Is Blackadder the Best British Comedy?

As an undergrad I took a course on humor that taught me two things: first, that nothing is funny while you're taking a course which deconstructs jokes to find the humor in them; and second, that there are many different types of humor. But if watching British comedies has taught me anything, it’s that for every type of humor there's at least one sub-genre of comedy to scratch that itch.

Blackadder (1983 - 1989, 1999) seems to scratch that itch for many. It is currently listed at #9 in Empire Magazine's list of Best TV Shows of All Time, was voted second to the BBC's Only Fools and Horses (1981 - 2003) in 2004, and was 16th in the British Film Institute's 100 Greatest British Television Programmes in 2000.

The show is unique in that it is a historical comedy, where each series is set in a different historical time period: series 1 follows Prince Edmund in the 1400s, sereis 2 follows Lord Edmund Blackadder in the Elizabethan period, series 3 follows Edmund Blackadder, Esquier during the Regency, and series 4 follows Captain Edmund Blackadder during the First World War.

This isn’t to say that the only thing making Blackadder worthwhile is its sub-genre; the show is also extremely funny. Rowan Atkinson is undoubtedly a fabulous comedic actor whose line delivery, no matter how silly or cleverly insulting, coupled with his ability to give his performances straight-faced make the Black Adder a most memorable and funny character.

That being said, arguably the funniest character in the show is not Atkinson, but is played by guest star Rik Mayall. Mayall is possibly best remembered as Rick on the BBC’s The Young Ones, (1982 - 1984) a show that originated from a London comedy club where actors Mayall, Nigel Planer, Adrian Edmondson, and Alexei Sayle performed together. But Empire Magazine and I agree: in Blackadder Mayall steals the scene -- and possibly the entire show -- in the episode “Bells” (S2:E1) as Lord Flashheart, a role he reprises in “Private Plane” (S4:E4).

Further, Blackadder isn't the only funny BBC comedy in a unique sub-genre. One of the most interesting BBC parodies is Posh Nosh (2003), which mimics a cooking show. With each episode being around 10 minutes in length, it is also one of the BBC’s shortest comedy series. In each episode Simon and Minty Marchmont teach viewers how to make “extraordinary food for ordinary people” such as “Leftovers” which they prepare first as a regular meal only to then manhandle it to make it look like leftovers from the night before. The so-called cooking terminology they use includes “disappoint” (meaning peel), “annoy” (meaning boil), “vulgarize” (meaning grind) and “disorientate” (meaning mix).

There are also a number of other well known and loved BBC workplace sitcoms to consider, including Are You Being Served? (1972 - 1985) which is set in a department store and is known for its humorous innuendoes, Fawlty Towers (1975 - 1979) which is set in a hotel, The Vicar of Dibley (1994 - 2005) which is about a female vicar, mockumentary The Office (2001 - 2003) on which the U.S. show of the same name is based, and Miranda (2009 - 2015) which is about a somewhat dysfunctional joke shop owner who frequently breaks the fourth wall by giving the camera pointed looks and speaking directly to the viewer.

Additionally, there are quite a few BBC black comedies. On the lighter side is the shockingly funny Absolutely Fabulous (1992 - 2012) which follows self-absorbed, chain-smoking alcoholics PR agent Eddie Monsoon (played by Jennifer Saunders) and her best friend fashion editor Patsy Stone (played by Joanna Lumley) as they behave badly, insulting everyone and everything that stands in their way, and insisting everything they do (and buy) is related to their work.

In the BBC’s much darker comedic psychological thriller Psychoville (2009 - 2011), the main characters are odd and the comedic moments come from the characters’ interactions with everyone they meet in the outside world. The creators of Psychoville also wrote the BBC’s League of Gentlemen (1999 - 2002) in which it is the whole town that is odd, so that the comedy is driven by the arrival of various strangers, be they tourists, relatives, or police. Both Psychoville and League of Gentlemen are so dark at times that without the comedic timing and delivery of the lines, they easily could have been made as thrillers or horror shows.

