Film Dope

This unaired pilot, set in the 16th century, has the scheming bastard Edmund of later entries, not the mewling idiot of the first series, which is good. There are a few funny bits, which is also good. Unfortunately, the interplay between Edmund and Baldrick, something so vital to the series, is lacking, and that destroys whatever humor there might be. Philip Fox's Baldrick is just a straight man--when he says "I have a cunning plan," it's just not the same. Percy is still an idiot, though.

An interesting oddity, but not a particularly funny one. Nice to see the BBC saw the potential, given this pilot and the fairly unamusing first series. How many shows would be given a similar chance today?