The BlackAdder Ultimate Edition on DVD 10/20

I must admit that I had no knowledge of Rowan Atkinson's (aka Mr. Bean) Blackadder series. Set in Britain in the Middle Ages, the show follows the exploits of the foppish, foolish, conniving Prince Edmund (Atkinson). It's a silly send-up of British history done soap opera-style--instead of a costume drama you've got a costume comedy.

I adore the Monty Python series and movies--and Blackadder is reminiscent of Monty Python and the Holy Grail, albeit not quite as sharp and witty.

The Ultimate Edition DVD contains all 25 Blackadder episodes from The Blackadder, Blackadder II, Blackadder the Third and The Blackadder Goes Forth plus the three Blackadder specials: Blackadder Back and Forth, Blackadder's Christmas Carol (which is a purely comedic inversion of the Dickens classic...) and Blackadder: The Cavalier Years.

Special features include:

• Baldrick's Video Diary
• All-new commentary with Rowan Atkinson, Stephen Fry, Ben Elton, Richard Curtis, Tony Robinson, and Tim McInnerny
• All-new interviews with Rowan Atkinson, Stephen Fry, Hugh Laurie, Richard Curtis, Ben Elton, and Tony Robinson
  
• Blackadder Rides Again
• Footnotes to History - An interactive guide to historical figures and events in Blackadder hosted by Tony Robinson

If British humor is your thing, you might want to think about adding this 6-disc DVD collection to your library. Fifteen hours plus of pure silliness featuring talents such as Miranda Richardson, Jim Broadbent and Robbie Coltrane in addition to Atkinson, Stephen Fry, Hugh Laurie and Tony Robinson won't teach you anything about history--or Shakespeare (from whom the creators unabashedly steal plot lines and dialogue...), but it will definitely tickle your funny bone.