Blackadder-The Lost Pilot

[Ashley Hill]

So,having endured weeks of UK Golds relentless publicity for this exclusive screening the question is was it worth the wait?
From the start I recognised the plot straight away,both it and the script were later rehashed into the episode from series one “Born to be King”.
Philip Fox was just not right as Baldrick but it was a shame he did not appear in the preamble before the presentation. It was interesting seeing a young Robert Bathurst playing Prince Harry.
Yes it was nice to see this Pilot episode but it wasn’t really earth shattering.
One thing that wasn’t explained was the term “Lost”. Was the film buried away in an archive and only just found,or has UKTV just stumped up enough cash for the rights to show it?

 

[Mcr Warrior]

One thing that wasn’t explained was the term “Lost”. Was the film buried away in an archive and only just found,or has UKTV just stumped up enough cash for the rights to show it?

Not really explained in this week's "Radio Times" either. Presumably it was just a one-off pilot produced for internal viewing by test audiences / BBC management to decide whether a whole series should be commissioned.

 

[75A]

IMO it didn't match the hype.

 

[Mcr Warrior]

IMO it didn't match the hype.

To be fair, the entire 1st series wasn't up to all that much.

 

[tomuk]

Not really explained in this week's "Radio Times" either. Presumably it was just a one-off pilot produced for internal viewing by test audiences / BBC management to decide whether a whole series should be commissioned.

TV companies particularly the American ones with lots if money make a lot of pilots as you say they are for internal viewing by management and test audiences. In the past when TV movies were more popular they might be shown that way or if the changes from the pilot to the commissioned series isn't too great they may be shown as part of the first series.

The original Star Trek had two pilots, the first was very different with no Shatner and a female first officer the second was almost the same as the rest of season 1 and was slightly reedited and shown as a normal episode. They then reused the footage from the first pilot in flashback and wrote the previous captain into the show.

 

[WatcherZero]

It was made for the BBC in a live studio audience style and Elizabethan narrative setting more reminiscent of the second season to try and get a series pickup and was successful but then there was a television production workers strike so the series didn't enter production for another year and in the meantime actors had moved on, at the end of the strike Richard Curtiss asked for and the BBC agreed to throw a lot of money at it so they made the tone more serious drama with lots of external filming. The result was the first series wasnt considered to be as good as the pilot and so with budget cut they went back to the style and setting of the pilot for the second series, hence the jump forward in time period which then went on to become the series defining feature.
From what I can see clips have been available for some time but its never been broadcast in the UK or as a DVD extra before, bootleg copies existed but they were low quality and taken from copies sent to US networks to try and attract syndication.

 

[birchesgreen]

The original Star Trek had two pilots, the first was very different with no Shatner and a female first officer the second was almost the same as the rest of season 1 and was slightly reedited and shown as a normal episode. They then reused the footage from the first pilot in flashback and wrote the previous captain into the show.

Spock in the first pilot literally speaks like a robot, its hilarious!

 

[yorksrob]

I've not seen the pilot, but it sounds like a curiosity that I'd like to see.

In terms of "lost" I think the BBC had finished it's policy of wiping everything in sight in the mid 1970's.

 

[Ashley Hill]

A few more minutes into the episode was a second or so of tape distortion at the top of the screen. Presumably not the best copy obtained.

 

[MP33]

The BBC made a one man show starring Dick Emery. He died shortly after and the recording was not fully edited and was thought to be lost. It was re discovered and the BBC showed extracts from it. Dick Emery died from a heart condition and in the recording he is out of breath and not well.

In the pilot of Dads Army, there was a character called Bracewell. It was thought he was too much like Sergeant Wilson and they only had budget for one less main character, so he was dropped. The actor did appear in the series as an officer from HQ a few times.

 

[Mcr Warrior]

In the pilot of Dads Army, there was a character called Bracewell. It was thought he was too much like Sergeant Wilson and they only had budget for one less main character, so he was dropped. The actor did appear in the series as an officer from HQ a few times.

The similarity was to Private Godfrey, apparently.

As you say, actor John Ringham also appeared in a couple of later episodes of "Dad's Army" as Captain Bailey (from GHQ).

John Ringham then later portrayed Penny Warrender's (Jan Francis) father in the 1980's BBC sitcom "Just Good Friends". Don't think he ever appeared in any of the various 'Blackadder' series.

 

[hexagon789]

In terms of "lost" I think the BBC had finished it's policy of wiping everything in sight in the mid 1970's.

There are nevertheless some remarkable survivors

 

[75A]

Just proves how we are all different. I thought the first series was the best, mainly because I'm a huge fan of Brian Blessed.

 

[AlterEgo]

The third series was peak Blackadder.

 

[43096]

The third series was peak Blackadder.

2nd series was best, then 4th, 3rd and 1st series, with the first series a long way behind the other three.

