On the eve of the Battle of Bosworth, young Lord Edmund makes himself known to King Richard III.
I enjoyed this for how it introduces the concept of Blackadder as a historical comedy, the many references to Shakespeare's Richard III and a several superb performances.
The plot is a clever retelling of an established history and an introduction to a number of funny characters who will take centre stage for the reminder of the series.
Richard Curtis and Rowan Atkinson's script includes lots of references to Shakespeare dialogue spoken in the context of comical situations. This works well as both historical and literary satire, but it requires a knowledge of the source material and an interest in the history it is lampooning to totally appreciate. Not all of the jokes land and this original incarnation of Blackadder leans as much towards silliness as he does darkness.
Most performances are excellent and the humour stems as much from the actors delivery than the material itself. Three wonderful comic artists in Rowan Atkinson, Peter Cook and Brian Blessed all stand out as being perfect for their roles.
It's interesting to see where the characters of Blackadder and Baldrick start from in this episode and series, as they go through dramatic changes as the show develops and Ben Elton joins Curtis in the writing team. When Elton joined, the material generally became more accessible and appealing to a wider audience, but this early series is a key starting point to what, in my opinion, became arguably the greatest BBC comedy of all time.
For me this is a 7.5/10, but I round upwards.