Rowan Atkinson the two more sequels "Blackadder the Third" (1987) (set in the Regency era), and "Blackadder Goes Forth" (1989) (set in World War I). The "Blackadder" series became one of the most successful of all BBC situation comedies, spawning television specials including "Blackadder's Christmas Carol" (1988), "" (1988), and later "" (1999), which was set at the turn of the Millennium. The final scene of "Blackadder Goes Forth" (when Blackadder and his men go "over the top" and charge into No-Man's-Land) has been described as "bold and highly poignant". During the 2014 centennial of the start of World War I, Michael
Blackadder appeared in more than one of the Blackadder series and/or specials. These are: Ben Elton's arrival after the first series heralded the more frequent recruitment of comic actors from the alternative comedy era for guest appearances, including Robbie Coltrane, Rik Mayall (who had appeared in the final episode of the first series as "Mad Gerald"), Adrian Edmondson, Nigel Planer, Mark Arden, Stephen Frost, Chris Barrie and Jeremy Hardy. Elton himself played an anarchist in "Blackadder the Third". Gabrielle Glaister played Bob, an attractive girl who poses as a man, in both series 2 and 4. Rik Mayall plays Lord Flashheart,