8 TV Shows That Made Dramatic Changes From Their Pilot Episodes
3. Blackadder: It Took Place In The 16th Century
Blackadder is a unique British comedy that shook up its format with every new season, shifting the action to a different historical setting. It pulled exactly the same stunt when it made the leap from pilot to full season in the early 1980s.
One of the most notable differences between the pilot and the commissioned first season is the era it takes place in. The original run was set in1485 and the years following the Battle of Bosworth Field, while the pilot was a 16th-century affair.
Also striking is the fact Baldrick was played by somebody other than Tony Robinson for the one and only time. That honour went to Philip Fox, and the decision to recast might be one of the best shouts ever made in the history of BBC comedy.
That wasn't the only role that was recast. John Savident, rather than Brian Blessed, played the king, and Robert Bathurst played Prince Harry, a part that went to Robert East when Blackadder was picked up by the Beeb. Rowan Atkinson, Tim McInnerny and Elspet Gray all reprised their roles for the real deal.
Interestingly, Atkinson's portrayal of the title character was different in the pilot compared to Season 1, and is more in line with the shrewd, witty, sarcastic version of Edmund Blackadder seen in season two onwards.