Similarly, The BBC’s Red Dwarf (1988 - 1993, 1997 - 1999, 2009, 2012 - ) could have been a good sci-fi thriller if it wasn’t a comedy. In the show, Dave (played by Craig Charles) wakes up to discover that 3 million years have passed while he has been in stasis, and everyone is dead. While the premise of this sci-fi parody may seems dark, the way the materials is handled makes the show seem much lighter than the black comedies.

Then there are the very funny and unique BBC sketch comedies as well. Unlike other sketch comedies, Man Stroke Woman (2005 - 2007) has no laugh track or live audience, while the That Mitchell and Webb Look (2006 - 2010) features periodic staged “behind the scenes” looks at David Mitchell and Robert Webb which are supposed to take place between sketches.

This is Jinsy (2010 - 2014) is a sitcom about the population of an isolated island, which is interspersed with the island’s television shows. The effect is a sketch variety show, since the island’s television shows include public service announcements, singing obituaries, weather segments, a musical competition judged by a dog, and other random musical numbers.

Last but certainly not least, there is the BBC’s sketch comedy Monty Python’s Flying Circus (1969 - 1974). The highly regarded and extremely influential show has led to not only a multitude of homages and copycats, but a stage musical and the names of both spam mail and the Python coding language. Sketches from the show are still widely recognized, such as the “Ministry of Silly Walks,” “Dead Parrot,” and “Nudge Nudge.”

But the BBC isn't the only British television channel making excellent comedies. In fact, Blackadder’s Atkinson is probably most remembered in the U.S. for playing the titular character on ITV’s Mr Bean (1990 - 1995), for which Atkinson was nominated for the Best Light Entertainment Performance BAFTA in 1991, 1992, and 1994. In Mr. Bean there is virtually no dialogue in most episodes, and more frequently than not, Atkinson is alone on screen, making his performances all the more impressive.

Other British channels also have well received workplace comedies, such as Channel 4’s The IT Crowd (2006 - 2013), which is about the IT department of a fictional British corporation. The show was voted BAFTA Best Situation Comedy in 2009.

Channel 4’s dark comedy Black Books (2000 - 2004) won the Best Situation Comedy BAFTA in 2001 and 2005. In the show Bernard Black is a very off putting, angry, drunken bookseller who is so odd that the conflict, and therefore comedy, comes from his dealings with his customers.

Channel 4 also has the very funny sci-fi horror comedy Garth Marenghi’s Darkplace (2004). The show’s premise is that writer Garth Marenghi has been asked by the television station to show episodes of his old television show that was cancelled in the 1980s. His old show was about the supernatural, mysterious things that happen at Darkplace Hospital -- a sort of X-Files with doctors instead of FBI agents. But unlike the X-Files, the material in Garth Marenghi’s Darkplace is used as a means of poking fun at 1980s television. Marenghi’s scripts are terrible, the acting laughable, the props and special effects are unbelievable, and the episodes are frequently interrupted to give a “behind the scenes view” of the show’s making.

It is easy to see how the show could have gone differently. Without the interjections or the ribbing of 80s television, this show easily could have been a decent sci-fi horror show.

Lastly, Channel 4 has a very funny sketch comedy show Smack the Pony (1999 - 2003) which was nominated for the Best Comedy Programme BAFTA in 2000, 2001, and 2003. The show features an all female cast; while men do appear in some sketches, they appear as extras rather than the main comedic talent. Additionally, every episode also ends with a parody of a song, which shows not only how funny these women are, but how multi-talented they are.

Plus there are many, many more hillarious British shows that simply won't fit in this list.

So, arguably yes. Blackadder consistently ranks in poles as a top British comedy, including being voted 2nd Best Comedy in 2004. However, it's not 2004 anymore. We have drastically changed the way we watch television, and services like Hulu, Amazon Prime, Netflix, and even YouTube allow viewers to see a much broader range of foreign shows than ever before possible, meaning we now have more shows than ever to choose from. So if Blackadder doesn't tickle your funnybone, why not try one of the many other funny shows that British television has to offer?