MovieChat Forums > The Black Adder (1983) Discussion > The Queen of Spain's Beard

The Queen of Spain's Beard


I think it's the best episode from the first series. I have watched just yesterday all of them and chose this one. What do you think - what the best episode is??
I adore Black Adder, he is so ugly-funny there( and, of course, Percy with his stupid voice and pretty face). Infanta had to failure with prince!!

The sniper's got talent!

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It's my favourite too, and if only for that line Baldrick has - 'Seethe seethe seethe. If he seethes like that any longer he'll turn into a seethe!' It's hilarious, I have no clue why.

You must allow me to tell you how ardently I admire and love you

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Unusual as it is for a sitcom, I actually personally prefer the first 2 episodes of the series, the second one particually "Born To Be A King", where Edmund is trying to kill off McAngus, only to find out he has letters proving his brother is not actually the King's son, and therefore Edmund is next in line to the throne. (Only to find out that the letters in fact prove Edmund is not really the King's son...)

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I love the Witch Hunter episode.

"Hello peasant"

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I liked it in the first episode where he accidently chops off the king's head and his ghost comes back to haunt. In Queen Spain's Beard, there were several funny moments...(Baldrik in bed with the Queen with interpreter interpreting for them/Prince Edmunds new wife turns out to be a six-year-old and he reads bedtime stories to her on their "wedding night").

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I love 'The Archbishop'. Probably because it reminded me of the Yes, Minister episode 'The Bishop's Gambit', which was one of my fave's in that serious [and, of course, because of the 'Black Russian' scene]. QOSB is a close second, definately.

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[deleted]

For some reason I didn't find The Queen of Spain's Beard so funny. I mean, it was good, by I think the other episodes were better.

It's actually funny that if you look for opinions on the four Blackadder series, everyone seems to say that the first is the worst. I really can't say because I've only seen the first, but I'm confused because I really like the first one. I just bought Series II on DVD but I've only watched the first episode yet and it wasn't as funny as the episodes of the first series. Maybe it gets better.

Anyway, my order of the first series episodes from best to worst:

The Archbishop
Witchsmeller Pursuivant
The Foretelling
Born to be King
The Black Seal
The Queen of Spain's Beard

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I thought the episodes from best to worst is

The Black Seal
Born to be King
The Foretelling
The Archbishop
Witchsmeller Pursiuvant
The Queen of Spain's Beard

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This is one of my favourite episodes. Jim Broadbent and Miriam Margoyles are fantastic.

I would probably rank Blackadder II first, but the original Blackadder is almost as good. I don't think the first series has a weak episode really, while the second series finishes with the rather tedious episode "Chains".

Blackadder Goes Forth is without a doubt the weakest series, IMHO.

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This is one of my favourite episodes. Jim Broadbent and Miriam Margoyles are fantastic.


They're part of the reason this is one of my favorite episodes from the first series.


Blackadder Goes Forth is without a doubt the weakest series, IMHO.


That's my favorite one. I liked having all three of the original actors from the first two Blackadders back together plus the addition of Hugh Laurie and Stephen Fry. Also, one more appearance from Lord Flashheart.

The only thing I didn't care much for was the creepy scene where the Queen and her interpreter were asking Edmund's mother what he was like in bed.


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The last episode of series 2 is, I believe, the best of all four series.



I'm anespeptic, frasmotic, even compunctuous to have caused you such pericumbobulations...

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My favorite line from The Archbishop; "My Son...Father....Father...My Son.." Cracks me up every time.

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I like the one with the witch hunter. The talking horse is just pure genious!

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i'm not a fan of the first series i find Edmunds hair too distracting. i always seem to have bad luck while watching it so i don't think i've seen all the episodes all the way through.
Its amazing to watch after watching all the other series just to see how far the show went and how much better it became.
I definetely like the one where Edmund is trying to kill his brother best as the king is brilliant! i also love the first episode which is strange as usually these kind of shows take a while to "heat up".

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The Archbishop IMHO was best episode of first series. I loved to see Edmund as "Thomas Becket".

