Gerry and Iain return to the original Columbo Podcast feed this week to begin a ten-week run looking at the first season of Poker Face, a new drama with strong influences from the Lieutenant’s investigations. Tune in to see how the show stacks up and whether it’s a worthy successor to the classic series. We’d love to have you along for the ride. Ep…

After four series and three specials we’ve come to the end of our Blackadder odyssey. In this podcast Gerry and Iain look back at the best the show had to offer and consider how well it stands up 30 years on. Blackadder is presently available on Netflix (which rotates Seasons 1 & 2 with 3 & 4 on a regular basis) and a remastered set of the whole se…

Back and Forth was a special episode of Blackadder created as part of an exhibition to mark the turn of the century at the Millennium Dome and saw the Lord Blackadder of the time travel through history to impress his friends. In this podcast Gerry and Iain consider skipping ahead to the next episode. Series regulars Rowan Atkinson, Tony Robinson, T…

The Black Seal was the final episode of The Black Adder and saw Prince Edmund take the destiny of the crown into his own hands. In this podcast Gerry and Iain consider team-building strategies and robust recruitment policies. There were a number of prominent guest performances in this episode. Edmund’s troupe of rogues included John Hallam as Sir W…

Witchsmeller Pursuivant was the penultimate episode of The Black Adder and featured one of the first televised criminal trials to include evidence from an equine witness. In this podcast Gerry and Iain consider the greatest challenges to face this nation since the Swiss Invasion. This episode was ultimately a showcase for the comic talents of Acade…

The Queen of Spain’s Beard was the fourth episode of The Black Adder and featured a masterclass in the noble art of translation. In this podcast Gerry and Iain consider shotgun weddings and the nutritional value of a glass of water at midnight. This episode featured a couple of high-profile guests in the shape of Miriam Margolyes and Jim Broadbent …

The Archbishop was the third episode of The Black Adder and featured a cunning attempt by King Richard to cut short the dispute between church and state over bequests from the wealthy. In this podcast Gerry and Iain consider secret escapes and the ethics of selling authentic relics online. This episode featured a larger cast than the previous show,…

Born to be King was the second episode of The Black Adder and saw Edmund seek to take advantage of the King’s presumed death in battle to usurp the throne. In this podcast Gerry and Iain consider the importance of getting your dates right. This episode featured primarily the regular cast introduced in The Foretelling, but with the welcome – if temp…

The Foretelling was the first episode of The Black Adder and introduces viewers to Edmund, Duke of Edinburgh and a couple of familiar cohorts. In this podcast Gerry and Iain consider the value of first impressions and whether historical context is important to a comedy show. This episode established the core cast of characters for the season – King…

Goodbyeee was the final episode of Blackadder Goes Forth and features one last desperate attempt by Edmund to avoid going over the top. In this podcast Gerry and Iain consider the values of comradeship, sacrifice and recognition of the realities of war. This episode featured a brief cameo from Geoffrey Palmer as Field Marshal Haig, but otherwise fo…

General Hospital was the fifth episode of Blackadder Goes Forth and features a budding relationship between Blackadder and a nurse at the local hospital. In this podcast Gerry and Iain consider ways to spot a spy and – perhaps more importantly – ways not to. This episode featured a crowd-pleasing return for a Blackadder legend as Miranda Richardson…

Private Plane was the fourth episode of Blackadder Goes Forth and features a cunning effort to escape the front lines by signing up en masse for the Air Corps. In this podcast Gerry and Iain consider good uses of a final twenty minutes, give or take a few seconds. Besides a brief return for Gabrielle Glaister as Bob, the audience was spoiled in thi…

Blackadder’s Christmas Carol was a special festive episode of the show and features three of literature’s most memorable spirits combined as one and a monarch with the common touch. In this podcast Gerry and Iain consider whether Jo Rowling took significant influence from this episode when she created a popular member of her Harry Potter ensemble. …

Major Star was the third episode of Blackadder Goes Forth and features a cabaret extravaganza and a surprising proposal of marriage. In this podcast Gerry and Iain consider the ethics of using live moustache substitutes. Alongside the series regulars this episode featured a welcome guest appearance from Gabrielle Glaister, who of course portrayed K…

Corporal Punishment was the second episode of Blackadder Goes Forth and features an impulsive decision that Blackadder soon comes to regret. In this podcast Gerry and Iain consider justice, beloved pets and amateur lawyering. Alongside the series regulars this episode featured guest appearances from Jeremy Hardy as Blackadder’s jailer Corporal Perk…

