...so says, erm, Mrs Blackadder

The life of the BBC’s former chief medical officer was made a misery – thanks to Blackadder

For Rowan Atkinson and Richard Curtis did not realise that when they created their arch-schemer, that the Corporation was employing one Dr Eric Blackadder at the time.

The medic, who died last year, petitioned director-general Alasdair Milne to get the comedy retitled, and even spoke to lawyers – but they told him he had no copyright over his name.

Speaking to The Scottish Sun as details of her late husband’s will were revealed, Jean Blackadder said: ‘I can say from the bottom of my heart that the side-effects have all been adverse. We started off with a respectable name but all of this has changed our lives.

‘Always serious-minded, Eric wasn’t terribly impressed with the Blackadder series, which he found adolescent in humour. The fact it came to occupy so much of our time was a complete bore.’

Dr Blackadder, who went on to become the chief medical adviser at Bupa, died in March last year at the age of 87, leaving £1.4million.

The couple have previously told of how they struggled to order taxis and book restaurants as businesses thought the calls were hoax; while the Blackadders were subject to late-night drunken calls demanding to speak to Baldrick.

Producer John Lloyd has explained that the name was ‘a complete coincidence’.

Published: 5 Apr 2016