 

[Ashley Hill]

I enjoy all four series but it’s a shame Gold only seem to repeat S2-4 and the Xmas special. Similarly Blackadder Back & Forth is seldom shown.

 

[Gloster]

The best of Blackadder was the last three minutes of the last episode.

 

[75A]

Can't argue with that, serious lump in throat job.

 

[wilbers]

IMO it didn't match the hype.

It did for me. I didn't know there was any hype - didn't see any trailers/adverts for it; just popped up as a suggestion on Sky and I watched it this lunchtime.

 

[tomuk]

Spock in the first pilot literally speaks like a robot, its hilarious!

The story goes that NBC wanted shot of both the female 1st Officer, Number One, and Spock and as Gene Roddenberry thought he had only enough leverage to save one of them so he chose Spock. Number One of course was played by Majel Hudec later know as Majel Barret, whom Roddenberry was having an affair with, and was recast as Nurse Chapel in a blonde wig. She of course was also the voice of all the Star Trek computers and played Deanna Troi's mum in TNG.

 

[bspahh]

I enjoy all four series but it’s a shame Gold only seem to repeat S2-4 and the Xmas special. Similarly Blackadder Back & Forth is seldom shown.

You can get the DVD box set for £2.99

Blackadder: Remastered - The Ultimate Edition DVD / Normal - musicMagpie Store

Looking for Blackadder: Remastered - The Ultimate Edition DVD / Normal? Visit musicMagpie for great deals and super savings with FREE delivery today!

www.musicmagpie.co.uk

and not have to deal with the adverts

 

[Ashley Hill]

You can get the DVD box set for £2.99

Blackadder: Remastered - The Ultimate Edition DVD / Normal - musicMagpie Store

Looking for Blackadder: Remastered - The Ultimate Edition DVD / Normal? Visit musicMagpie for great deals and super savings with FREE delivery today!

www.musicmagpie.co.uk

and not have to deal with the adverts

I have them all on VHS!

 

[WatcherZero]

Back and Forth the rights are owned by Sky rather than the BBC thats why it doesnt appear on Gold that often.

Having now had time to see the episode (and past the godawful pre-amble padding of interviewing everyone and them all saying they didnt remember it) I thought it was actually a pretty good episode. The writers said there were too many charachters but I thought it was fine, certainly same number of characters as Black Adder 2 though Black adder 3 & 4 had a lot less. Lot of the plot was was reused for future episodes and it was less historically accurate than the other series, but yeah it was funny and I particularly think we missed out on Robert Bathurst as the older brother, a prototype of his Toast of London character. Weakest link for me was possibly the King character, Brian Blessed certainly made a lot more of it however I thought it was interesting the way the Queen in the pilot was very similar to the maid Nanny in Black Adder 2 while the King was very similar to Elizabeth giving a prototype of their banter.

 

[Trackman]

One thing that wasn’t explained was the term “Lost”. Was the film buried away in an archive and only just found,or has UKTV just stumped up enough cash for the rights to show it?

It was definitely not lost. There's always been copies, but not good ones.

 

[tomuk]

It was definitely not lost. There's always been copies, but not good ones.

The 'tapes' might still of existed but there could of been issues with clearances particularly as it involves a pilot. Who owns the rights? What say does Richard Curtis or Rowan Atkinson have as writers what did they agree at the time? What residuals are the actors owed? Were they paid a one of pilot fee? Does any of the music need clearing too?

There is lots of paperwork involved in broadcasting a TV show or movie. An infamous example is the archive of the old ITV company TVS after it lost the franchise it was sold to various American media interests who had no interest in most of the archive and the associated rights paperwork was lost. So although the master tapes were sitting on a shelf they couldn't be reshown as no record of the various royalties and fees were available. AIUI George Baker who starred as Inspector Wexford paid for the clearance work himself on earlier TVS owned episodes so they could be sold as a syndicated package with the later series he co produced with Meridian.

 

[Eyersey468]

I wasn't aware there was a lost pilot of Blackadder to be honest. For me series 3 and 4 were best, can't say I'm overly keen on series 1 and 2.

 

[WatcherZero]

The 'tapes' might still of existed but there could of been issues with clearances particularly as it involves a pilot. Who owns the rights? What say does Richard Curtis or Rowan Atkinson have as writers what did they agree at the time? What residuals are the actors owed? Were they paid a one of pilot fee? Does any of the music need clearing too?

There is lots of paperwork involved in broadcasting a TV show or movie. An infamous example is the archive of the old ITV company TVS after it lost the franchise it was sold to various American media interests who had no interest in most of the archive and the associated rights paperwork was lost. So although the master tapes were sitting on a shelf they couldn't be reshown as no record of the various royalties and fees were available. AIUI George Baker who starred as Inspector Wexford paid for the clearance work himself on earlier TVS owned episodes so they could be sold as a syndicated package with the later series he co produced with Meridian.

Richard Curtiss in the documentary jokes he discovered he was paid less for writing the pilot than the prop department spent on one of the hats.