Bells (Blackadder) marks the first appearance of the Bob/Kate and Flashheart archetypes that appear again in "Blackadder Goes Forth". Rik Mayall, who played Lord Flashheart, allegedly designed the character's costume himself. John Lloyd has said that Mayall virtually rewrote his part to feature "loads of jokes", which annoyed the writers, Curtis and Elton. It was the only episode of the series to feature location filming, at Wilton House in Wiltshire. The music performed as Blackadder courts "Bob" is Vaughan Williams' "Fantasia on Greensleeves". In 1993, in conjunction with Comic Relief, this episode was given away free on cassette tape with boxes of
Blackadder: Back & Forth programme, with the exception of the original series producer, John Lloyd. Due to the increased budget, it is the only "Blackadder" story to be shot entirely on film and with no laugh track, although one was added for the BBC One broadcast in 2002. It is also the only "Blackadder" to be filmed in widescreen; 2.20:1 aspect ratio for cinema showings, and (1.77:1) for the DVD and television screenings. The film was co-financed by Sky and the BBC, with sponsorship from, among others, Tesco, with Blackadder trying to offer his loyalty card to Queenie. The opening sequence features various depictions