Gold celebrates Blackadder’s 40th anniversary this June

Gold celebrates Blackadder’s 40th anniversary this June

Today, UKTV announced that in honour of Blackadder’s 40th anniversary (which will be celebrated on June 15), its comedy channel Gold would be airing specials all month long.

Blackadder: The Lost Pilot (1×80′), produced by Red Sauce, and Blackadder: A Cunning Story (1×120′), produced by Tiger Aspect (a Banijay UK company), have both been commissioned by Gold as part of the celebrations.

What is Blackadder: The Lost Pilot about

In Blackadder: The Lost Pilot, Sir Tony Robinson sets out on an adventure to learn the real story of where Blackadder came from. Tony travels through time to learn the story behind the unaired Blackadder pilot episode and discover the origins of the show.

Tony’s career was defined by his role as Baldrick, and his life was changed by it. However, in the pilot episode, Tony did not play Baldrick. And Blackadder has a lot of gaps in his knowledge of his own history.

The likes of series creator Richard Curtis and co-writer Ben Elton, among other comedy greats, will be among those he interviews. The finale of the show will be a screening of the pilot episode, which has never been seen by the public before.

What does Tony Robinson say

Tony Robinson said: “Blackadder holds a special place in the nation’s heart and in mine too. I’m delighted to be part of its 40th Birthday celebrations on Gold. It’s been wonderful to journey back to where it all began and chat to some of the biggest names in comedy who made it all happen.”

In honour of the show’s 40th anniversary, UKTV Originals will air a documentary called Blackadder: A Cunning Story, which will feature interviews with Blackadder superfans like Jack Whitehall, Darren Harriott, Sarah Hadland, Ardal O’Hanlon, and Nina Wadia.

Who is making the Blackadder documentaries

Both documentaries are commissioned for UKTV by commissioning editor Kirsty Hanson and ordered by Gerald Casey, channel director for Gold and Hilary Rosen, director of commissioning. Blackadder: The Lost Pilot will be produced by Red Sauce, and the producer is Owen Braben. Blackadder: A Cunning Story will be produced by Tiger Aspect, and the executive producers are Sarah Fraser and David Simpson, and producer director is Clyde Holcroft.

Gold will celebrate Blackadder’s 40th anniversary throughout June with episodes from all four series stripped across weeknights, with the new commissions airing the week of the anniversary. Blackadder’s boxset will also be available on Sky, Virgin and Now.