That's Sir Baldrick to you…
For almost 500 years, from 1485 to 1917, he was the faithful manservant whose endless supply of cunning plans never quite elevated him beyond the level of Edmund Blackadder’s rather unhygienic servant. But, last Friday, the same night that Blackadder, the second most popular British sitcom of all-time (according to the 2004 Britain’s Best Sitcom series, celebrated its 30th anniversary, Baldrick finally turned the tables on his tormentor through the ages, Edmund Blackadder, after the actor Tony Robinson was knighted in the Queen’s Birthday Honours for his public and political service.
Robinson, the current host of Channel 4’s archaeology show, Time Team, said of his award: “I’m thrilled, flattered and a little gobsmacked to have received this recognition from my country. I’ll use my new title with abandon to highlight the causes I believe in, particularly the importance of culture, the arts and heritage and the plight of the infirm elderly and their carers. I also pledge that from this day on I’ll slaughter all unruly dragons, and rescue any damsels in distress who request my help.”
Rowan Atkinson, who has entertained audiences around the world for over 30 years with his brilliant performances in Blackadder and Mr. Bean, also received a CBE (Commander of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire) at the Queen’s Birthday Honours. One has to wonder (or hope) that the meeting between Atkinson and the Queen went a bit better than this…
