Dr Moo The obligatory Christmas special it seems is something that every British sitcom has to do at least once in it's run and none managed it quite as well as this. Four incarnations of Blackadder are present: Elizabethan, Regency, Victorian and Space-Age versions. It's the third of those on whom we focus."Mr Ebenezer Blackadder is the nicest man in England," says the narrator (Hugh Laurie) and immediately we know there's something wrong. Don't panic though, Rowan Atkinson still give us a man as sarcastic and cynical as we'd hope for. This time round he's merely not nasty. He is rather gullible though, something for which advantage is taken of him repeatedly and orphans, goddaughters and monarchs all cheat him out of cash, food and presents. Other Blackadders would listen to Baldrick's (Sir Tony Robinson) advice not to give in to them but this one is too kind to refuse them.Robbie Coltrane as the spirit of Christmas is an incredible piece of casting by the production team and his character shows up over night to tell Blackadder to keep up the good work, congratulating him for not being like his ancestors.Cue some classic Blackadder II, via flashback, as Lord Edmund cheats Melchett (Stephen Fry) and Queenie (Miranda Richardson) into signing an execution order for Melchett. All the regulars of series two are present, sadly minus Tim Mcinnerney, and revisiting the Elizabethan court is a delight.Next it's on to Blackadder The Third as Edmund cheats the Prince out of his Christmas presents with one of the finest cunning plans we'll see in the whole series. This leads to one of the greatest twists you'll ever see in a TV show. I won't ruin it for you, since it's a reveal everyone deserves to experience at least once spoiler-free.So, what if Ebenezer became bad? The spirit is unwilling to reveal it, but he eventually does as Blackadder sees a descendant become ruler of the universe if he becomes bad or be a half-naked slave if he becomes good. It's a no-brainer: Bad guys have all the fun!The future segment is done with a deliberate level of cheesy effects and music - think oldschool Dr Who and you're almost there - and to see this new Blackadder is an incredible moment. I'll always welcome a new incarnation of the title character and if we ever do get Blackadder V this should be the setting for it.In short, this is an excellent addition to the Blackadder series and is actually better than many of the "main" episodes serving as a nice substitute for pathetically wet christmassy television and a great entry point for new fans to meet Blackadder for the first time. It's a shame IMDb only let's you give ratings up to ten because this deserves to get 11/10. Not to be missed.

didi-5 A fantastic idea, this one. Take the old chestnut 'A Christmas Carol', give it a shake-up, and turn it on its head.Ebenezer Blackadder (Rowan Atkinson in fine form as ever) is a good guy, who gives away anything to anyone, and is truly chock-full of the Christmas spirit. Time for the Spirit of Christmas (a rip-roaring turn from Robbie Coltrane) to work his magic, invoke the spirits of Ebenezer's ancestors and descendants, and inform him of the errors of his ways.We're reminded of Blackadder's former incarnations, in Tudor and Regency times, and of the cunning plans and twists of the long-gone relatives. We meet again with the likes of Queenie (Miranda Richardson), Melchett (Stephen Fry), Nursie (Patsy Byrne), and Prince George (Hugh Laurie). And of course the Cratchit character - Baldrick, who else! - suffers more and more as the story unfolds.A scary turn from Miriam Margoyles and Jim Broadbent (Victoria and Albert), and a mind-boggling look into the distant future completes the transformation.Not shown often enough, this is a real plum-pudding of a piece.

rbverhoef 'Black Adder's Christmas Carol' is kind of the reversed version of Charles Dickens' 'A Christmas Carol'. Where in that story a bad man becomes good, here a good man becomes bad because being good has not brought him any fortune. That man of course is Blackadder (Rowan Atkinson).When the spirit of Christmas (Robbie Coltrane) comes to visit the good hearted Blackadder he shows him his ancestors. They were wicked men, but fortunate as well. When he looks into the future and sees that he will become a loser if he stays good, he decides to become bad instead.Rowan Atkinson is funny as always, Tony Robinson as Baldrick has the best moments together with Miranda Richardson as Queen Elizabeth and Miriam Margolyes as Queen Victoria. A great thing for fans, enjoyable for people who are not.

Mmyers2003 Very funny. British humour at its best once again. The reversal of the christmas carol is a brilliant idea with good imagination put into it. The other added bonus this one off episode offers is that it goes back to the past era's used in the series in small snip-its and shows us once again how the cunning Lord and the money obsessed butler spent there christmases (usually involving beating baldrick up) plus a view of the blackadder family in the distant future. definately check this out. 9 out of 10.