Film

Blackadder's Christmas Carol

A brilliantly inverted *Christmas Carol* where Rowan Atkinson's Blackadder is shown he's been *too nice* and needs to embrace his villainous heritage. It's 43 minutes of rapid-fire wit, character reinvention across time periods, and the entire ensemble at their sharpest. Perfect for anyone who loves Blackadder or wants to see how to properly twist a classic tale.

TMDb rating3.7

Should you watch it?

Watch it if you already love the Blackadder brand of snobbery and wordplay and fancy a festive send-up where a sharp British cast plays every role in a quick, rude sitting.

Skip it if you want a slow build or a sustained plot, since this is a brisk sketch with a thin storyline that gets by on delivery rather than depth.

What it asks of you: Little more than half an hour of your attention, with a quick succession of costume changes and punchlines that rewards keeping up and never lets the pace drop.

Not sure? Find tonight's pick in a minute.

If you liked this

A Bit of Fry and Laurie1987

Sketch show featuring the two standout Blackadder players at full comic poise. Absurdist, clever, sometimes laugh-out-loud stupid in the best way. Proves their range beyond period drama.

But Sketches are uneven by nature. Some bits don't land, and the show's 45 minutes of rapid-fire material can feel exhausting rather than exhilarating.

A Bit of Fry and Laurie poster

Dead Ringers2023

Radio sketch show where comedians do impressions and parodies. Rapid-fire, character-driven, often hilarious. Feeds the same appetite for wordplay and reinvention that Blackadder's Christmas Carol satisfies.

But Radio comedy lacks visual gags and requires active listening. Some impressions work better than others, and the format can feel scattered.

Dead Ringers poster

The Thin Blue Line1988

Rowan Atkinson in a sitcom where he plays a well-meaning, bumbling police inspector. Absurdist humour and physical comedy, with a strong ensemble cast. Shows Atkinson's range as a lead character.

But Atkinson's comedy style here is broader and sometimes slapstick-heavy. If you prefer Blackadder's razor-sharp dialogue, this might feel clownish by comparison.

The Thin Blue Line poster

Not sure tonight? Get a pick in a minute, starting from Blackadder's Christmas Carol

The wildcard

Something you would not have found on your own.

The Nightmare Before Christmas1993

Both are Christmas stories that actively reject sentiment and goodness. The special inverts the redemption arc; this film is *about* someone who can't understand why he should want to.

Stop-motion musical where Pumpkin King Jack Skellington tries to take over Christmas—a twisted inversion of festive cheer that matches this special's delight in overturning holiday pieties. Visually stunning, utterly dark.

But It's deliberately eerie and unsettling in tone. If you want warmth from a Christmas story, this delivers the opposite. Some also find the music grating on repeated viewings.

The Nightmare Before Christmas poster
More like this (4)

French and Saunders1987

Sketch duo with serious comic timing and the ability to commit fully to absurd premises. Character work and parody in the same vein as Blackadder's theatrical reinvention across time.

But Heavily sketch-based, so uneven by design. Some sketches feel padded, and their frequent parodies of bigger stars can feel like inside jokes if you don't know the references.

French and Saunders poster

Bottom1991

Darkly comic sitcom about two delusional losers sharing a flat. Crude, sharp-witted, and genuinely inventive. The chemistry between leads and willingness to go to uncomfortable places is compelling.

But It's aggressively crude and violent, sometimes gratuitously so. The relentless negativity and scatological humour isn't for everyone, and can feel wearing.

Bottom poster

Knowing Me, Knowing You with Alan Partridge1994

Alan Partridge's radio origins: a chat show where the host is the unwitting punchline. Mortifying and clever, with the same commitment to character that makes Blackadder work.

But Cringe comedy dependent on the viewer's tolerance for uncomfortable social situations. Partridge's obliviousness is the entire joke, which some find thin or exhausting.

Knowing Me, Knowing You with Alan Partridge poster

Kiss Kiss Bang Bang2005

Both use the Christmas setting to undercut sentimentality. Blackadder's special and this film share a conviction that the season is more interesting when you're honest about human nature.

A Christmas noir where a small-time crook becomes a movie extra and stumbles into murder. Gleefully cynical about the season, fast-talking, character-driven, with that same energy of people using wit as a weapon.

But The plot is baroque and sometimes confusing. Some find the smirk overseasoned, and the violence is played for laughs but still real violence. It's also American, so the sensibility is different.

Kiss Kiss Bang Bang poster

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Blackadder: Back & Forth