Seasonally enough, the standalone Blackadder’s Christmas Carol packs more trimmings in 43 minutes than its associate period miniseries did in multiple half-hour episodes.
As
with all versions of the saga, there is Rowan Atkinson’s representative of the
title bloodline. At his side is Tony Robinson’s marble-missing Baldrick.
Their
respective ancestors and descendants show up in each Christmas past and
yet-to-come vision. Ditto the Patsy Byrne, Stephen Fry, Hugh Laurie and Miranda
Richardson characters from the second or third six-episode editions.
Besides
those familiar faces, the special — which BBC premiered 30 years ago Sunday — enlisted
13 old and new ringers. Some loosely lampooned other figures from the
teleplay’s Dickensian basis while others portrayed historical figures.
Given
how underrated the special is in his country, this author shall take care not
to spoil the plot. (Just know that it’s not exactly the same as the original.)
With that in mind, let us honor the anniversary by ranking the best of the rest
from Blackadder’s Christmas Carol.
10. Granny
Apart
from “Thank you, sir,” this character speaks not a word, but collects the
Prince Regent’s holiday offerings.
In
this flashback scene, Edmund Blackadder, who has just manipulated his boss into
a charitable mood, assumes the collector is Baldrick in disguise. Naturally,
though, the granny’s grab of the bounty proves too good to be true. Her veiling
attire and minced, subdued speech is authentic, thus more convincing than
anything the dogsbody could pull off.
9-7. The Enormous
Orphans
During
Ebenezer Blackadder’s miserly phase, he barely shows more patience than Ebenezer
Scrooge for “God Rest You Merry, Gentlemen.” Whereas the lone caroler in the
original musters one line, the troika and their teacher here get 30 seconds.
To
lend the scene its absurdity, these vocalists put a puerile spin on the song
with scant creativity. It may be “utter crap,” but no one needs to tell them,
especially during the holiday season.
Leave
it to Blackadder to say so anyway. Despite that, the Enormous Orphans can
consider themselves lucky, as they are not the hardest hit of Ebenezer’s foils.
6. Boy
Played
by an uncredited Martino Lezzeri, this character essentially counters the “To-day!
Why Christmas Day” informant.
When
trying to capitalize on Blackadder during the man’s generous phase, the boy
derisively calls him “Slackbladder.” This insult would return a year later via
Lord Flasheart in an episode of Blackadder
Goes Forth.
5. Mrs. Scratchit
With
a couple of letter changes to her own name and her offspring’s, this character
represents a self-explanatory counterpart.
In
this adaptation, though, the poor parent is the set-up woman for some of
Blackadder’s most biting disses. Like the Edmunds who come before and after
him, Ebenezer has a way with words at his acquaintance’s expense.
4. Prince Albert
Jim
Broadbent’s take on Queen Victoria’s husband sympathetically suffers from
First-World holiday stress. He cares so much about sustaining surprises for his
wife and others that he ends up spoiling them.
Later,
when the royal couple goes to offer Christmas greetings to commoners, Albert
feels compelled to disguise his German nationality. He claims to be Scottish,
but sets himself a trap that proves him comically out of touch with the culture.
3. Queen Victoria
There
would have no excuse not to cast Miriam Margolyes in this role. At the time,
she was already a two-time Blackadder
guest star, and her overall repertoire stretched back 23 years.
With
the versatility and seasoning she had demonstrated, Margolyes earned the
requisite stripes to play the ruler of 63 years. In this project, she gives
Victoria a playful persona as she tries to loosen her husband up.
2. Millicent
Where
Scrooge had a poor-in-money but rich-in-spirit nephew, Blackadder has a
comically irritating goddaughter.
Played
by Doctor Who alumna Nicola Bryant in
her lone Blackadder role, Millicent
makes a trademark of her cartoonish laugh. Although no other incarnations of
her appear, it is safe to assume Christmas is conducive to more of her mirth.
Of
her two scenes, Millicent shares one with her fiancé, Ralph, played by another Blackadder one-timer in Ramsay
Gilderdale. For what little we see of his character, Gilderdale’s cameo hints
that Ralph and Millicent are perfect for one another. Whether that pleases
anybody is in the eye (and ear) of the beholder.
1. The Spirit of
Christmas
Robbie
Coltrane, who previously played dictionary author Samuel Johnson on Blackadder the Third, returns as this
version’s lone holiday ghost. Some have speculated his in-character persona
inspired his later portrayal of Hagrid in the Harry Potter films.
As
if that long-term nugget were not enough, Coltrane’s 1988 performance stands
out for its immediate impression. Despite his mission promoting philanthropic
behavior, the Spirit is not above indulging in “medicinal” beverages. The way
he fills his breaks from strenuous work humorously humanizes the ghost and lets
him cover more Christmas bases.
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