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I love the part where Baldrick is in bed with the Infanta and the translator is in there with them. "Again please!" :)
The Archbishop is still my favorite of the first season though.

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I thought Percy was hilarious in that episode though... like how he and baldrick hug goodbye like they'd never see each other again!

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[deleted]

One of the funniest parts in the "The Queen of Spain's Beard" is when Baldrick goes into the queens room and out of the blue you hear the translator say: "Oh, Edmund! My love!" I always laugh hysterically in that part!

But my favorite episode is "The Archbishop" because of the way that Edmund and the other bishops describe heaven and hell.

-Kill that bishop!-

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[deleted]

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you hear the translator say: "Oh, Edmund! My love!" I always laugh hysterically in that part!

YES! - and then, later on you hear him say "Again please!".





Infamy! Infamy! They've all got in in for me!!

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I agree, the Archbishop is sooo great. The scene where Baldrick shows Percy and Edmund how to "actually make a bit o'money on this job" is one of the greatest in the who;e Blackadder series ("Dear enemy, I curse you, .... may yout head fall off at an awkward moment!" tis one is good! just looking at Blackadder's pleased look while he's reading...). And there is also this very funny line: "-Tell me Brother Bladrick, exactly what did God do to the Sodomites? -I dunno m'Lord. I can't imagine it was worse than what they use to do to each other." This kind of joke also reminds us the series was made more than 20 years ago: today, this would be considered as offensive (and it kinda is... even though it's funny). Last of all, the descriptions of Hell are quite enjoyable too! If you'd like to see more about "enormous devils breaking wind both nught and day", watch Pasolini's adaptation of the Canterbury Tales: there's a great Hell scene where you see how the monks who go to Hell are kept prisoners in Satan's ass, except that sometimes, he farts.... :-) Canterbury Tales deal a lot with this kind of sexual-scatological humour, only this time it's real medieval stuff!

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[deleted]

Nope, I have to go with "The Black Seal" just because of all those nasty bad guys. Seems like Capt. Jack Sparrow took some of his look from Sir Guy of Glastonbury and Sir Wilfred Death!

There's a clear moment after Blackadder has popped out of the wardrobe (at the end when the Black Seal are confronting Philip of Burgundy) - you can quite easily see Atkinson's face make the transformation as Blackadder realizes he really is in over his head on this one and that these bad guys are much, much worse than he can handle.


"Good night, Vienna, city of a million something-or-others..."

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Who is the actress who played Countess Caroline of Luxemburg?

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I love everything about this episode, from Baldrick's sacrifice (his much-abused face the next day is hilarious) to Edmund dressing like the Duke of Lancaster, to the Queen's conversation with the Infanta and the interpreter - just when you think no one could be more obtuse than Percy! But the Infanta and the Interpreter just put me in tears of laughter! I couldn't quote everything I think is funny because I'd quote durn near the whole episode - but the funniest has to be when the Infanta tries to speed up the wedding service and her Interpreter tells the priest "I want to embrace him again between my broad thighs!"

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The my son - father - father - my son bit is sheer brilliance!
My order of preference is roughly this:

The Witchsmeller Pursuivant
The Archbishop
The Foretelling
The Queen of Spain's Beard
The Black Seal
Born to be King

...but really they are all great episodes. I thought the first series was the best of the four, followed by the second; actually they get - ever so slightly - weaker as the series goes on, with the fourth being the weakest.

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Since this topic is about the Queen of Spain's Beard... does anyone happen to know the name of the actress that played the Countess Caroline of Luxembourg? She's not listed in the credits due to not having a speaking part. I could swear I know her from something else but can't remember and it drives me slowly insane every time I see her.

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by KitchenKnives
Does anyone happen to know the name of the actress that played the Countess Caroline of Luxembourg?


according to this page, Charlie Dean as Countess Caroline of Luxembourg
http://www.aveleyman.com/TVEpisode.aspx?FilmID=41&Episode=5


...
Gimli: You'll find more cheer in a graveyard.

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