In the recent article, I described the basic three-act structure of a sitcom episode. This week I’m going to put some meat on that bone by going through an example of that structure in action.

I’ve chosen an episode of Blackadder, one of my favourite sitcoms of all time. The series features Rowan Atkinson as Edmund Blackadder, an unscrupulous conniving cad who cynically manipulates those around him for personal gain. It’s an historical sitcom. The setting and time period change from series to series, but the characters and tone of the show remain essentially constant (so long as you pretend series 1 doesn’t exist, like most people happily do).

The episode, entitled ‘Money’, is from series 2, which takes place during the Renaissance. Lord Blackadder is a member of the nobility and can boast of frequent association with Queen Elizabeth (played by Miranda Richardson), for whose favour he competes with Lord Melchett (Stephen Fry). Other associates – ones he certainly doesn’t boast about – include his epically stupid manservant Baldrick (Tony Robinson), and Lord Percy (Tim McInnerny), a dim-witted fellow noble who’s attached himself to Blackadder.

Act 1

0′ 00″: Opening credits

0′ 40″: We open in Blackadder’s bedroom at night. He’s snoozing in bed with a prostitute when he’s awoken by Baldrick, who says that a priest is at the door. When the prostitute asks to be introduced to Baldrick, Blackadder’s mean and callous nature is demonstrated when he casually says, “Baldrick, I’m delighted to introduce… I’m sorry, I’ve forgotten your name.”

02′ 00″: Blackadder dismisses Baldrick, instructing him to send the priest away. We get another glimpse of Blackadder’s character when Molly disapproves of his superior attitude towards servants and sex workers. “Look,” he replies, “if I’d wanted a lecture on the rights of man I’d have gone to bed with Martin Luther.”

02′ 30″: Baldrick comes crashing through the wooden door. Blackadder barely even stirs in response, showing to us how little he cares for his manservant. It turns out the priest threw him through the door, and the priest is none other than the fearsome baby-eating Bishop of Bath and Wells. He’s come to collect the £1000 that Blackadder borrowed from the Bank of the Black Monks. “Our motto is: Repayment or revenge!” Blackadder immediately makes up excuses, but the Bishop waves them away.

04′ 20″: The Bishop takes Blackadder to the grave of the previous debtor who refused to pay the Bishop. “Here lies William Grieves. Born 1513 in Chelmsford with the love of Christ. Died 1563 in agony with a spike up his bottom.”

05′ 00″: Since excuses didn’t work, Blackadder shows that he’s not above making veiled threats. The Bishop is unmoved and produces the red hot poker that will be thrust up his fundament unless the Bishop gets his money that same evening. The story goal for this episode is thus established.

Act 2

Part 1 – Obstacle

05′ 55″: Back home, Blackadder convenes Baldrick and Lord Percy to explain the situation. He owes £1000 but has only £85 to his name, establishing the obstacle to the story goal. Percy expresses shock since Blackadder boasts constantly to the Queen about being wealthy. Blackadder casually admits he lies habitually, demonstrating this by fooling Percy into thinking a giant bird is in the hallway making off with his hat. Percy believes him, showing the character’s dim nature.

07′ 10″: Percy offers to cover Blackadder’s debt with his own secret stash of savings: just over £1000 hidden under a squeaky floorboard. Percy is concerned when Blackadder is already aware of it. “You’ve seen it?” he asks. Blackadder nods. “Seen it, pinched it, spent it.” Clearly Percy thinks much more of their friendship than does Blackadder.

08′ 10″: Blackadder resolves to think of a plan to raise the money, but he’s interrupted by a messenger from the Queen summoning him to the palace. This introduces a B-plot in which a bored Queen Elizabeth has decided to pass the time by playing tricks on her nobles.

08′ 40″: Upon Blackadder’s arrival, the Queen and Lord Melchett play a joke on him, pretending she hadn’t sent for him. However, she soon reveals her childish wheeze. Furthermore, she explains, because he fell for the joke, he now owes Lord Melchett £85. Owing to his past boasting, Blackadder can’t claim poverty to get out of paying, so is left penniless. In true sitcom fashion, he’s become victim to his own contemptible behaviour.

Part 2 – Escalation

10′ 20″: Returning home, Lord Percy finds him and announces his own plan: he will spend the afternoon discovering how to turn base metals into gold. He’s undaunted by the magnitude of his task. “I like a challenge!” We now have a third B-plot.

11′ 45″: Baldrick meanwhile has his own plan: his master could make good money down the docks, “doing favours for sailors”. Blackadder is horrified, but concedes with a slight alteration the plan might work.

12′ 45″: Cut to: Baldrick soliciting down at the docks. He secures a client, but despite his best efforts at negotiating a price earns the grand total of sixpence.

14′ 30″: Back at Blackadder’s house, Baldrick suggests another of his trademark brilliant plans, namely by going to the cockfights and turning their sixpence into a thousand pounds by finding a bird with odds of 40,000 to one. Blackadder concludes this plan has failed.

15′ 30″: Just then, the Queen’s messenger summons Blackadder again. Once more at the palace, the Queen apologises for her earlier joke and then asks Blackadder for a coin to play Shove Ha’penny. He gives over his last sixpence.

17′ 00″: Back at home, Blackadder finds smoke everywhere. Percy emerges, adamant he’s created gold and takes Blackadder to his chemistry set. The ‘gold’ turns out to be a lump of worthless green crystal. “It’s not so much of a nugget as it is a splat.”

18′ 40″: Now desperate, Blackadder puts his house up for sale. He manages to sell, despite his inability to be sniffy with the buyers, and finally gets his £1000. Percy meanwhile starts making jewellery from his green crystal, intending to establish a new trend, make lots of money and buy back Edmund’s house. Blackadder is unimpressed with the brooch pinned to Percy’s chest. “It looks like you’ve sneezed.”

21′ 30″: Blackadder is summoned for a third time to the palace. Once there, the Queen shares news of an imminent invasion by the French, meaning every nobleman must contribute to the upkeep of the navy. The bill? £1000 of course. Queenie’s B-plot has intersected with the main plot, ruining Blackadder’s plan once again.

Part 3 – Showdown

24′ 00″: Blackadder returns home with night approaching. On the verge of giving up, he is reinvigorated when Baldrick reveals that Blackadder is generally unpopular. “When people step in what dogs have left in the street, they tend to say, ‘Whoops, I’ve trod on an Edmund.”‘ Blackadder hatches one last plan: “I need some feathers, a dress, some oil, an easel, some sleeping draught, lots of paper, a prostitute and the best portrait painter in England.”

25′ 30″: Later, with all the items acquired, the Bishop returns for his money. Blackadder calmly refuses. However, before the Bishop can get to work with his poker, he takes a swig from a glass of wine laced with sleeping draught and immediately passes out.

Act 3

27′ 00″: The Bishop awakens the next morning in Blackadder’s bed. Blackadder reveals the results of his sordid plan: while the Bishop was comatose, his portrait was painted showing him in a compromising situation with a prostitute. Blackadder threatens to send copies to the Church and the Queen unless his debt is forgiven and he gets £1000 to buy back his house. The Bishop acquiesces, then demands to know the identity of the second figure in the portrait. “Who is the second figure? Who could you have got to perform such deeds, to go lower than man has ever gone, to have plunged the depths of degradation just to save your filthy life?!” We get our answer when Lord Percy emerges from under the bedsheets, wearing an outrageous Renaissance gimp costume. “Hello,” he greets the Bishop. “It was lovely working with you.”

29′ 10″: End credits