Blackadder from this series ranked number three in a list of the top 25 television "putdowns" of the last 40 years by the "Radio Times" magazine: "The eyes are open, the mouth moves, but Mr. Brain has long since departed, hasn't he, Percy?" "Blackadder the Third" is set in the late 18th and early 19th centuries, a period known as the Regency. In the series, Edmund Blackadder Esquire is the butler to the Prince Regent, the Prince of Wales (the prince is played by Hugh Laurie as a complete fop and idiot). Despite Edmund's respected intelligence and abilities, he has no
Blackadder the Third each character, for example Baldrick's is plain and in poor condition. Other amusing interspersed titles include "From Black Death to Blackadder", "The Blackobite Rebellion of 1745", "The Encyclopædia Blackaddica" and "Landscape Gardening" by Capability Brownadder. Hidden inside a hollow book, he finds a romance novel (complete with cover art) bearing the title of the particular episode. The closing credits are presented in the style of a theatre programme from a Regency-era play, and with an accordion closing theme that samples the melody of the original theme. The programme won a BAFTA award for Best Comedy Series in 1988. In addition