Red Nose Day 2023. Photo: Comic Relief

Fresh off a successful return to telly as part of last months Red Nose Day, Sir Tony Robinson is teasing a possible return by suggesting a Blackadder linked project is ‘in the works’. While this doesn’t quite fall into the ‘I’ll believe it when I see it’ category given the endless rumors that have surrounded a possible return of Blackadder over the years, I do find myself cautiously optimistic even though it doesn’t appear that Rowan Atkinson is involved.

The series has regularly been the subject of a possible return for a 5th series with the best rumor coming back in 2015 where we would have been treated to a swinging 60s setting with ‘Bald-Rick’ as the drummer of a Dave Clark 5-ish band.  Unfortunately, each rumor is systematically squashed by both stars and writers as in 2017, the sitcom topped a list of shows people would like to return.

The Daily Mail is reporting Sir Tony as saying: “There is something new coming at some point in the next few months but I’m sworn to secrecy as to precisely what it is. All I can say is that it will be on TV, and it’s something associated with Blackadder that viewers won’t have seen before.” The recent one-off sketch for Comic Relief featured Robinson in character as Baldrick reading out a Cinderella-inspired tale in the format of a CBeebies Bedtime Story.

Blackadder ran for 4 series (24 episodes and 4 specials) from 1983-1989 and featured a brilliant cast with Stephen Fry, Hugh Laurie, Tim McInnerny, Miranda Richardson, Rik Mayall, Robbie Coltrane, Miriam Margolyes and Jim Broadbent appearing alongside Atkinson and Robinson. It’s been some time since the last major Blackadder outing combining both Rowan Atkinson and Robinson with the 2000 special Blackadder Back & Forth. Edmund Blackadder or not, seems like it’s time to give Baldrick some more screen time. Stay tuned!