as Baldrick. The sketch involved Blackadder as CEO of Melchett, Melchett and Darling bank facing an enquiry over the banking crisis.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.theguardian.com/stage/2012/nov/29/we-are-most-amused-review|title=We Are Most Amused – review|last=Logan|first=Brian|date=29 November 2012|website=The Guardian|language=en|access-date=29 September 2018}}</ref>

In August 2015, Tony Robinson said in an interview "I do think a new series of Blackadder is on the cards. I have spoken to virtually all the cast about this now. The only problem is Hugh [Laurie]'s fee. He's a huge star now."<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2015/aug/23/blackadder-new-series-on-the-cards-tony-robinson|title=Blackadder new series on the cards, says Tony Robinson|newspaper=The Guardian|date=24 August 2015}}</ref> However, in October 2018, Richard Curtis "dashed hopes" that the show would return for a fifth series.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.herald.ie/news/curtis-reveals-why-blackadder-will-not-return-37419169.html|title=Curtis reveals why Blackadder will not return|date=16 October 2018}}</ref>

In April 2017 at the BFI & Radio Times Television Festival, Atkinson stated "There are no plans to do anything" and revealed a potential [[Russian Revolution]] themed series that never materialised:

<blockquote>"There was a plan twenty years ago that got nowhere which was called ''Redadder'' which I quite liked. It was set in Russia in 1917 and ''Blackadder'' and Baldrick were working for the Tsar. They had blue stripes around their caps and then the Revolution happened and Rik Mayall unsurprisingly was playing Rasputin."<ref>{{cite web|title=Rowan Atkinson reveals details of Redadder Russian Revolution Blackadder at the Radio Times Festival|url=https://www.radiotimes.com/tv/comedy/rowan-atkinson-reveals-details-of-redadder-the-russian-revolution-themed-blackadder-that-never-was/|last1=Dowell|first1=Ben|date=7 April 2017|publisher=Radio Times|accessdate=10 February 2025}}</ref></blockquote>

In December 2020, Rowan Atkinson told the ''Radio Times'':

<blockquote>"I don't actually like the process of making anything – with the possible exception of ''Blackadder''. Because the responsibility for making that series funny was on many shoulders, not just mine. ''Blackadder'' represented the creative energy we all had in the '80s. To try to replicate that 30 years on wouldn't be easy."<ref>{{Cite magazine |last=Ramachandran |first=Naman |date=2021-01-05 |title='Mr. Bean' Actor Rowan Atkinson Weighs in on 'Cancel Culture,' Teases New Film |url=https://variety.com/2021/tv/global/mr-bean-rowan-atkinson-cancel-culture-1234878676/ |access-date=2025-01-09 |magazine=Variety Magazine}}</ref></blockquote>

Most recently, in December 2024, Ben Elton poured doubt on a fifth series of ''Blackadder'':

<blockquote>"But there will not be a fifth series of ''Blackadder'', I think that’s pretty much a certainty. I have no interest in doing it. I don’t think any of us do, with the possible exception of Tony [Robinson]. But if we did, the world would be our oyster. We could have fun with any period."<ref>{{cite news|last=Butt|first=Maria|date=16 December 2024|title=Ben Elton shares disappointing update on Blackadder reunion series|url=https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/tv/news/ben-elton-blackadder-reunion-b2665028.html|newspaper=Independent|accessdate=10 February 2025}}</ref></blockquote>