Blackadder II size of the principal cast was reduced compared to the previous series, with a fixed number of characters appearing in every episode. Richard Curtis has been quoted as saying that due to the familiar cast, the series was the happiest for him to work on, comparing it to a "friendly bunch of school chums". The series also featured at least one significant cameo role per episode. Notable appearances include Rik Mayall as the debonair Lord Flashheart in "Bells"; Tom Baker and Simon Jones as Captain Redbeard Rum and Sir Walter Raleigh, respectively, in "Potato"; Miriam Margolyes, who had appeared in
TSS Sir Walter Raleigh (1908) were made to her superstructure for use as a mining tender. She returned to the GWR at the end of 1945 but the following year was sold and found use with various salvage operators until cut up in 1968. TSS Sir Walter Raleigh (1908) TSS "Sir Walter Raleigh" was a passenger tender vessel built for the Great Western Railway in 1908. TSS "Sir Walter Raleigh" was built by Cammell Laird as one of a pair of vessels, with TSS "Sir Francis Drake". She was on trial in the Mersey during April 1908. She was hired to the Admiralty as a