Blackadder: Back & Forth is a 1999 British science fiction comedy short film based on the BBC period sitcom Blackadder that marks the end of the Blackadder saga. It was commissioned for showing in the specially built SkyScape cinema erected southeast of the Millennium Dome on the Greenwich peninsula in South London. The film follows Lord Edmund Blackadder and his idiotic servant, Baldrick, on a time travel adventure that brings the characters into contact with several figures significant to British history.
In a 1999 interview, Richard Curtis described it as "an irreverent trek through British history – a time travel adventure story consisting entirely of people who are either rude or stupid." Rowan Atkinson and Tony Robinson reprised their roles as the series' core characters Blackadder and Baldrick, respectively. In an interview, Atkinson stated that making a Blackadder film had always been an ambition. Joining Atkinson and Robinson are other main cast members from the last three series, Stephen Fry, Hugh Laurie, Tim McInnerny and Miranda Richardson.
Plot
At Blackadder Hall in 1999, Lord Blackadder (Rowan Atkinson) is entertaining four guests on New Year's Eve. He informs them he has built a time machine using plans drawn by Leonardo da Vinci and wagers £10,000 each that he can bring back any item from history they request. Archbishop Melchett (Stephen Fry), Archdeacon Kevin Darling (Tim McInnerny), Major George (Hugh Laurie), and Lady Elizabeth (Miranda Richardson) agree to this and challenge him to bring back a Roman centurion's helmet, wellingtons worn by the Duke of Wellington on the day of the Battle of Waterloo, and an ancient pair of 200-year-old underpants. The whole voyage is actually a scam, as Blackadder has, in fact, had Baldrick (Tony Robinson) retrieve the items from his storage, and the time machine is a prop. Blackadder stages the time machine travelling through time for his guests, with himself and Baldrick hiding inside, but when he opens the door, he finds it has actually worked.
They are now in the Cretaceous Period, where they are confronted by a Tyrannosaurus. They throw away their wager items but are eventually able to defeat it using the underpants. Baldrick admits that, as he never got round to writing the dates on the dials, they cannot return to the present.
Blackadder and Baldrick return to Blackadder Hall but during the reign of Queen Elizabeth I (Miranda Richardson) who, mistaking him for his ancestor, orders his beheading unless he has a present for her. While rummaging through his pockets, Blackadder drops some Polo mints onto the floor which he then offers to the Queen. She loves them, rewards him with her crown and orders him to go forth and bring back lots more "minty things". On his way back to the time machine, Blackadder meets William Shakespeare (Colin Firth). He gets his autograph before hitting him saying "that is for every schoolboy and schoolgirl for the next four hundred years" and leaves.
Blackadder tries to remember how the dials were set. They eventually land in Sherwood Forest and are captured by Robin Hood (Rik Mayall). Blackadder asks the Merry Men why they steal from the rich, facing certain death if caught, live in the forest with no toilet facilities, and yet give all they steal to the poor who, must accordingly view it as a reason not to work. Realizing Blackadder is right, the outraged Merry Men shoot Robin. After first having sex with Maid Marian (Kate Moss), Blackadder leaves, taking Robin's hat as a souvenir.
Next, the time machine lands upon the Duke of Wellington (just before he announces his plan to defeat Napoleon's forces) at the Battle of Waterloo in the process. Blackadder steps out to steal the Duke's boots, feeling he may as well try to win his wager. This is followed by them landing at Hadrian's Wall in Roman Britain, where they spy their Roman ancestors. After stealing a helmet, Blackadder and Baldrick escape from a charging group of Picts.
Baldrick mentions that dying people have their lives flash before them and that if Blackadder was about to drown, he might see how the dials were originally set. Blackadder agrees with this and shoves Baldrick's head into the time machine toilet. The plan succeeds and Baldrick remembers how to set the dials to return home. On the way back, Baldrick suggests that anyone can change the world for the better, though Blackadder argues that all most people can do is make money.