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Sunday, December 23, 2018

10 best one-off characters in Blackadder’s Christmas Carol

BY AL DANIEL


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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