Captain Cook was the first episode of Blackadder Goes Forth and features an artistic plan designed to allow Blackadder to leave the trenches of World War I’s Western Front. In this podcast Gerry and Iain consider opportunism, art and fine dining. A new series meant a traditional cast reshuffle as Tim McInerney and Stephen Fry resumed regular partic…

The Cavalier Years was a Comic Relief special aired in 1988 after the conclusion of Blackadder the Third. The special features a tense moment in history for the Cavaliers as their monarch, Charles I, faces execution. In this podcast Gerry and Iain consider honour, valour and finding original ways to enter employment. The special featured series reg…

Duel and Duality was the final episode of Blackadder the Third and features a dramatic showdown when the Duke of Wellington discovers George has been getting a little too friendly with his nieces. In this podcast Gerry and Iain consider family honour and the consequences of role-reversal. In the penultimate episode of Blackadder the Third there was…

Amy and Amiability was the fifth episode of Blackadder the Third and features a prospect of romance for the lovelorn Prince Regent. In this podcast Gerry and Iain consider the pitfalls of falling in love with a highwayman. In the penultimate episode of Blackadder the Third there were again two principal guests – the effervescent Miranda Richardson …

Sense and Senility was the fourth episode of Blackadder the Third and features some lessons in posture, presentation and diction for the Prince Regent from a pair of popular thespians. In this podcast Gerry and Iain consider whether there are some things that simply cannot be taught and reveal the content of the Macbeth anti-jinx. In the fourth epi…

Nob and Nobility was the third episode of Blackadder the Third and features a daring escapade to revolutionary France. In this podcast Gerry and Iain consider the nature of heroism and a certain je ne sais quoi. In the third episode of Blackadder the Third there were, appropriately, three guest stars, all of whom will be familiar to British comedy …

Ink and Incapability was the second episode of Blackadder the Third and features an expedited rewrite of an historical tome. In this podcast Gerry and Iain consider a searing indictment of domestic servitude in the eighteenth century with some hot gypsies thrown in. In the second episode of Blackadder the Third the principal guest was Scottish acto…

Dish and Dishonesty was the first episode of Blackadder the Third and features political shenanigans of the highest order. In this podcast Gerry and Iain consider a rotten borough and the ennoblement of a most unlikely Lord. For the first episode of Blackadder the Third, series regulars Rowan Atkinson (Mr E Blackadder) and Tony Robinson (Baldrick) …

Chains was the final episode of Blackadder II and features a dramatic escape from the clutches of a ruthless villain. In this podcast Gerry and Iain consider an unfortunate incident with a sheep in the nighttime and look back on the series. The Blackadder II finale featured appearances from Max Harvey as a torturer and Mark Arden and Lee Cornes as …

Beer was the fifth episode of Blackadder II and features the unfortunate confluence of two wholly incompatible social events. In this podcast Gerry and Iain take a look at a little goblin and his little feet. Returning to the show after an appearance in The Black Adder was Miriam Margolyes as Edmund’s aunt, the Lady Whiteadder, along with Daniel Th…

Money was the fourth episode of Blackadder II and features Edmund’s increasingly desperate endeavours to raise enough cash to settle a debt owed to the Bank of the Black Monks. In this podcast Gerry and Iain take a look at a delicious piece of blackmail. Stealing every scene and chewing every piece of scenery available in this episode was Ronald La…

Potato was the third episode of Blackadder II and features an epic voyage of discovery, a remarkable historical figure and a unique, if somewhat eccentric, captain. In this podcast Gerry and Iain take a look at fine wine from distant shores and other such riches. Only two actors besides the series regulars appeared in this episode. Simon Jones port…

Head was the second episode of Blackadder II and features a new course of employment for Lord Blackadder and a couple of cracking impersonations. In this podcast Gerry and Iain take a look at life working on death row in Elizabethan London. Alongside the six series regulars this episode featured key contributions from Bill Wallis as Gaoler Ploppy, …

Bells was the first episode of Blackadder II as the show returned after the two-and-a-half year hiatus that followed The Black Adder. This series is set in Elizabethan London and re-introduced audiences to Rowan Atkinson and Tony Robinson in their now-familiar roles as Blackadder and Baldrick. In this podcast Gerry and Iain take a look at the plot,…

From the team behind the Columbo Podcast and the Jonathan Creek Podcast comes the Blackadder podcast, an affectionate retrospective of the iconic BBC comedy series. The show will look at each series of Blackadder, as well as the special episodes, beginning with Blackadder II (don’t worry, we’ll circle around to The Black Adder in due course!). You …