Written by Richard Curtis and Ben Elton, Blackadder II aired from 9 January 1986 to 20 February 1986. The series is set in England during the reign of Queen Elizabeth I, and sees the principal character, Edmund, Lord Blackadder, as a Tudor courtier attempting to win the favour of the Queen while avoiding execution by decapitation, a fate that befell many of her suitors.

The series is the successor to The Black Adder, and differed significantly from its predecessor, notably with Ben Elton replacing Rowan Atkinson as the second writer. The filming was done in studio sets, rather than on location, and it introduced a Machiavellian Blackadder and a less intelligent Baldrick. The size of the principal cast was also reduced compared to the previous series, with a fixed number of characters appearing in every episode:

• Rowan Atkinson as Lord Edmund Blackadder
• Tim McInnerny as Lord Percy, Heir to the Duchy of Northumberland
• Tony Robinson as Baldrick
• Miranda Richardson as Queen Elizabeth I of England
• Stephen Fry as Lord Melchett, the Lord Chamberlain
• Patsy Byrne as Nursie

The series also featured at least one significant cameo role per episode. Notable appearances included Rik Mayall as the debonair Lord Flashheart in “Bells”, along with Gabrielle Glaister, a former classmate of Ben Elton’s who played “Bob”; Miriam Margolyes, as the puritanical Lady Whiteadder in “Beer”; and Stephen Fry’s comedy partner Hugh Laurie, as the drunken Simon Partridge.