Black Adder or Bean?

[kingpengvin]

Which is Rown Atkinson's funnier series Mr. Bean or Black Adder?

My vote goes to Black Adder
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"People may say I'm stark raving mad and say the word Pengvin after each sentence, but I believe that we two
can make Britain Great - you as the Prince Regent and I as King Pengvin."

[screech-owl]

Definitely Black Adder.
(Rather fond of the Elizabethan series, meself.)

[Anyone know where I can get the words to the theme song and the end song?]

[bordelond]

Black Adder

[Skijumper]

Bean has its merits, but I've always preferred Black Adder -evil wit and a great ensemble cast. (I love Stephen Fry!)

[kingpengvin]

Screech owl go to http://www.gazmac.freeserve.co.uk/blackadderfront.htm

my favorite song was from the episode "Bells"

"So Flash Heart tweaked the Adders beard,
from now he always shall be single.
To fall in love with boys is weird,
especially boys without a tingle.
Blackadder, Blackadder. His taste is rather odd.
Blackadder, Blackadder a randy little sod.
Lord Flash Heart, Lord Flash Heart, I wish you were the star.
Lord Flash Heart, Lord Flash Heart, you're sexier by far"

WOOF WOOF

[tiny ham]

Black Adder. And Black Adder's Christmas Carol is an annual event in our household

The best line of Stephen Fry's was in the World War I episodes of Adder when he said,

"I don't care if he was buggering the Duke of York with a prize winning leek!"

fantastic.

[kingpengvin]

What no Bean fans??

My favorite is the third series, and another great Stephen Fry quote (as Lord Wellington) "By Napolean's Balls"

[Eve]

Omigoodness, that's like asking, "which would you prefer, an ice cream sundae, or a poke in the eye with a sharp stick?"

"Black Adder" is, with a few moments' exception, brilliant. "Mr. Bean" is one step above mime.

[Spiny Norman]

The Elizabethean series has its merits and is probably the best series overall, but the best single episode, IMHO, is "Private Plane" from "Black Adder goes Forth" (the WWI series).

S. Norman

[Gartog]

"Black Adder" is, with a few moments' exception, brilliant. "Mr. Bean" is one step above mime

But very good mime

My vote is with BlackAdder tho

[Arden Ranger]

Oh, no contest. Black Adder.

I think Eve was being generous about Mr. Bean.

[Kantalooppi]

Black Adder, of course. Although I have some fond childhood memories of watching Bean, Black Adder wins hands down.

And my favorite Stephen Fry is "Nurse Mary? A spy? Well, bugger me with a fishfork!"

[Purd Werfect]

Black Adder definitely. The writing on all the series' was stunning.

Mr. Bean suffers in comparison, as it's not an ensemble cast performing. It does show off just how creative Rowan Atkinson can be in a role with limitations built in. Very little speech, always the center of focus, and almost completely composed of physical humor. It's great watching Mr. Bean with young children though.

[Nocturne]

Most definitely Black Adder. I usually laughed so hard I was crying.

[Tony]

Black Adder here too.

[Gregor Samsa]

Well, I like Mr. Bean but of course I'm a big fan of slapstick, physical humour.

If I had to choose between the two, though, I'd have to go with Blackadder, pretty much everytime.

[Katisha]

I'm going to have to go with the majority here -- Blackadder rocks! I especially liked the Elizabethan series (of course).

"To you, Baldrick, the Renaissance is just something that happened to other people, isn't it?"

[Mockingbird]

Blackadder without question.

My favorite line was about Nursie where she is referred to as "an insane woman with an udder fetish."

[Tygr]

Well, I too appreciate physical comedy when it's done well, and I think R.A. does it quite well in on "Mr. Bean". I didn't enjoy the movie as much as the series, possibly something to do with Peter McNichol...

During R.A.'s stage show "Not Just Another Pretty Face" he did a sketch about Mr. Bean in church which still makes me laugh out loud. (There were other even funnier bits in that show.)

But that all said, there's a reason why this (from Blackadder) is the alert sound on our computer.*

And, dammit, a friend loaned us the entire series on tape and we've STILL not got past the first series.


*This and quite a few other Blackadder soundbites are at http://www.dailywav.com, if yer into that. (Not an ad! I just love that site for sound effects.)

[screech-owl]

Originally posted by Tygr
this

Bad link there, Tygrbud.

*****************
Black Adder: Right Baldrick, let's try again shall we? This is called adding. If I have two beans, and then I add two more beans, what do I have?
Baldrick: Some beans.
BA: Yes...and no. Let's try again shall we? I have two beans, then I add two more beans. What does that make?
B: A very small casserole.


*****************

And the classic "Jane 'bury-me-in-a-Y-shaped-coffin' Harrington".

[kingpengvin]

Word is, for those into DVDs the series is coming to North America by October. Each series is on one Disc including out takes and extras... Though no word on A Black Adder Christmas or the Cavalier Years (Which I have yet to see)


___________________________________________________________
It's not me that's thick, it's you and you know
why? Because I'm a bloody Prince and you're only a *butler*. And now go and get those actors here this minute, Mr. Thicky-Black-Thicky-Adder-Thicky
__________________________________________________________

[Smeghead]

Black Adder here, too. Mr. Bean is hysterical - the first time through. If you already know how it ends, watching it gets ... tedious. OTOH, Black Adder gets funnier each time you watch it, as you catch more and more things you missed. This is especially true with the first series. A lot of people don't like it that much, but there's a TON of really funny stuff in there, as I learned after getting the whole series on tape.

"Fezzick! Fresh horses!"

[GingerOfTheNorth]

Blackadder. So cunning you can brush your teeth with it.

[dwyr]

Blackadder definitely. I especially liked the second series.


Recently I was reading a novel set during the War of the Roses and I couldn't keep from picturing the Blackadder characters.

Kinda disturbing in a way.

[Eliahna]

Blackadder wins, hands down. I loved Blackadder Goes Forth best of all, and have been anxiously awaiting the release of that series on DVD in this country.

[Edwardina]

I'm with Eve on this one - Black Adder is sublime. Mr. Bean . . . I have never laughed so reluctantly in all my life.

[Katisha]

Originally posted by Smeghead
OTOH, Black Adder gets funnier each time you watch it, as you catch more and more things you missed. This is especially true with the first series. A lot of people don't like it that much, but there's a TON of really funny stuff in there, as I learned after getting the whole series on tape.

Oh, I love the first series! Especially the one where Edmund becomes Archbishop of Canterbury...

"I can't understand it; Edmund doesn't even like religion."
"That's impossible -- he's the Archbishop of Canterbury!"
"Yes, and the Archbishop of Canterbury is also a naughty little boy, whose bottom I had to smack for relieving himself in the font."
"But that was a long time ago."
"It was last Thursday!"

[Kamino Neko]

Originally posted by Smeghead
This is especially true with the first series. A lot of people don't like it that much

I've never understood that...how can you not love a series that starts out by rewriting Shakespear?

[woolly]

As a dissident voice, when later century's look back I think Mr Bean will stand out as the higher quality work.

As to popularity, it's easy to see why the vote goes the other way. Like, "Hey, What's your favourite line from Mr Bean?"

I think people aspire to Blackadder's wit, conversely many saw disconcerting elements of themselves in Mr Bean.

IMO Blackadder would have struggled to last if the increasing influence of Ben Elton's writing hadn't progressively turned Edmund from a sniverling toad into an outrageously nasty bastard.

Baldrick: ... But my lord, I've been in your family since 1532!
Blackadder: So has syphilis, now get out.

and of course Jane Harrington and her Y-shaped coffin